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                        March 17, 2010
PLEASE TELL CONGRESSMAN COLIN PETERSON
TO OPPOSE THE HEALTH CARE REFORM BILL
 
Background:  We expect the House to vote on the Health Care Reform bill on Friday, March, 19th.  While IIABA supports efforts to enact real and substantive private market reform, we are strongly opposed to the bill in its current form.
 
Congressman Peterson will be a key vote on this bill, and IIABA urges him to oppose the Health Care Reform bill and the procedural votes that accompany it. 
 
Agent Concerns:   The Health Care Reform bill does not substantially bend the cost of providing medical care, which is the true driver of private health insurance premiums.  The legislation also contains billions of dollars in new taxes and fees that will increase the cost of private health insurance premiums for consumers. Additionally, even though a government-run public option has been eliminated from consideration, the public program expansions (e.g. Medicaid) in the current legislation will exacerbate the current cost-shift by providers to the private market, which already averages almost $1800 a year per privately-insured family. 
 
Finally, House leadership plans to use procedural gimmicks to ram this legislation through without due Congressional consideration.  They plan to use the reconciliation process, which is meant to only apply to budget matters, to make changes to the Senate-passed version of the legislation.  This maneuver avoids Democrats from needing the 60 votes in the Senate required to overrule a potential filibuster.  House Democrats also may use a little-known maneuver, called a self-executing rule, to "deem" the Senate legislation as being passed by the House, in order to avoid taking a tough political vote on the Senate bill.  Thus, instead of having an up-or-down vote on legislation that will affect 18% of our nation's economy, they may simply "deem" the legislation passed and then vote on the changes made by the reconciliation bill.
 
Action Needed:
Please call Congressman Peterson ASAP at the phone number listed below and strongly urge him to oppose the Health Care Reform bill and the procedural votes that accompany it. Please also send this grassroots alert to your employees, friends, family, and clients and ask them to call to express their opposition to the Health Care Reform bill.  After you make the calls, please email [email protected] to confirm participation.

Congressman Collin Peterson (202) 225-2165
 
*Please note that your call will likely be answered by a staff assistant in the Congressman's office. Please make your message brief and note the following:
  1. As an independent insurance agent and Minnesota resident, I strongly urge Congressman Peterson to oppose the Health Care Reform bill being considered this week.
  2. The legislation would not bend the cost curve of health care in this country, would exacerbate the cost-shift from public programs to the private market, and would increase taxes.
  3. I also STRONGLY oppose the use of procedural gimmicks to ram through this reform, which affects 18% of our economy.
  4. I appreciate the Congressman's willingness to listen to his constituents over his Party leadership on this issue.
 
*Please remember to email [email protected] after you make the calls to confirm your participation.
Quick Links
 
Email Dominic Sposeto
MN Dept of Commerce
 
Legislature
 
 
 
 
 
 

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MIIAB
7500 Flying Cloud Dr
Suite 900
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
 
P: 800.864.3846
F:  952.835.4774