Obama Health Reform; Vax Mandate History; Autism Treatment; June NY Rally

By Bonnie P. Franz

According to the June 8, 2009, Legislative Gazette (www.legislativegazette.com), lawmakers are now pushing for coverage for autism treatment. They want private insurance companies to cover autism treatment and therapy for people with autism, ages 21 and under, for up to $36,000 annually. The coverage will include Applied Behavior Analysis. The primary reason for this bill (S.2366/A.6001) is that a number of lawmakers themselves are impacted because they have children or grandchildren who are so afflicted (Assemblyman McDonald from Wilton and Weisenberg from Long Beach, Long Island).

While this is important, because the cost of treatment is prohibitive and can bankrupt a family, I wonder why these lawmakers are not also looking into the vaccination aspect of autism and proposing bills that would insist on research into the side effects of vaccines, etc. and allow vaccines to be voluntary? Lawmakers and the public seem to be willing to offer all children as possible sacrifices on the altar of vaccination. The Catch-22 is for parents, but the bottom line is to bribe everyone by agreeing to pay “compensation” for damage in order to keep the system intact.

Regarding the June 2 Vaccination Rally sponsored by Rita Palma:
(www.mykidsmychoice.com), I haven’t seen anything written up in the Legislative Gazette, but you can keep checking their website. Also, the Legislative Gazette will be publishing during the summer for the first time. Considering the Senate “coup” in Albany and the fact that now the closing of the Legislative Session is delayed, anything can happen.

William McMillen, a leader in the Libertarian Party and a family friend, shares a show, “Capital Outsider.” Through connecting with Rita Palma, he recently interviewed an Albany-area gal regarding our issues. To check it out (although it will be a while before it’s up), check out www.capitaloutsider.org and/or Yahoo search Capital Outsider. Until it gets put up, you can check out their other shows.

This is important: for those of you who can--check your local cable provider to see if they will help you get a show on your local cable TV. It may require a monthly commitment among other things. Years ago, some of the requirements were that you had to be a “group” and the cable company had to provide you space to film, etc. Some fees were involved. Obviously, you need at least a handful of people to get this together. For those who can, check it out. This is a great, rather low-cost way to get our information out to a bigger audience.

Nationally: large insurance companies have gobbled up rivals. For-profit companies have bought up not-for-profits around the country. There were 400 health care mergers in the last 10 years and just TWO companies dominate a full third of the national market.

Obama Health Care Reform: solidifies the incremental changes that came about from the Clinton Health Care reform and adds more.

By August, the President wants Congress to come up with Health Care Reform. A number of bills are already floating around, primarily one by Senators Kennedy and Dodd. You all might want to pay attention to the news in the coming weeks and contact your lawmakers in Washington regarding this very important issue. Better yet, contact them at their home district office, by a visit, phone call, fax or email. Snail mail to Washington is no longer a viable, timely, or effective means of contacting your lawmaker since the anthrax attacks of years ago. Since then, mail to Congress goes to a facility that checks for such contamination and thus the mail is delayed for weeks.

According to what I have read (as of June, 2009) and heard on talk shows even recently, here is what Health Care Reform means to President Obama. Primarily, access to health care and promoting prevention and public health is a major role.

He has 8 health care “principles.” I found these 3 most important:
- Investing in prevention and wellness
- Aiming for Universality
- Maintaining long-term fiscal sustainability

He specifically mentioned immunization against flu or pneumonia--indeed millions have already been spent to a company in Switzerland that has produced a Mexican swine flu vaccine. He sees health as a shared responsibility among schools, employers, federal, state and local governments. Will require coverage of ”children” up to age 25 years of age. In fact, according to the June 22 issue of TIME magazine, “... the prescription is prevention ... get checkups, vaccinate your kids ...”

An “option” of taxing some health insurance benefits as if they were income and limiting tax deductions. Just this past week, I heard President Obama state that insurance will be a mandate on everyone--no “opt out” provisions.

For more information I believe there is info on Barackobama.com. Although I went on the site, I'm not certain; so you may want to check it yourself.

Before I give my commentary, let me also add some information because all of this is mind-boggling and getting difficult to follow:

The recently-enacted Stimulus package included $50 Billion over 5 years for “health information technology“ electronic records. It included $20 Billion for computerized systems, and doctors who delay adoption of certain types of the tech solutions beyond 2014 will be penalized. There is $19 Billion in “incentives” for the conversion in hospitals and doctors’ offices to begin in 2011.

