PABRC Position Paper on Health Care Reform
Kkennieth Heard
February 1, 2011
THE PHILADELPHIA AREA BLACK RADICAL CONGRESS STATEMENT ON HEALTH CARE REFORM WE MUST WORK TO STOP THE REPEAL OF THE PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
Health Care should be a right not a privilege. Everyone who lives in the United States should have access to affordable, quality health care and would be the patriotic thing to do. The Philadelphia Area Black Radical Congress (PABRC) supports a national health care program, often referred to as “Universal Health Care”, “Single Payer” or “Medicare for All”. The United States of America is the only industrialized country that does not provide affordable, quality health care for its residents. In 2010 more than 47 million people did not have health care insurance and could not pay for their health care needs. More than 18,000 people die yearly in the United States because they cannot afford health care. African Americans and other people of color comprise nearly half of the uninsured.
Because of the health care gap, Black people have a higher incidence of disease and shorter lives. Infant mortality rates for African American babies are 2 times that of white babies. Life expectancy for Black people is 10 years shorter than for white people. Cancer death rates for African American women are 19% higher than for white women. African Americans make up 49% of new diagnosis for HIV/AIDS. Heart failure rates for African American men under 50 are 20 times higher than for white men. These alarming statistics were published by the NAACP.
Why has Congress refused to pass a National Health Care Program? The pressure and influence of the insurance companies on Congress is immense. The health care sector gave $167 million to candidates running for Congress in 2008. Health care companies spent $484 million lobbying Congress in 2008. That amount was even higher in 2009. Representatives of the health insurance companies helped write the bill that passed.
Congress passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010. The House of Representatives’ version contained a public option, a government run health insurance program to compete with the private insurance companies, forcing them to lower costs. But the Senate refused to accept the Public Option as part of the bill. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will be phased in over 4 years. Some important provisions of this law are:
1.Insurers must offer the same
premium to all applicants of the same age, sex and location regardless of
pre-existing conditions. 2.
Health Insurance Exchanges will be set up in every state to offer individuals
and small businesses a market place to compare policies and premiums before
buying insurance. 3.
Medicaid eligibility is expanded and subsidies are offered to individuals and
families whose low incomes are not low enough to be eligible for Medicaid, and small businesses will also be
eligible for subsidies. 4.
A fine will be imposed on those who do not have minimum coverage for at lease
one month a year. 5. There will be Improved benefits for Medicare prescription drug coverage 6. Enrollment for CHIP will
be simplified. 7.
There will be additional support for medical research .
8. There will be a voluntary national insurance program for purchasing community living assistance services and support.
We must work to stop the repeal of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Soon after the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed, the right-wing conservative attack began. The law was called “unconstitutional” and governors of 26 states filed suit in the courts. On January 31, 2011 a federal judge in Florida, Judge Roger Vinson, ruled the Patient Protection and Affordable Act unconstitutional. His ruling will probably be appealed. When the new conservative led Congress took office in January 2011, the House of Representatives voted to repeal the law. But the Senate, controlled by the Democrats, will not vote to repeal and even if it did, President Obama would veto the repeal. The ultimate goal of the right-wing conservatives is not a secret. It has been repeated over and over publically. The goal is to defeat President Obama in the 2012 Election and establish a majority conservative Congress in both houses. Then in 2013 this Congress would continue to dismantle every progressive government program and policy that has been established since The New Deal. The repeal of the health care reform act would just be one of its first assaults. This is what is meant when you hear the statement, “Take government out of our lives”.
What can the people do? First, we must stop the repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable
Care Act. Sign the Petition. Contact your representatives in Congress,
especially your Senators. The US Senate will be voting soon. Pennsylvania’ US
Senators are Senator Pat Toomey (R) and Senator Robert P. Casey Jr. (D).
Contact the Representatives in the House of Representatives who did vote to repeal the Health Care Act on January 2011.
We must wake up
and understand the dangerous times in which we live. It will take a People’s
Movement to change the direction of the USA and bring about the changes we can
believe in. The future of African Americans is at stake, therefore we must commit ourselves to developing healthy people and healthy communities. This
begins with organizing and educating ourselves for survival.
Submitted by Rosita
B. Johnson, Philadelphia Area Black Radical Congress Secretary 215-848-1806 philly...@verizon.net 623 Park Lane #1, Philadelphia, PA 19144
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