Leonard Boswell and the Democrats in Washington have force fed the American people more unconstitutional legislation that is bad for Iowa. This takeover of our health insurance system is unconstitutional and infringes on the rights of citizens by mandating the purchase of a service. This legislation as been pushed through behind closed doors and it violates the public trust of each and every citizen, who deserves the chance to see it in the full light of day. The taxes which will start immediately will do more harm to an already weakened economy and do further damage to businesses everywhere.

“I call on each and every elected Republican to lead the charge to repeal this bill before it can fully take effect in 2013. I will press for legislation which returns every dollar, with interest, that has been unconstitutionally taken from the people and businesses of our country.” Dave said “If we want to establish our credibility as limited government conservatives once again we need candidates leading the charge who will fight for you and I will go to Washington to return that power to the people.”

The people of the 3rd District are looking for transparency and even after many Iowans showed up to tell Lock-Step Leonard this bill was unacceptable he chose to ignore them. Today we know the price of our politicians all over the country, unfortunately these bribes come directly out of your pocket and the pockets of future generations. We applaud Steve King and Tom Latham who are standing strong for Iowans, so I’m asking for your vote to send reinforcements to Washington who will fight for you in congress.

For more information contact Ryan at Ryan@FunkforCongress.com or 515.441.0173

www.CongressNeedsFunk.com

Paid for by Funk for Congress

He goes on and says, “[f]or nearly 100 years, we as a country have recognized that there is a need to reform our health care system, but have instead let partisan bickering and politicking trump the health and well-being of our loved ones…

“…It will address the fact that medical expenses are the number one cause of bankruptcy in this country…

“…My priority has always been to make sure that the needs of all Iowans are addressed in final health insurance legislation…

“…Just last month, 80,000 individual policyholders in Iowa were faced with premium hikes averaging 18 percent…

“…Small business owners have been unable to hire additional employees because they can’t afford the increase in insurance costs.”

Yet another great example of the audacity of corruption.

Leonard Boswell has done nothing but politicize healthcare along with his left standing hypocrite friends.  They claim to address issues like medical bankruptcy, high insurance costs and quality of care issues yet in our own VA Hospitals currently run by the government they’ve done nothing but mismanage the entire process to the detriment of our Veterans.  This bill will do nothing to control costs.  You can’t lower premiums when costs are rising for the manufacturers and expect anything to happen.  This will lead to higher consumption rates and higher costs.

Leonard Boswell claims that he has always been working to ensure Iowans are addressed in “final” health insurance legislation.  Is that why he stood by and said nothing when Obama, Reid and Pelosi were making threats to some and bribing others to agree to this debacle of a bill?  Leonard stopped caring about Iowa and stopped voting for Iowa long before now.

Leonard Boswell uses fear-mongering tactics arguing that 80,000 Iowans saw insurance premium hikes this year yet they are the ones that are not allowing interstate competition to lower those costs.  This is what happens when you have a government regulated monopoly.

Leonard Boswell claims that the reason small businesses can’t hire new people because of the costs of insurance.  Has he forgotten we are in the middle of a recession and that the cost of a new salary is much more daunting than health insurance?  Unemployment is not tied to healthcare costs.  It is tied to the fact that the economy isn’t growing and won’t grow until Boswell and his colleagues step out of the way.

This bill is nothing but corrupt.  Leonard Boswell and his leftist leadership have done nothing but propagate lies and hide facts.  These are fabricated lies.  Government run healthcare will not decrease costs.  Government run healthcare will not increase availability. Government healthcare will not improve quality.  Government healthcare will not fix our economy.  Government healthcare is unconstitutional!  Congress has no right to dictate what I do and don’t do with my body.

If Obama took even 30 seconds to look at the supply-chain of medical care he would quickly realize he’s thinking backwards and that insurance premiums have absolutely nothing to do with the cost of healthcare.  Insurance premiums are the conduit for insurance companies to pay our bills in a profitable way.  Based on the profitability of the insurance industry the accusations of price gouging are not credible and I don’t give heed to team Obama’s claimed frequency in which gouging occurs.

Instead of focusing on the real costs, they maliciously attack insurance companies to sway American voters in the voting booth.  Starting out with manufacturers of healthcare technology and pharmaceuticals, the costs are already out of control.  These manufacturers incur costs doing pre-clinical trial research.  They then go through three clinical trials and move on to final FDA approval.  After which, post-trial marketing and distribution adds even more to these costs.  While there is a lack of global competition in terms of pharmaceuticals, in the US their patents are so short that after testing they often have less than a decade to recoup the costs of hundreds of millions of dollars and more.

Then we move on to the facilities that deliver the care and utilize this technology and pharmaceuticals in treatments.  These facilities are forced to treat millions of illegal immigrants every year costing billions.  The healthcare practitioners are only a lawsuit or two away from going bankrupt so they spend millions on defensive, unnecessary medical treatments on top of their incredibly expensive malpractice insurance.  They have to do this AND make a profit so the US can continue to offer the best healthcare in the world.

