The concern of Kansas politicians over the newly passed health care legislation is truly touching.
“Kansans are fed up with the ‘Washington knows best,’ attitude,” said Congressman Jerry Moran, and proposed to undo the reform, to which his contribution was to “Say No.”
In step with Moran are Reps. Lynn Jenkins and Todd Tiahrt and Sens. Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts.
At home, Kansas House members spent the better part of Monday seeing how Kansas can opt out of the national plan.
THESE POLITICIANS make specious claims against the new legislation.
“It will jeopardize Kansans’ access to care,” Moran said in a news release.
Almost immediately, in fact, the new legislation will cover a much greater number of Americans, curb insurance companies’ ability to deny coverage and expand the accessibility for seniors to prescription drugs.
In his press release Monday, Tiahrt alleged the new legislation will “benefit illegal Americans” and be “a federal mandate for taxpayer-abortions.”
Hogwash to both.
The health care legislation requires proof of U.S. citizenship to be eligible for any of its benefits.
And Tiahrt must have buried his head in the sand this past weekend not to know that the House prohibited any use of federal funds for abortions except in the case to save the life of the mother or in cases of rape or incest. The Senate’s version also adheres to the Hyde Amendment.
Tiahrt goes on to say the reform is “socializing America’s healthcare system.”
The “socialist” agenda is to limit insurance companies from being able to make obscene hikes for premiums, such as Anthem Insurance’s recent 38-percent in-crease for Californians.
To begin immediately is a states’ review of all increases made by health insurance companies and their justification for doing so.
For too long these big businesses have not been held accountable for their premium hikes. Under the new plan, states will exchange in-formation on insurance company rates and recommend whether any plans should be excluded because of unjustified premiums increases.
That’s called consumer protection — not socialism.
In her claims, Rep. Jenkins pulls numbers out of the air without explaining them. The new legislation will “increase taxes by more than $520 billion,” she said.
Which deserves a challenge. Small businesses, for example, will benefit from the legislation.
It’s the mom-and-pop businesses that have been hit hardest for supplying their employees health insurance. Not able to get the benefits of large plans, small businesses have been forced to pay higher premiums.
Under the new legislation, businesses with fewer than 25 employees who on average earn less than $50,000 will receive tax credits of up to 35 percent of premiums paid, while employers with fewer than 10 workers who earn less than $25,000 on average, could claim the full credit. Starting in 2014, the credit would increase up to 50 percent of premiums and would last for two years.
There’s also a $2,000 limit on out-of-pocket deductibles for individual employees.
Overall, it’s predicted the cost of health insurance for small firms will drop 20 to 30 percent.
That’s money that goes directly to the bottom line.
Note to Kansas legislators: We want this.
MISINFORMATION, untruths and outright lies have tried to derail this debate for a year.
The American public deserves better from its elected officials.
And Kansans deserve to benefit along with the rest of the country from this momentous effort.
— Susan Lynn
