The Tea Party Express is making another trip cross country, and this event promises to be even bigger than the last. Wayne Iverson, M.D., a newly elected AAPS director and coordinator of our California chapter, saw them off in San Diego. See his amazing photos and read his report here: www.aapsonline.org/ca-tea-party-express.html.

The Express is makings its way up the Left Coast and will then make stops in Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, and South Carolina, ending up in Orlando, Florida. Follow the route here: www.teapartyexpress.org.

Many people are driving long distances to participate in events along the way. You might want to wear your white coat, make a sign, and hand out informative materials on “health care reform.” Meet friendly, committed Americans who are determined to stand up for freedom!

Together, we can take back medicine, and take back our country!

THE “HEALTH CARE REFORM” JUGGERNAUT MUST BE STOPPED

Bills racing through Congress have landmines they hope you won’t find out about until it’s too late. Congress needs to say NO to any bill that:

1. Forces people to buy insurance (an “individual mandate”). Call it “shared responsibility” or a “premium,” it’s still a tax. You’ll constantly have to prove to the IRS that you paid your “fair share.” They’ll decide what’s “affordable.”
2. Forces employers to buy insurance (the “employer mandate”). This is a tax on employment—and it will mean fewer jobs and lower wages.
3. Outlaws accurate pricing of risk (real insurance). If you could buy “insurance” after the car wreck, why pay sooner? If low-risk people are overcharged, they refuse to buy—unless forced. Compulsory socialized payment is not insurance.
4. Outlaws or punishes “consumer-directed” plans. People save money and gain choices with health savings accounts and insurance for catastrophes only. They benefit from their own responsible behavior—and aren’t forced to “share” with irresponsible spendthrifts.
5. Taxes the sick and the disabled. Current proposals further limit the deductibility of extraordinary medical expenses, and tax things like artificial heart valves, stents, pacemakers, motorized wheelchairs, and mechanized prosthetic limbs.
6. Rations care to the elderly. Current bills perpetuate and worsen price controls, while increasing still more the cost and hassles of caring for Medicare patients.

Remember:

• Coverage is not care; it’s a ticket to a place in the queue.
• Picking from whatever is left is not freedom.
• Government programs always cost much more than promised.
• Insurers and government use electronic information to deny or punish.
• Entitlements never go away (at least not before bankrupting the country).

More information and action items:

www.TakeBackMedicine.com.

Association of American Physicians and Surgeons
www.AAPSonline.org