The Pentagon and American Weapons Systems

The Washington Post reports that Chinese hackers obtained designs for many of America’s most sensitive advanced weapons systems. (Ellen Nakashima, “Confidential report lists U.S. weapons system designs compromised by Chinese cyberspies,” Washington Post, 5/27/2013)

American Infrastructure, Water Treatment Plants, and Power Grids

Chinese hackers target American infrastructure projects in cyber espionage attacks. (“Report: Chinese Hacking US Banks, Power Grid,” ABC News, 2/19/2013)

Congressional Offices

Chinese cyberspies hacked congressional offices. (Craig Timberg and Ellen Nakashima, “Chinese cyberspies have hacked most Washington institutions, experts say,” Washington Post, 2/20/2013)

Banks

Hackers sponsored by the Chinese government have hacked America’s largest banks. (Halimah Abdullah, “Watch where you click: International cyber attacks on the rise,” CNN, 5/12/2013)

Tech Firms

Chinese hackers “gained access to a secret database with information containing data about U.S. surveillance targets” in 2010. (Matt Egan, “Report: China Hackers Targeted Spy Info in Google Attack,” FOX Business, 5/21/2013)

Media Outlets

Chinese state-sponsored hackers “for years have targeted major U.S. media companies with hacking that has penetrated inside newsgathering systems.” (Siobhan Gorman, Devlin Barrett and Danny Yadron, “Chinese Hackers Hit U.S. Media,” Wall Street Journal, 1/31/2013)

Defense Contractors

Chinese hackers have stolen government secrets from defense contractors. (“Report: Chinese Hacking US Banks, Power Grid,” ABC News, 2/19/2013)

Energy Companies

Sensitive data from several multinational oil companies was stolen by Chinese Hackers over the years. (Mark Clayton, “Report: Chinese hackers targeted big oil companies, stole data,” Christian Science Monitor, 2/10/201)

Human Rights Groups

Chinese cyberspies have hacked human rights groups. (Craig Timberg and Ellen Nakashima, “Chinese cyberspies have hacked most Washington institutions, experts say,” Washington Post, 2/20/2013)

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The question remains, who will every House Democrat pick to defend ObamaCare?

As part of the ObamaCare “toolkit”, Nancy Pelosi orders her Democrat allies to host public events with liberal groups and their ObamaCare Coordinators to defend ObamaCare’s failure to address health care rate increases and health care rationing. Pelosi encourages House Democrats to persuade their constituents to enroll in ObamaCare – as if they had a choice in the first place.

Democrats are clearly worried about the consequences of ObamaCare. Once ObamaCare is fully implemented in 2014, American families can expect to pay more out of their pockets for health care.  As Nancy Pelosi once said of ObamaCare, “We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it.” Americans are experiencing the very real and negative consequences of ObamaCare, and they don’t like it.

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Deborah from Michigan: In 2006, Deborah seriously injured her back. Immediately after her injury, she could no longer drive and subsequently lost her job. Since her COBRA coverage ran out, she has been uninsured. Now a self-employed business owner tutoring children out of her home, Deborah’s pre-existing condition has locked her out of the health insurance market. In the summer of 2011, Deborah found out about Michigan’s State-run PCIP program, Health Insurance Program, and was able to enroll and receive back surgery in August.

Retha from Texas: When Retha’s husband was diagnosed with a terminal illness, she knew that they had to move back home to Texas to spend the last few months among family. She never expected that this meant she would have to choose between her comforting her husband and keeping her health insurance. When she and her husband moved from New Mexico to Texas, her insurance company informed her that she could no longer keep her coverage as she lived beyond the State lines. Just prior to this, a routine check-up had found a blockage in a major artery. Having worked most of her life in the assisted living field, Retha knew the importance of quick diagnosis and quick treatment. But without insurance, her treatment would bankrupt the family. Fortunately, she discovered PCIP and started her treatment – finding new blockages that had gone undiagnosed, and likely saving her life.

Deborah “Jo” from Virginia: Jo found that, despite her CFA and PhD in Economics, was unable to find an affordable policy due to a pre-existing medical condition. She signed up for PCIP coverage in Virginia as soon as possible, and started her policy in August of 2010. The coverage could not have come at a more fortunate time. In January of 2011, Jo was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and had to undergo an aggressive course of treatment to beat the cancer into remission. As she told some of the PCIP workers who sat with her during this trying time, without PCIP she would have faced both a daunting cancer diagnosis and medical bills totaling over $120,000.