Health care reform is different and will cost $1.5 Trillion over 10 years. An unelected board will decide what’s covered. There already is a Health Care Czar who will have control--Nancy-Ann DeParle.

Commentary:

For those of us long involved in the vaccination choice movement, here is what this all means and has already happened with our experience:

States have instituted for about 10-15 years the Immunization Registry which “enrolled” babies at birth. In order to get public and doctor acceptance of it, initially there were “opt in” or “opt out” provisions (and changed from calling it the Tracking System to Immunization Registry). In many States these options are no longer allowed. Thus, ALL babies are enrolled. With more Federal money going for these electronic records, No one will be left out or left behind. This will be an easy way to make sure that EVERYONE, no matter what age, will have the “appropriate” vaccinations and can be tracked. This is universality in reality.

As for “prevention and wellness,” again, from our experience, that means vaccinations--vaccinations for all age groups and situations, such as school and where you work and your ability to go to school or have a job will depend, in part, on your vaccination status.

To me, “maintaining long-term fiscal sustainability” is a laugh. Part of the reason we have high health care costs now is because of all the vaccines that our children have to get. And that is complicated to track--there is the Federal vaccine initiative, courtesy of the Clintons, that gives millions of dollars to the States for vaccine programs, then there is the amount that States add to their budgets for vaccines. Also, the S-chip (State Children’s Health Insurance Program) which was expanded by Congress at $35 Billion last year. NYS is getting $64 million to expand the S-Chip program and for the government to heavily subsidize child health. NYS lawmakers like to add to their immunization bills “Fiscal Impact: none or minimal,” which is a joke. We have been told for many vaccines (such as MMR, chickenpox) that one dose will “probably” be sufficient, only to have them return 10-15 years later, forcing another dose--which adds to
the cost, but not originally calculated and ignored.

Another aspect of the fiscal sustainability is the idea that vaccines have serious side effects and are costing us as chronic diseases too--asthma, autism, allergies, etc. Fiscal responsibility is not there. Nor will it ever be.

Look at the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Act of 1986. This was passed by Congress to quell parent outrage regarding vaccine injuries and deaths, but to also protect doctors and pharmaceutical companies from lawsuits. (This is what tort reform looks like.) Initially, the Act called for allowing various reactions to mandated vaccines that occurred up to 30 days after a vaccination to be reported. When State and Federal governments realized that too many people were applying for compensation, they gradually changed the window of damage down to within 7 days, then 5 days and now it is less. Now parents have to observe an adverse reaction to a vaccine pretty much within 72 hours to qualify for compensation. In fact, the Compensation Program has become very narrow. It is also the prime reason why State Legislatures mandate all the new vaccines coming down the pike--a State mandate prevents lawsuits against the pharmaceutical companies and taxpayers pay. Yet,
it also makes sure that virtually everyone has to get the vaccines.

Bottom line: Government will control all aspects of our health and increase the cost. While the “reforms” may seem minimal now in order to get everyone on board, over time, Congress and the President will write and pass “amendments” that will change the bill and program to something no one ever expected, as well as greatly increase the cost.

Personal history--I grew up in the 1950’s when children got the DPT shot and in the mid-50’s, the polio vaccine. Visits to the doctor or a chiropractor were $2-5.

In the 1960’s more vaccines were added--MMR. Parents were told only one dose would probably be necessary, but by 1985 medical textbooks were already saying that those vaccines lasted for, at most, 15 years. Thus, by 1989, efforts were underway for mandating a 2nd dose. Also, by this time, many employers and unions offered health insurance benefits, which ironically increase health care costs.

During this time, you were able to take your medical expenses off on your income tax--including glasses, dental and vitamin supplements (provided they were “prescribed” by an MD or chiropractor). That was a big help to us.

The 1980’s and 90’s saw an explosion of mandated vaccines, not only for children, but expanding to college and senior citizens. By the mid-1980’s when the country had a financial crisis (they’re not new), Congress changed health care and taxes (déjà vu) and the big change I noticed was that you could not take your medical expenses off income tax until you reached 3% of your gross salary. For our family of 3 that meant we rarely met the 3% (unless, like last year, we paid $6,000 out-of-pocket, despite insurance, that qualified us to use the medical deduction). So, it amounted to a new tax all these years and took away most of our discretionary money.

Health care reform is important, but what that means is different for different people. We are learning what Congress and the President means by it. I think their plans are deceptive and a fraud. (Ironically, Congress is exempting themselves, as usual.) What we need is Medical Freedom of Choice and the information, pro and con, to make those choices, but we won’t get it because that is not what “reform” means to those in power.