Rounds Online

Guest Contributor, Linda Hawkins

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed a bill allowing the construction of an $800 million. 75,000-seat stadium that developers hope will lure an NFL team to the Los Angeles area. The stadium would be built in the City of Industry, approximately 15 miles east of Los Angeles. The developer has targeted seven teams about possibly relocating to the area.

One of the most exciting amenities will include cutting edge medical and training facilities, which will attract physicians, medical staff and sports related professionals from across the country to the community. Top athletes require top medical treatment and the preliminary plans include an orthopedic medical facility, with the latest equipment and highly trained doctors and staff. This facility is targeted to be opened to the public as well.

This new project will be a huge boom to the community. In addition to the stadium and its new medical facilities, the regional entertainment venue is slated to include office and industrial space, retail, restaurants, movie and live theater and museums

Working closely with the developers, Winkelmann Realty, the exclusive MD Preferred Real Estate firm for Orange County, plans to help new physicians and their families relocate to the area. “Our knowledge of the area and full service relocation services will help make the process as smooth as possible,” said Linda Hawkins, President of Winkelmann Realty.

For further information, contact Winkelmann Realty at 1-800-397-3562 or www.winkrealty.com.

The Senate is preparing to debate the healthcare legislation that Democrats managed to move to the Senate floor by the slimmest of margins. They got exactly the 60 votes that they needed with zero Republicans supporting the legislation. But already there are cracks in the Democratic block. Liberal Democrats swear that they will not vote for a bill that bans abortion coverage and that lacks a public option. Conservative Democrats and all 40 Republicans and one Independent swear that they will not vote for a bill that allows any public money for abortions (and that includes any smoke and mirrors wording like the current Senate bill) and won’t support any legislation that has the public option.

The house has passed a bill with a five vote margin (for those who keep track of such things that means some Dems voted no). Republicans, with the help of moderate Democrats, forced wording that bans outright the use of public subsidies for any insurance product that has an abortion option. And the public option in the House bill does not allow states to opt out as does the Senate Bill.

All eyes are on the Senate where the battle lines have been drawn. The high ground that all camps are fighting for include:
• Abortion coverage
• The public option
• How will it be paid for and by whom
• And the affordability of mandated coverage

Democrats point out that healthcare reform has moved farther and faster than ever before. That could make a final failure all that more painful…and politically costly for the Democratic Party that has made healthcare reform Issue One. Already the caustic debate has driven President Obama’s approval rating below 50%. And many “Red State Democrats” are looking nervously to the looming mid-term elections.

And Republicans have their own set of problems with the issue. Eventually the party of Lincoln will need to begin supporting something rather than apposing everything. Of course it could be worse. Imagine if we had an Italian or Israeli style government with a dozen or so parties all pulling in different directions.

They say silence is golden. Never more true than in healthcare reform legislation. Silence on the abortion issue in pending legislation has raised red flags in the camps of abortion foes.

Up to this point abortion opponents have largely been successful in their battle to prevent public funding of abortion. The center piece of their legislative success has been a law called the Hyde amendment. It basically prevents Medicaid from providing low-income women with reimbursement for abortions. If states want to fund the procedure they have to come up with the money. Federal employees and military personnel are also denied coverage.

But healthcare reform is prepared to rearrange the deck chairs on the ship of state. In pending legislation the federal government would set up a health insurance exchange. In this government run bizarre low income and middle-income citizens will be allowed to buy either private policies or a public policy (the jury is still out on the public option). Any plan purchased through the exchange would be subsidized with public funds to make coverage affordable.

Here is where silence comes into play. Abortion is a legal medical procedure. The Democratic healthcare legislation that is currently making its way through congress does not mention abortion…no simple oversight I’m sure. With the new stream of public funds flowing through the exchange joining a mixture of personal co-pays and employer contributions, both the public and private plans would be free to offer coverage for all legal medical procedures not specifically excluded under the reform measures.

Silence is golden indeed.

Most Americans will admit that our healthcare system needs fixing. But over 70% of Americans have some sort of health insurance (private or Medicare or Medicaid). And most are happy with what they have and are more than a little nervous with anything that might affect their coverage. And seniors are a case in point.

My mother, who just turned 85, is proud of the fact that she has voted in every election since she was old enough to vote. I confess I don’t even know who was running for president back then. As a senior citizen she is part of a very powerful voting block from which Republicans and Democrats alike are seeking support on the healthcare reform issue.

Mom surprised me the other day when out of the blue she declared that if the Democrats get their hands on healthcare we are facing a “government take over of medicine.” And that is “not a good thing for us old folks.” Treading lightly, I pointed out to her that Medicare is a government program and they have already taken over her healthcare.

“Baloney,” she replied. “Medicare is insurance. It has nothing to do with the government.” And therein lies the Democrat’s problem. Seniors are big users of health care. And they vote in much larger numbers than other segments of the population. A recent ABC/Washington Post poll showed that only 45% of all respondents supported the Democrats healthcare reform proposals. But only 34% of seniors responding were in favor.

And when you consider that the Democrats will be looking for over a half trillion dollars in Medicare cuts over the next ten years to help pay for universal coverage, seniors have a right to be concerned. Democrats are quick to point out that the cuts will come from the elimination of fraud and waste. Oh please….

And the Republicans are gleefully throwing logs on the fire. Healthcare reform is rapidly becoming a third rail for seniors. AARP admitted that they lost over 60,000 members in protest of their support of healthcare reform even though they have yet to endorse any specific legislation.

If Democrats expect to carry the day, they are going to have to do a much better job of communicating the positive changes to Medicare included in the legislation they are proposing. Changes like simplifying and improving the confusing prescription drug coverage, offering free preventive health services and extending the subsidies currently available to low-income senior citizens.

It is hard to imagine any reform legislation passing without some support from our oldest citizens. After all, they have the most to lose and the least to gain from any changes in the healthcare delivery system in this country.