Senator wants to hear from you


Published on Saturday, September 5, 2009 8:16 PM AKDT

To the editor:

I write to thank my fellow Alaskans, and in particular the nearly 600 Mat-Su residents, who joined me last week to talk about the health care bills before Congress.

I appreciated the opportunity to share my concerns about the fiscal impact of a $1 trillion health care reform bill that does little to improve access to doctors and fails to reduce the trillions already being spent on health care costs. Most of you were quite concerned about a government takeover of health care and wanted to know why we can’t fix the problems with Medicare and the VA health system before creating another health care bureaucracy through a federally run government health plan. Many of you submitted comment cards that focused on issues such as the need for tort reform as well as making health care more affordable. Your comments are invaluable to me and I hope you continue to contact my office to share your views.

As Alaskans, I know we were proud to see the civility and respect demonstrated at all four town hall events in August. This shows that Alaskans can be thoughtful and passionate about our positions, even if our views are different from one another.

I look forward to hearing your positions on health care reform. Please visit my Web site (murkowski.senate.gov/public) or contact my Wasilla office to share your thoughts with me.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski

Comments

5 comment(s)

    ASEAAFSCME 52 bites wrote on Sep 10, 2009 5:23 PM:

    " Who needs improved access to doctors?
    Blow the whistle on anything at a state agency and especially if your concerns point to a valid management no-no, the first thing the ASEA/ AFSCME does to discredit is your complaint as health trust psych case. What they don't understand doping people up on happy pills does not resolve grievances or reduce their liability.
    The big question , as USDOL discovered, kickbacks from providers commonly go back to the union as part of the scheme of over used medicine. "

    Wasilla_blogzilla wrote on Sep 10, 2009 4:13 PM:

    " I find it upsetting that Wells Fargo has been appointed the insurance provider to the State Retirement System. Not only does this company have a bad track record in California on claim denial but the Murkowski family has been associated with Wells Fargo for years. Now why would Nancy want to change that? "

    jp wrote on Sep 10, 2009 8:05 AM:

    " this new healthcare bill is quite a dilly!

    Now everyone will be FORCED to purchase healthcare insurance. If i have no confidence in our doctors, why is it that i am FORCED to purchase health insurance? why can't i just put that money into my own account for "a rainy day"????
    Anything that is FORCED upon you is never a good thing, therefore I believe this is not either. "

    disgusted wrote on Sep 8, 2009 12:27 PM:

    " Frankly, it appears to me that the Senator's mind (like most repiblicans) is already made up. Why would she deny me or anyone else the OPTION of buying into a public option? It certainly can't get any more screwed up than the scam foisted upon us by the health insurance profiteers. If you don't like the idea of a public option, then DON'T SWITCH! "

    Phil wrote on Sep 5, 2009 10:31 PM:

    " Determine the cause of the costs. Why does it cost so much to become a doctor and maintain a practice? Student loan costs? Public funded loan programs should be free except for the cost of billing maintenance. Malpractice insurance? Tort reform. Costs of medication? Why are they so cheap when bought from Canada? Government expenditures- Fraud in the medicare system? Billing systems that the patient can't understand and verify before submitting for payment? Teach us and trust us, that's what this country is founded on........ "

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