Neither of my Senators are listening to me. The personal responses (responses that demonstrate that the responder actually read what I wrote) stopped about a year back, and all I get now is bullshit. Barbara Boxer responded to an email I wrote about pushing for single-payer with this:
Quote:
Dear Mr. [Willravel]:
Thank you for writing to me about pending health care reform legislation. I appreciate hearing from you.
On November 21, 2009, the Senate voted 60-39 to begin debate on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Based on months of work by Senate committees, this comprehensive bill will make health care more affordable and accessible while reducing the federal deficit.
This is an important moment for our country.
If you have health insurance, this bill gives you the security of knowing it will be there for you. If you don't have health insurance, you'll be able to get affordable coverage through the exchange, which includes the public option. Ultimately, we are expanding health care to cover more than 94 percent of Americans while cutting the federal deficit by an estimated $127 billion over 10 years.
When this bill is signed into law, America's families will see immediate improvements.
For example: If you get sick, your insurance company won't be able to kick you off your plan because they no longer want to cover you, and they will no longer be able to put a limit on your coverage. Parents will be able to keep their children on their health care policy up to the age of 26. Small businesses will have access to tax credits to make covering their employees more affordable. And seniors will have a more generous benefit through their prescription drug coverage.
I thank Majority Leader Reid for working with us to ensure that California receives increased federal support as we expand Medicaid, which is critical to our ability to provide health care services to millions of California's families.
Senator Reid also has crafted language that will keep women from being discriminated against when it comes to their reproductive health care. The Senate bill maintains the compromise that has been in place for decades that prohibits the use of federal funds for abortion, but allows a woman to use her own private funds.
There are many issues that I am still working on, including ensuring that California is not hurt by cuts to the Disproportionate Share Hospital Program, which helps our hospitals that serve the neediest among us. I am also working to ensure that the bill includes better preventative health care coverage for women.
Health care coverage for all of America's families has been an elusive goal since Teddy Roosevelt first proposed it nearly a century ago. It is an honor to be in the Senate now as we move closer to fulfilling that promise.
Again, thank you for writing to me. Please feel free to contact me again about this or other issues of concern to you.
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator
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This was as of December 8. The public option has subsequently been dropped, but the mandate (which is harmful without the public option) remains. I actually like Senator Boxer ()more than Senator Feinstein), but this has been very disheartening.
Most Democrats are defeatists. I'm proud to be registered Green because even if we've got the wingnuts, at least they've got the courage of their convictions.