I have been doing some letter writing to elected officials in the wake of recent Congressional activity. In anticipation of the Senate taking up the health care legislation, I wrote a letter to Senator Nelson’s office via email. Now, I have worked in legislative offices at the state and federal level. So, I have responded to many constituents throughout the years. I know how these things work…or, at least how they SHOULD work.
In my letter, I discussed my concerns and hopes regarding the proposed health care legislation. I told a personal story about my younger sister, a 31 year old single mother, who lost her state job and then was unable to afford health care benefits on the limited unemployment payments available to her. She lost her job in November 2007 and then, subsequently died in August 2008 after battling liver cancer. I should mention that she was otherwise healthy and her liver cancer was NOT due to hepatitis or cirrhosis. To this day, doctors have been unable to tell us how she developed this relatively rare form of cancer. That cancer was diagnosed as stage IV in May 2008 and she was given anywhere, by doctor’s estimates, from 3 to 9 months to live.
My sister resisted family efforts to subsidize her health care and to pay for her to see a doctor until the pain from what would we discover was a cancer tumor became unbearable. She was fiercely independent and, as long as her young son was doing okay and provided for, she wanted to handle her financial affairs on her own as much as she could.
I wrote to the Senator about this because I do not want to see other families experience what we did.
This is the response I received:
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Please do not reply to this e-mail. If you need to send another message to Senator Nelson, please use the form on his Web site: http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm#email
Dear Dr. Pienta:
Thank you for contacting me about COBRA benefits
The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) of 1986 allows people who get their health insurance through their employer to temporarily keep this insurance plan if they’ve been laid off. Under COBRA, individuals who lose coverage may retain health benefits for themselves and any dependants for up to 18 months, in most cases. However, the original legislation states that the individual must pay the entire premium. The premium is often prohibitively expensive, especially for those who have lost their jobs.
I voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the stimulus package, which provides a temporary Federal subsidy to individuals receiving COBRA benefits. This subsidy is available for 9 months to COBRA-eligible individuals who were laid off between September 1, 2008, and December 31, 2009, and covers 65% of an individual’s insurance costs. The subsidy is administered through the employer, so individuals will only be required to pay 35% of the total cost of their COBRA insurance coverage.
On November 4, Senator Brown introduced S. 2730, the COBRA Subsidy Extension and Enhancement Act of 2009. This bill would build on the provisions included in the stimulus package: it would allow the Federal government to pay up to 75% of an individual’s premium for up to 15 months, and it would extend this subsidy until the end of 2010. This bill is pending before the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP). I will keep your views in mind should it come before the full Senate.
If you believe you qualify for COBRA and have questions about how to apply for these benefits, please contact the human resources department at your former employer. In addition, attached is a sheet with answers to frequently asked questions about the program and the subsidy provided by the stimulus package. Thank you again for taking the time to contact my office, and please do not hesitate to do so in the future.
Sincerely,
Senator Bill Nelson
P.S. From time to time, I compile electronic news briefs highlighting key issues and hot topics of particular importance to Floridians. If you’d like to receive these e-briefs, visit my Web site and sign up for them at http://billnelson.senate.gov/news/ebriefs.cfm
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Gee, thanks, Senator Nelson. Now I really feel that I have been heard and that you are looking out for the best interests of your constituents.
This response prompts me to do a little study..I will be writing about this same issue to several other legislators. I am going to compare responses. I will not say which elected officials I plan to send letters to because I do not want anyone to be on the alert for my letter. I will report back when I receive responses and share those responses with you.
Dear Dr. Pienta:
This kind of response is shameful and needs to be exposed. Lord help you with Senator LeMieux.
I’m really going to have to rethink his candidacy for the next election.
Dr. Marcia Magnus
DKH, how about using your real name?
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