The Fight for Affordable Health Care Continues - A Letter to my Congressperson

Today I received a letter from my Congressperson, Rep. Patrick Meehan, a conservative Republican, in which he indicated that he was working for my interest by joining a bi-partisan group seeking to repeal the Affordable Care Act. In the letter he states that while he “believe[s] it is critical for all Americans to have access to quality health care….health care for everyone is too expensive.” The reason is that “the health care law missed a real opportunity to rein in costs for health insurance.” He is correct in that statement but what he fails to note is that it was representatives like him on both sides of the aisle who took money from the insurance companies in exchange for gutting that part of the bill. His concern and rationale is the height of hypocrisy.

I have elsewhere expressed my disappointment with the weakness of the bill that was eventually signed, but like many similarly disappointed supporters I thought it at least might be a step in the right direction. Now conservatives like Meehan are trying to destroy what little progress has been made in the movement toward genuine health care reform. We must remain constantly vigilant as the powers-that-be are bent on increasing the suffering of millions despite their rhetoric to the contrary. The smoke and mirrors that Meehan is employing run all through the Congress and in both political parties, so that we must closely and vigilantly watch their actions and pay far less attention to their dishonest and misleading words.

Below I my response and rejoinder to Rep. Meehan’s action.

Dear Rep. Meehan,

Thank you for your May 17 update on action on health care reform. While I agree that the Affordable Care Act (so-called “Obamacare”) is inadequate, I do not agree with your efforts to repeal the bill. The reason that the bill is so expensive is that Senator Baucus and others like you did not agree to limiting insurance premiums in the original bill because you are a major recipient of donations from health insurance related groups. In the last election you received over $113,000 in contributions from insurance-related donors (according to Open Secrets.org). So how can you hypocritically now criticize the bill you helped gut for being too expensive?

You state your commitment to affordable health care, but have offered nothing even comparable to the comprehensive care that Obamacare seeks to provide. You are operating as a front for your corporate supporters who don’t want to foot the bill while their profits soar.

Please withdraw your support for the repeal and instead take action to strengthen a bill that was gutted in the process of being passed. If you truly believe in affordable health care then work toward that end and not against it!

Sincerely,

Darrell Boyd

Broomall, PA