posted on Feb, 9 2008 @ 07:14 AM
A question for Hillary??
okay, I'll bite.
New York State is about one of the most generous states when it comes to helping the poor I think. They have Medicaid, Child health plus, Healthy NY,
Family Health Plus, and I admit, I am probably missing a few.
For the healthy NY plan, For a family in Oswego County to have coverage, with drug coverage included, the cheapest plan I see would cost $550.03 a
month.
This program is for families that have income between $611/wk to around $1,100. Let's say that after taxes, that $611/wk comes down to around $450.
Less the insurance under the program..around $140/week....that would leave around $310/week. After rent and food, this would leave less that $100 a
week for the family to pay electricity, which would probably take half of that, possibly a car payment...which would probably take the rest...leaving
alot of necessities unmet.
My questions are these, how would the healthcare program you are offering now be different than what NY State has now? There was article in the paper
recently that stated that the residents in NY State, with incomes in the $30,000-$40,000 range are beginning to have major difficulty coming up with
the funds for the healthcare now. Will those guidelines under you program be extended to help them? If they are, what will prevent the insurance
companies from increasing their ceo's and upper management salaries an outrageous amount while also increasing the premiums just as bad....leaving a
new group of "needy" for the government to adjust the guidelines to? Since, we all know, that the insurance companies will also create the need, so
they can suck even more taxpayer money from the system?
And, when you fail to adjust those guidelines adequately, and then you force families to pay the money they really don't have for health
insurance......and the family is faced with the option of giving up the shelter, or the food, or the electricity? Please remember, they have another
option here.....the primary wage earner could also opt not to work, and well, the government will more than meet their needs through the public
assistance programs! But, then.....for the government to coerce families like this for the purpose of leaving them so dependant on the government
aide programs to me, seems to go against the very foundations that our country was founded on. and well, seems to be just a tad bit against the
constitution..
Amoung all those needy families and individuals out there, how can a government who's prime objective is to treat everyone equal, decide who should
live and who should die? Which is what you are doing if you take taxes from one struggling family to give aide to another struggling family....and by
doing so the struggling family who decide not to help ends up with one of it's member laying in a bed, with a splint on her leg, going nuts because
the doctor won't operate until she can come up with a few thousand to give him as a prepayment? Which, by the way, I think if it wasn't for the
nice state senator in NY calling the doctor and having a talk, I would either be dead, or still laying in bed, hobbling on crutches, unable to walk!
Just how can you ensure that all those who need help, will fit into your guidelines and be helped? And if you can't, how can you dismiss the idea
that it is unconstitutional not to help the ones you aren't?