Folkens vs. Baca -- The Battle Begins

Well it has been some time since my last post, and those 4 months have been very intense! But things are finally getting back to "insane" and it is time to hit some new blogs. This last Tuesday, the local paper published my Letter to the Editor (but it dropped off their website so I can't just do the link). And then yesterday, Congressman Baca published a rather large response to my letter -- mentioning me by name several times. I can't be that the powerful head of the Baca dynasty is starting to get worried? I know this will be rather long, but here is my letter and the Congressman's response. You decide who sounds more honest.

"Fuzzy Math?"

In an article published April 13 and again on April 14, Congressman Joe Baca applauds the recent Democratic takeover of America's health system and student loan process for saving #1.3 trillion over the next 20 years -- which amounts to $65 billion per year.

I would be interested in seeing where these savings come from. Since it appears that no one even knows all of the details of the bill, I would like to know how he can know how much it will save us.

Can the savings come from hiring thousands of new IRS agents to enforce the health care takeover? Or maybe it will come from cutting out medical benefits currently provided to the members of our senior citizen community?

Can Mr. Baca cite any examples when a government entitlement program came even close to costing what Congress has guessed it would cost -- Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, War on Poverty? So why should we believe that the promised made by this current Congress or president in regards to health care will "save" us money by giving it away?

And with regard to the takeover of the student loan system, we can only assume that it will be handled with the same government efficiency that Gave us Fannie Mae and Freddi Mac! I hope the congressman will make sure that Sen. Chris Dodd and Rep. Barney Frank will ensure transparency and competency in this new government-run loan racket.

For those who spend all of those hours with the chairman of the Congressional Golf Caucus, you might want to check his score card to make sure he doesn't use government math to keep score.

Scott Folkens

"Health care reform will save money" by Congressman Joe Baca

I write in response to the letter "Fuzzy Math," April 20. The writer of the letter, Mr. Scott Folkens, seems to discredit the assertion made by the nonpartisan Congressional Budge Office that health reform lowers our national deficit by $1/3 trillion over the next 20 years.

I urge Mr. Folkens to actually study the health reform legislation instead of simply repeating sound bites he hears from the right-wing media and the GOP leader of the Party of No here in Washington.

Let me make the math quite simple for Mr. Folkens. Americans spend nearly $2.5 trillion every year on health care costs. Health reform saves money by reducing fraud, abuse and waste in our medical system, by holding insurance companies accountable to end their price-gouging practices, and by focusing on prevention and wellness programs -- which reduce the need for more costly treatments of health conditions later in life.

It also moves Medicare and other government medical reimbursements to a system of value-based payment, meaning providers will be rewarded for the value of the care they give, not the volume of care.

A prime example of cost savings can be seen in the Medicare Advantage program, one of the most inefficient programs found in the entire government. Economist have estimated that for every tax dollar currently spend on Medicare Advantage, 14 percent is passed on to seniors while 86 percent goes straight to the profits of insurance companies. Health reform reduces this improper use of taxpayer money, and instead improves Medicare benefits for all seniors by: 1) giving a #250 one-time credit to all seniors affected by the "doughnut hole" this year, and eventually closing the "doughnut hole" completely so seniors can afford the prescription drugs they need; 2) providing free annual wellness exams and preventive tests to all Medicare recipients, and 3) protecting Medicare solvency for the next decade.

In regard to the so-called "government takeover: of the student loan system, the vast majority of colleges and universities in California have already switched over to the Direct Loan Programs, which this bill makes the new law of the land.

I encourage Mr. Folkens to contact our local universities, colleges, and community colleges and ask them their thought on the new student loan reform. Do they dislike the increase in Pell Grants this bill provides. Or the lowering of interest rates on student loans? Maybe they dislike the $500 million a year this bill invests in community colleges across the country? Or could it be the $3 billion that will be invested in minority-serving institutions like Hispanic-serving institutes and historically black colleges and universities?

No, the truth is that local colleges and universities are ecstatic with this student loan reform. These changes are good for students and families struggling to afford a college education, and good for our colleges and university systems across the country.

As for Mr. Folkens and the Party of No, it's the same old rhetoric. Time and time again, when given the opportunity to stand with America's working families and fight for lower health and education costs, they say no.

I am proud to tell you that I said yes to legislation that provides health coverage to 32 million previously uninsured Americans; yes to legislation that ends the denial of care because of pre-existing conditions; yes to legislation that lowers student loan costs and sends more kids to college; and yes to legislation that, as much as some may try to mislead you, actually lowers the deficit by $1.3 trillion over the next 20 years.