now that we’ve moved back to the u.s. and orange county, california in particular…i thought i would look up my government representatives. it was no surprise to find that 3 of the 4 are republicans since i was told that orange county was the most republican county of california. again, no surprise there seeing as how the area is filled with rich white guys. (i won’t speculate on their wives…)

my reps are as follows:
u.s. senator: dianne feinstein (d)
u.s. representative: gary miller (r)
california senator: mimi walters (r)
california assemblyman: jeff miller (r)

it will take me sometime to look into each of their platforms but today i thought i would start with gary miller. i had a feeling i would disagree quite heartily with his positions and i wasn’t wrong. here is another guy misrepresenting the health care reform issue and skewing the ideas put forward so as to sound like a unnecessary, horribly expensive social system. here are a few examples:

first and patently false…”a government-run health care system to “compete” against plans in the private market.” i am sick of the phrases government-run and government take-over. these right-wingers are making it sound as if the government will be the decision makers which is false. right now, you have bureaucrats in the health insurance companies who come between what your doctor may deem necessary for your care and well-being. this is done purely for financial benefit which is sick and wrong.

secondly, miller claims that an unelected board would be appointed to tell physicians how to practice medicine. false again. they may negotiate prices (which are far too high at this time) but never treatments.

thirdly, miller states that a government takeover will radically change the health care landscape. he’s right there but he’s wrong in what those changes will be. i believe that the impact would be hugely beneficial to americans both for their health and their costs for health care.

fourthly, miller claims that because 114 million americans would leave a private plan to go to a government plan (i’m not sure i agree with that number) hospitals would experience a reduction in income and doctors and hospitals would be reimbursed at lesser rates. what’s wrong with that? when we pay $600 for a box of kleenex during a hospital stay, that’s a problem. it seems ridiculous doesn’t it? miller states that physicians and hospitals would be reimbursed 20% and 32% below what private plans would pay, respectively. and that hospitals would make 6.9% below what it costs them to run.

what miller fails to understand about the above figures is that hospitals (especially) cost so damn much because they have to figure out a way to absorb or pass on those costs which result from uninsured patients. uninsured patients often use a visit to the emergency room to get general care but many doctors won’t accept the uninsured or won’t accept them without immediate payment. these people are uninsured because they can’t afford insurance and definitely cannot afford the run away cost of medical care in the u.s. if we insure these people, they can see a physician for general care and save the e.r. for actual emergencies.

so i do not believe that these poor hospitals and physicians will suffer under health care reform.

i think that miller and his ilk are categorically opposed to changing the status quo. they make too much in donations from the medical industry. many of those who would be helped are minorities who wouldn’t vote for these out of touch white republicans. it’s always the business interests that are protected as opposed to the little guy…nothing has changed there.

and finally…something i heard on hardball with chris matthews. he asked sen. bob corker of tennessee (i’m pretty sure that’s who that was) why it is that if he is right on board with health care reform and agrees that changes need to be made, why did he not work on that when he had a majority in both the house, senate and executive office? great question! these repuglicans were forced into the issue and hate it.