rough copy of my next ltte-feel free to critique

[w8liftinglady]

$98,400,218,746.00.This is the sum profits for the top 25 health insurers in the U.S. as of 2007.Despite this,the United States ranks 19th in the world for deaths by preventable diseases.The United States spends roughly $7,126 per capita in heath costs,and yet has one of the poorest performance in the organized world.This can be attributed to several things.Private insurers waste up to one -third of their costs on things that have nothing to do with health care: overhead, underwriting, billing, sales and marketing departments as well as huge profits and exorbitant executive pay.Doctors and hospitals must maintain huge staffs to deal with this bureaucracy.Combined,this needless administration consumes 1/3 of America's health care dollars.Add to that the fact that 47 million Americans are uninsured(with that number sure to grow),and you have a crisis.
H.R. 676 is a bill that is before the House that offers a viable solution to this crisis.Some of the benefits of H.R. 676 are:
-Every resident of the US will be covered from birth to death.
-No more pre-existing conditions to be excluded from coverage.
-No more expensive deductibles or co-pays.
-All prescription medications will be covered.
-All dental and eye care will be included.
-Mental health and substance abuse care will be fully covered.
-Long term and nursing home services will be included.
-You will always choose your own doctors and hospitals.
-Costs of coverage will be assessed on a sliding scale basis.
-Tremendously simplified system of medical administration
-Total portability – your coverage not tied to any job or location.
-Existing Medicare benefits for those over 65 will remain the same or be vastly improved in many cases.
-No corporate bureaucrat will ever come between you and your Doctor to deny your care
This bill is endorsed by Physicians for a National Health Plan,an ever growing group of doctors who have seen first hand the effects of our poor health system on their patients.
Sadly,only 2 Texas Congressmen have co-sponsored this.If you believe this should be the future of our health care,please write or call Congressman Joe Barton and ask that he support this legislation.

[cosmik debris]

1. Minor correction

The list shows 3 Texas Congressmen/Congresswomen sponsor the resolution

Rep Green, Al - 1/24/2007

Rep Jackson-Lee, Sheila - 1/24/2007

Rep Johnson, Eddie Bernice - 1/24/2007

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR00676:@@@P

[w8liftinglady]

2. ooops..I missed Green

[cosmik debris]

3. I would also change that $ number to "98.4 billion"

But that is a matter of style, not fact.

You might also try it with "almost $100 billion"

[w8liftinglady]

4. well.I was corrected on my numbers..here's my updated version

13 billion dollars.This is the sum profits for the top 13 health insurers in the U.S. in 2007.Despite this,the United States ranks 19th in the world for deaths by preventable diseases.The United States spends roughly 7,126 per capita in heath costs,and yet has one of the poorest performance in the organized world.This can be attributed to several things.Private insurers waste up to one -third of their costs on things that have nothing to do with healthcare: overhead, underwriting, billing, sales and marketing departments as well as huge profits and exorbitant executive pay.Doctors and hospitals must maintain huge staffs to deal with this bureaucracy.Combined,this needless administration consumes 1/3 of America's healthcare dollars.Add to that the fact that 47 million Americans are uninsured(with that number sure to grow),and you have a crisis.
H.R. 676 is a bill that is before the House that offers a viable solution to this crisis.Some of the benefits of H.R. 676 are:
-Every resident of the US will be covered from birth to death.
-No more pre-existing conditions to be excluded from coverage.
-No more expensive deductibles or co-pays.
-All prescription medications will be covered.
-All dental and eye care will be included.
-Mental health and substance abuse care will be fully covered.(1)
-Long term and nursing home services will be included.
-You will always choose your own doctors and hospitals.
-Costs of coverage will be assessed on a sliding scale basis.
-Tremendously simplified system of medical administration
-Total portability – your coverage not tied to any job or location.
-Existing Medicare benefits for those over 65 will remain the same or be vastly improved in many cases.
-No corporate bureaucrat will ever come between you and your Doctor to deny your care
This bill is endorsed by Physicians for a National Health Plan,an evergrowing group of doctors who have seen first hand the effects of our poor health system on their patients.
Sadly,only 3 Texas Congressmen have co-sponored this.If you believe this should be the future of our healthcare,please write or call Congressman Joe Barton and ask that he support this legislation.

[salvorhardin]

5. It's too long

There's nothing inherently wrong or bad with your letter. It's just that it's unlikely to get published because at 346 words it's way too long. I don't know what newspaper you'll be submitting this to, but generally newspapers limit letters to the editor to 200 words or less. Sometimes the opinion page editors will edit down long letters but you probably don't want that to happen since you'll have no control over what gets axed and what doesn't.

[w8liftinglady]

6. thanks...luckily,the Waxahachie Daily Light has printed 98% of my letters

the last one was over 300 words,too.My area is an extremely red area who would vote for a Republican against their own best interests.

[salvorhardin]

7. Ah, well, then go right ahead then

You're lucky. They trim the hell out of letters in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette so that half the time you can't tell what point the person was trying to make.