|
The Vote Heard Around the World
January 30, 2010
The Vote Heard Around the World
By State Representative Will Kraus (District 48)
Jefferson City - The people of Massachusetts have spoken through a vote for United States Senator, replacing a life-long advocate of universal health care with someone opposed to the current federal health care legislation. People across the nation have spoken through town halls and meetings all summer and fall. The people of District 48 have spoken through any number of e-mails sent to my office or personal conversations. My constituents have implored me to act against the health care legislation currently being considered in the U.S. Congress.
No one appreciates having federal mandates and taxes shoved down their throats, and Americans have found the style of passage of this legislation unconscionable. As a nation of representatives elected by the people, our jobs are to represent what the people want and need rather than what the party leader demands. As part of a system built upon open government, we don’t like for our laws to be passed in a maze of secret meetings, million dollar payoffs to recalcitrant states, and unread bills of thousands of pages.
In contrast to what is being preached in Washington, D.C., polls have indicated that the vast majority of Americans are satisfied with their health care. Why rewrite the entire system? Instead, we should look for ways to bring down costs. For example, through the use of technology, we can save money by storing medical records in secure files that only a doctor can access. We can open insurance purchases to greater competition, as long as companies abide by Missouri laws when operating in our state. We can do more to promote health and welfare by educating about prevention of disease by eating right and exercising.
Much opposition to the health bill has also been catalyzed by strong objection to ballooning federal deficits and bigger government. This bill has been estimated to add over $1 trillion to a federal budget already trillions of dollars in debt. Historically, government programs have almost always cost considerably more than estimated at their passing, so we can assume that the health care bill will be much more expensive than current estimates.
At the state level, Missouri will find itself further burdened by the unfunded mandates in the health care bill. It has been estimated that Missouri's cost from a mandated expansion to state Medicaid would be in the many millions of dollars. The additional burden can only serve to wreck our state budget and re-arrange our priorities to what Washington wants rather than what the state needs.
The unfunded mandates, mandatory insurance and increased costs will affect all Missourians. In the Missouri House of Representatives, we have done what we can by passing a resolution, HCR 18, against the federal health care legislation. I voted for it. The resolution will be sent to our Washington delegation as a statement of our position and a plea for common sense. I hope they will listen. I urge you to continue to be involved in the debate by contacting our federal representatives and making your views known. If they are not paying attention now, they never will. My message to Washington is that this is neither the right bill nor the right time.
State Representative Will Kraus (District 48) can be reached at 573-751-1459 or will.kraus@house.mo.gov.
| |
