If anything has been clear during the past 2 weeks, it has been the obvious class divide that we have all seen in vivid detail of those affected by Hurricane Katrina. Many families, many of whom could not evacuate the city are now homeless and openly suffering in the United States, the richest nation in the world. It is a sad, yet urgent reminder of an open wound to a portion of the millions of people living below the poverty line.
As an emergency physician I see the same divide affecting people right here in the middle of Illinois, in the middle of the country every day. With health care costs skyrocketing, being treated effectively is becoming nearly impossible for the uninsured. Not only that, but by failing to treat many patients at an early stage, illnesses often go untreated and may possibly worsen. These unnecessary and preventable illnesses can lead to various sociological effects, inability to work and loss of productivity, individual suffering, and burdens on the families of the untreated patient. We see the suffering and anguish of the people in New Orleans, Mississippi, and Alabama in horrifying detail. But there is also a health care epidemic happening beneath the surface of society that most people do not see. Katrina shows that there are people, normally unnoticed, in our society that genuinely need our help and not just lip service from the administration and tax cuts for the wealthy. As a country we can do better and we must do better.
As part of my campaign’s platform, I am proposing a national health care plan. A National Health Care Plan is simply a single-payer insurance plan that saves money by cutting down on HMO and insurance industry profits and overhead expenses. This is
not socialized medicine: the Federal Government would not dictate how medicine is practiced, as the for-profit HMO’s and insurance industry have done for so long.
The plan that I am proposing would cost businesses no more than a 7% payroll tax; this figure could be even lower if we eliminate the Bush tax cuts for those earning a quarter million dollars per year or more. Currently, business owners pay an average of 8.5% of payroll salaries for employee health care plans and small businesses can pay up to 25% of payroll expenses. A single-payer system lets business owners know exactly what they will be paying for employee insurance.
My plan is much less expensive for individuals. A 2% tax paid by individuals would replace all costs currently incurred by insurance premiums, co-pays and deductibles. The cost for the average family would be $760/year. This would result in substantial savings for most families who typically pay between $1,200-$15,000 per year in combined costs under our current system.
Our campaign would appreciate any help DU users are willing to donate. Volunteer opportunities are available by contacting volunteer@gill2006.com. Online donations are accepted at
http://www.gill2006.com">www.gill2006.com through ActBlue. We believe that our campaign is a campaign of not just local importance, but would also of of crucial national importance as a pick-up in a labeled red district, as a voice for a national health care plan, as a step towards bringing sanity back to our foreign policy, and as stern voice for change and fiscal discipline in Washington. As always, we appreciate your help, and look forward to a close relationship in the upcoming year.
David Gill M.D.
Candidate for IL-15 Congressional Representative
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