Now we arrive at the insurance companies.  They now have to pay for our healthcare consumption and turn a profit so they stay in business.  These companies have some great HSA high deductible plans and then they have “pre-paid” medical expense plans.  As Americans consume more and more healthcare, these companies have to try to cover our costs while still making a profit.  Yet, we are the ones increasing demand, not the insurance companies – so who is to blame for increased healthcare costs?  We are.

When you look at the supply-chain and delivery of healthcare in our country, attacking premiums is NOT the way to fix healthcare.  The New York Times had an article March 8th talking about this very thing.  Obama wants to block excessive premiums as defined by a government agency.

“Federal officials will focus on holding down premiums while state officials focus on the solvency of insurers, the ultimate consumer protection.

Economists say that holding down premiums does not necessarily hold down the cost of care, which reflects the prices charged by doctors and hospitals and the volume of services.”

All team Obama will do here is undermine the solvency of insurance companies.  I don’t think Obama is a stupid person, in fact, he’s very educated.  So I can only assume he fully understands that blocking premium hikes as demand for services increase will be the defining moment for the demise of health insurance companies.  Leaving no one but the government to carry the burden and power.  While I don’t allege to know Obama’s reasoning or plans behind this obviously negligent choice, I do know he is completely disregarding the foundation of our economy, the constitution and our Republic.

Don’t be manipulated by these malicious attacks. Nothing they propose will either control costs or improve care.  On the contrary, they will increase costs and decrease care.  We cannot afford to let them win.

It’s time we all give Congressman Boswell a call and let him know we don’t approve of his vote with Pelosi and his vote against Iowa.  We need to flood his phone lines and fax line to make sure he knows where Iowa stands.

Healthcare is a major issue facing the United States but this bill will do nothing but increase our healthcare costs while forcing our dependency on the Federal Government for care.  This bill isn’t even about healthcare.  It’s about more power and the Cornhusker Kickback and Louisiana Purchase is just more evidence of that fact.  There are better ways of reforming healthcare and President Obama and most Democrats have not just disregarded these ideas; they have fought against them.  This is a prime example of how team Obama will usurp control over our lives and it is unacceptable.

I would also invite our District’s other primary contenders to do the same and ask their supporters to fight this healthcare bill!

To contact Leonard Boswell call his office:

D.C office: (202) 225-3806
Des Moines office: (515) 282-1909
Toll Free: 1-888-432-1984

You can also fax Leonard your letters:

D.C Fax: (202) 225-5608
Des Moines Fax: (515) 282-1785

Don’t just stop there. After contacting Boswell contact the others that have agreed to vote yes and especially those who are still apparently undecided on the vote. Let them know they won’t continue to hold their seats if this bill is passed. Click here to visit the NRCC’s Code Red website and list of Congressional Reps we need to call!

Anyone that has heard my stump speech knows that I know in order for us to bring down healthcare costs we need skin in the game.  President Obama and Congressman Boswell have fought against this concept and Republicans have been scared to commit to it.  I read a great article this week arguing in favor of high deductible plans by Michael Tanner from the CATO Institute.  The point is this; Healthcare reform can’t occur by shifting more of the burden from the consumer to the government.  In his article, Tanner said this:

“Perhaps that is because in the long-run, the only way to spend less on health care is to consume less health care. Someone, sometime, has to say no. But the incentives under our current health care system perversely encourage everyone to say ‘yes.’”

Right now, the consumer only pays 13 cents of every dollar spent on healthcare.  That is not insurance, it’s a pre-paid medical plan.  Insurance is something you pay for in case of emergency.  Not when you have a flat tire, the sniffles or your screen door breaks.  The current healthcare bill will lower that consumer burden to only 10 cents of every dollar spent.

Tanner describes it perfectly.

“Think of it this way. If every time you went to the grocery store, someone else paid 87 percent of your bill, not only would you eat a lot more steak and a lot less hamburger – but so would your dog. And food costs would go up for everyone.”

The point is this.  If America wants to get healthcare costs under control than we need to spend less.  We will not do this if we do not place some of the cost burden back on the consumer and stop going to the doctor to hear them say “you’ll just have to wait a few days to get over your cold.”

That’s why Health Savings Accounts and High Deductible Plans work.  You think twice before going in because you have a runny nose but will have coverage when you break your leg or need surgery.  We need to stop shifting responsibility from the government and our health insurance companies and start taking personal responsibility for our own healthcare.

It is not unreasonable to ask individual citizens to share the responsibility of healthcare.  If we actually did this, even with a lack of competition we currently have, prices would go down.  It’s basic economics.  As demand decreases for all of those small things few of us pay for right now they would be forced to drop the price otherwise no one would go to the doctor and they would go out of business.

Why we are under the impression that the health insurance companies control the prices is beyond me.  We as consumers control the prices.  It’s based on our demand.  If we stop consuming at the ridiculously high levels that current consumption is at, they will be forced to drop prices to try to get you back in their door.

We need to demand that President Obama, Congressman Boswell and even my fellow Republicans, start to focus on us, not them or insurance companies as the solution.  Rather than passing one 2,000-page bill, let’s start passing smaller bills that have solutions we know will work.  They aren’t trying to reform healthcare, they are trying to build our dependency on the government and based on the current plan, healthcare costs will only increase.

