Firedoglake: Kill the Senate Health Care Bill

[Stoic]

Kill the Senate Health Care Bill. Sign the Petition

The Senate's health care bill must be killed.

It is an ungodly mess of errors, loopholes, and massive giveaways. When the American people find out what's actually in this bill, they will revolt. Congress and President Obama have no choice but to do better for health care than this bill.

Sign the petition: the Senate health care bill must be killed.

How bad is the bill?

1. Forces you to pay up to 8% of your income to private insurance corporations -- whether you want to or not
2. If you refuse to buy the insurance, you'll have to pay penalties of up to 2% of your annual income to the IRS
3. After being forced to pay thousands in premiums for junk insurance, you can still be on the hook for up to $11,900 a year in out-of-pocket medical expenses.
4. Massive restriction on a woman's right to choose, designed to trigger a challenge to Roe v. Wade in the Supreme Court
5. Paid for by taxes on the middle class insurance plan you have right now through your employer, causing them to cut back benefits and increase co-ays
6. Many of the taxes to pay for the bill start now, but most Americans won't see any benefits -- like an end to discrimination against those with preexisting conditions -- until 2014 when the program begins.
7. Allows insurance companies to charge people who are older 300% more than others
8. Grants monopolies to to drug companies that will keep generic versions of expensive biotech drugs from ever coming to market.
9. No reimportation of prescription drugs, which would save consumers $100 billion over 10 years
10. The cost of medical care will continue to rise, and insurance premiums for a family of 4 will rise an average of $1000 a year -- meaning in 10 years, you family's insurance premium will be $10,000 more annually than it is right now.


I could go on, but it should be clear: this is not reform. This is a con job.

Sign our petition: kill the Senate bill.

Make no mistake, we need health care reform. But the Senate's idea of reform is a disaster, and will make things far worse than they are today.

We will continue to fight for real health care reform. Now, we must kill this fake reform.

Thanks for all you do.

Jane Hamsher
Firedoglake

P.S. Please, after you've signed, forward this email to your friends, family, coworkers - anyone you know. It's critical we act fast to kill the Senate bill, and we need everyone we can on board.

[Laelth]

1. Agreed. Kill the bill. It's worse than doing nothing.

Kill the bill.

Forcing people to buy insurance is no more the answer to a failed health care system than forcing people to buy houses is the solution to homelessness.

:dem:

-Laelth

[golddigger]

2. Link not working.

[Stoic]

4. Hmmmm, working for me. Try this...

firedoglake.com

Link to the petition on the upper right column.

[golddigger]

8. Thanks. Got it now.

The one on the OP, I was getting address not valid for some reason.

[mmonk]

6. Try this.

http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/killthisbill?source=web&subsource=side

[ixion]

3. done

kicked and recommended.

[berni_mccoy]

5. co-ays? Jane is getting sloppy.

[cali]

7. it's a done deal, jane.

[sendero]

9. I think it would be hard..

... for anyone wanting any kind of true serious and fair reform to be remotely happy with this sausage.

[Sheri]

10. nice to hear a real "liberal" argument on here.

the cheerleaders have been really vocal this morning.

[dpbrown]

11. This is yet another disaster for the (former) middle class that built this country

All those new taxes and fines will end up costing the middle class more than any other group.

We ought to have gotten a national health care plan, not this steaming pile.