Health Care Action Needed – A Letter From Rick Scott

Tonight, ABC will be turning its airwaves over to the White House as it promotes the President’s health care reform agenda. We have tried repeatedly to convince ABC to allow us to at least run an ad prior to the broadcast to provide just a few seconds of balance, but we have been rebuffed.

We hope ABC will put tough questions to the President and other advocates of government-run health care, but we certainly have our doubts.

Speaking of doubts, the American people have plenty themselves.

The Washington Post reported today on the findings of its own national poll: “Most respondents are ‘very concerned’ that health-care reform would lead to higher costs, lower quality, fewer choices, a bigger deficit, diminished insurance coverage and more government bureaucracy.”

It’s tempting to believe that Congress would hear those voices and steer clear of a heavy-handed government takeover of health care in America.

But the facts tell us otherwise. Leading Democrats continue to push forward with proposals for government-run health care that would cost more than a trillion dollars while still leaving tens of millions of Americans uninsured.

Meanwhile, the President has acknowledged that when he said that “no one” would take away your current health care choices, he didn’t really mean it. Apparently, it depends on what the definition of “no one” is. If you take it to mean anyone at all, you’d be wrong. Instead, it apparently means the government won’t do it directly, but the President does believe that many Americans will lose their existing health care coverage and be forced onto the government-run plan because of his reform efforts.

At CPR, we have been fighting hard for sound health care reform. Some of our recent efforts include:

A petition urging Congress not to support government-run health care. Many of you have already signed, but if you have not yet done so, please sign the petition now. (And make sure you pass it along to your friends and colleagues!)

Analysis of all of the new reform plans shortly after they are introduced to help you better understand the specifics of the debate. While the President and others may prefer to speak in general terms, we believe the devil is in the detail, so we are promoting transparency through this clear information.

Television ads that help educate the American public and policymakers about the perils of government-run health care. You may have already seen some, but you will certainly see more as this debate continues in the coming weeks.

Daily news briefings sent to policymakers, members of the media, and our grassroots supporters. I know many of you have asked for more frequent updates from CPR, so if you would like to be added to our health care news briefing list, just click here to sign up for daily email updates.

Meetings with key Congressional leaders. I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to meet personally with Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill to discuss the pitfalls of government-run health care and help policymakers understand what reasonable steps can be taken to help improve health care without increasing costs and reducing choices.

A 30 minute documentary featuring stories about the consequences of government-run healthcare. Click here to find out how to host a screening of this important video and spread the word.

I appreciate your support in this fight, and I look forward to working with you to continue to fight for sensible health care reform that doesn’t lead to a government takeover resulting in higher costs and fewer choices.

Sincerely,

Rick Scott
Chairman