According to an article posted at WHOTV.com Rep.  Boswell was quoted saying “I don’t like it to be honest about it,” regarding healthcare bill sweetheart deals.  Well thanks for being honest.  A brief review from Politico.com:

“Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), took credit for $10 billion in new funding for community health centers… He was clearly more enthusiastic about a bill he said he couldn’t support just three days ago.

Nelson and Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) carved out an exemption for non-profit insurers in their states from a hefty excise tax.  Similar insurers in the other 48 states will pay the tax.

Vermont and Massachusetts were given additional Medicaid funding, another plus for Sanders and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Three states – Pennsylvania, New York and Florida – all won protections for their Medicare Advantage beneficiaries at a time when the program is facing cuts nationwide.

All of this came on top of a $300 million increase for Medicaid in Louisiana, designed to win the vote of Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu.”

I believe between Nelson, Landrieu and Dodd alone there was about $400 million in deals allotted.  Not even including what everyone else got.

Now Rep. Boswell comes out declaring his disdain for these deals but adds his “out” saying, “Not having walked in Senator Reid’s shoes and tried to get a bill passed. I don’t know that part of it in detail.”

Rep. Boswell, if you don’t like it than do something.  I know for a fact, Iowans here in District three do NOT want to pay for these deals.  Inaction has never been representation. The Constitutionality of it aside, Boswell should be on the front page of every newspaper possible and on every TV station he can handle expressing his distaste for these deals and make something happen.  It’s time to start representing and if Boswell won’t do it then it’s time for some fresh representation from Dave Funk.  Dave isn’t going to give excuses.  I know he’ll work as hard as possible to make something happen. That’s Dave’s pledge to Iowans in District three and that is supposed to have been Boswell’s pledge as well.  Seems he fell off that train a while ago.

With the health bill that passed the Senate in a last minute desperate attempt to say they “did something”, there were changes that will take months to cover.  One of which, of course, is the fee you’re going to have to pay if you are uninsured.  You will be penalized for choosing not to have insurance. In other words, the government will be unconstitutionally forcing you to purchase health care one way or another.

The question has been how will this be monitored and enforced.  Well, the bill that passed the Senate and is still pending final passage has placed this responsibility on the IRS.  That’s right.  Your favorite “tax man” is now your new “healthcare enforcement agent.”  The IRS is given a budget of $11.5 billion per year.  Already a huge waste of money.  Now, by merely adding the responsibility of enforcing health care penalties they will require an additional $10 billion which will only cover them for the first decade.

This is the cost of bureaucracy. We add one responsibility onto an agency and the cost goes up $10 billion.  What I find incredibly asinine from this bill and this healthcare penalty is that if the IRS is only monitoring and enforcing, all those illegal immigrants get a “get out of jail” card free.  Illegal immigrants who have been taxing our financial system for years can show up to the hospital with no insurance, get free healthcare and walk out the door without any penalty.  Meanwhile, if you opt to not have insurance your toast.  You’re going to go to the doctor, pay out of pocket for your care and then get taxed for paying outright for your healthcare.

It seems Congress and the Whitehouse cannot help themselves when it comes to making government bigger, less efficient and more moronic.  And they do it at what cost?

There were so many opportunities Congress had to fix the healthcare system and they managed to not fix it at all after weeks of debate and who knows how many wasted dollars.  This irresponsibility must end now.

Senators Dorgan (D-ND) and McCain (R-AZ) proposed an amendment to the bill that would allow us to import some drugs from Canada and Western Europe (Let’s make that “any willing provider”).  The increase in competition from overseas would undoubtedly help bring down the costs of prescription drugs, making healthcare for you and me, a little bit more affordable.  Yet the US Senate manages to vote this amendment down so their “we did it” healthcare bill really does nothing for taxpayers.  In an article from Salon.com, Thomas Schaller makes two excellent points regarding this vote against cheaper prescription drugs:

He first points out Senator Dorgan’s early support for President Barack Obama and Senator McCain’s obvious opposition to the President.  This vote was non partisan.  This vote was not the left versus the right.  This amendment was created by both parties because it made sense for the American people and would have helped everyone Nationwide.

Schaller then points out, that the 51 that voted against this amendment received, on average, “66 percent more in campaign contributions from the pharmaceutical industry than those who voted for the amending to allow imports; among Democrats only, the figure is even a bit higher (70 percent).”

Why is it that the people we’ve elected to represent us in Washington are placing special interests over our wallets, especially in a time when politicians going against these special interests is “the cool thing to do.”  We cannot afford this anymore, literally and figuratively speaking.  We just can’t.  When common sense amendments are being rejected by the Senate how can we trust them to fix our healthcare system?

Let’s take steps forward.  Let’s allow imported drugs from Canada and Western Europe.  Let’s allow health insurance companies to compete across state lines.  Let’s pass malpractice tort reform for our healthcare practitioners.  There is so much we could do to move forward and actually put money back in the pockets of the taxpayer while increasing the quality of care we’ll all receive.  If we don’t keep looking forward and moving in the direction of viable solutions our great country and its economy will never get back on track.