Cathy from Ohio: Many years ago, Cathy was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus, a serious long-term illness which can result in early death. Fortunately, her case was caught early, and with proper management of the chronic disease, she has remained in good health and expects to live a long and full life. Still, her pre-existing condition left her uninsurable in the eyes of insurance companies, and she was repeatedly denied coverage. Upon hearing of the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, Cathy immediately applied and started her coverage in September of 2010. Cathy is now enrolled in the Ohio State- run PCIP program. Cathy is paying monthly premiums, co-insurance payments, and deductibles s on any other policy. (The Center for Consumer Information & Insurance Oversight, “COVERING PEOPLE WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS: REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION AND OPERATION OF THE PRE-EXISTING CONDITION INSURANCE PLAN PROGRAM,” 2/23/12)

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A 42 year-old patient from Abilene, TX who was recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma and is uninsured. At the time of his diagnosis, his physician indicated that a stem cell transplant was needed to treat the patient’s blood cancer, but the procedure is expensive and requires health insurance coverage. He had been treated by the hospital through their indigent care program, however he has exhausted his benefits through that program until 2014. The patient applied to the PCIP and was denied as Texas had suspended new enrollees by late February. With no alternate options available, the patient is currently awaiting screening by the NIH for two clinical trials. Although the outcome is looking positive at this time, there is still no guarantee that patient will get the transplant that his physician feels is medically necessary. He now must meet the eligibility for the trial. This patient must travel a great distance for care, and it is unclear if family will be able to accompany him on this journey.

A twenty six year old patient in Boca Raton, FL was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma three years ago while he was still covered by his parent’s insurance policy. Now that he is 26, he has aged out of coverage and is showing signs of relapse. In order to get coverage in the private market, he would have to pay extremely high insurance premiums due to his pre-existing condition. He is in need of medical care and cannot wait six months to get health insurance. Enrolling in the PCIP program now would assist him and his family greatly.

 A fifty eight year old female patient was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma in 2006. Her physician prescribed a ‘watch and wait’ approach. Her employer switched from a comprehensive insurance plan to a high deductible plan with no coverage for cancer care, including no coverage for standard medical screenings, and no coverage for chemotherapy. Prior to March 2, she applied for coverage under the PCIP and was rejected because she had been covered under an insurance policy within six months prior to the application date – even though the insurance policy did not cover cancer care. Her care has since depleted all of her family’s assets. LLS is providing her with co-pay assistance and attempting to connect her with additional sources that can help her access the care that she needs.

A fifty two year old female multiple myeloma patient from Anderson, SC, who is a recipient of Social Security Supplemental Income (SSI) benefits, was covered through COBRA after she was let go from her prior job. No private policy would provide health insurance coverage for her. The local LLS chapter referred her to the PCIP program, and the patient was rejected because she had been receiving health coverage under her COBRA plan within the last six months.

A fifty eight year old patient in West Palm Beach, FL was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in March of 2012. Her income exceeded Medicaid eligibility in November 2012, and disqualified her for the program. She is ineligible to apply for PCIP for six months, but needs insurance now to cover the cost of her medical care. (Testimony of Ms. Susan Zurface, Esq., House Committee on Energy and Commerce, hearing on “Protecting America’s Sick and Chronically Ill,” 4/3/2013)

The post 5 People Who Can’t Get Insurance Under ObamaCare appeared first on National Republican Congressional Committee.

Susan Zurface, a 42-year-old woman with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, recently testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee that under ObamaCare’s underfunded Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Program (PCIP) she is unable to obtain affordable health care coverage.

“Without my newly diagnosed illness, I was unable to find any health insurance coverage that would cost less than $350/month with a $10,000 deductible. It was during that research that I came across, in late February, the Ohio High Risk Pool program, offering medical coverage for $250/month with a $2,500 deductible for people with pre-existing conditions. I contacted the insurance company directly and spoke about the coverage. I printed off the application and sent it to my local oncologist for certification. I received it back and was prepared to mail it in, when I learned that the program was no longer accepting new patients due to lack of funding. My options are limited.” (Testimony of Ms. Susan Zurface, Esq., House Committee on Energy and Commerce, hearing on “Protecting America’s Sick and Chronically Ill,” 4/3/2013)

President Obama has broken his promise to Americans that anyone with a pre-existing condition would be able to obtain health care coverage under Obamacare. As ObamaCare is implemented, Americans are finding out the truth, and it’s not pretty.

Luckily, House Republicans are prepared to pass the Helping Sick Americans Now Act, which eliminates an ObamaCare slush fund and transfers $4 billion to help vulnerable Americans with pre-existing conditions and rare diseases. As the Wall Street Journal notes:

“…the Health and Human Services Department has already burned through all the dollars appropriated by the Affordable Care Act for implementation. HHS is now demanding an extra $5.9 billion to set up the law’s insurance exchanges—$2 billion more than it estimated it would take last year—but both Senate Democrats and the House denied the request last month.

HHS responded by announcing that it would simply steal however many dollars it needs from a separate ObamaCare slush fund. Supposedly devoted to “prevention,” this cash has been funneled to everything from bike-path signs to patronage for liberal pressure groups lobbying for fast-food taxes. Now HHS is reaching into this till for at least $454 million this year, with no accountability.

The House leadership wants to zero out $5 billion from the prevention fund so HHS can’t spend it on the ObamaCare exchanges and instead transfer the money to a different ObamaCare program that insures people with pre-existing medical conditions. That program has also run out of money and is closed to new applicants.” (Wall Street Journal, “An Ounce of ObamaCare Prevention,” 4/22/13)

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But, House Republicans aren’t the only ones raising concerns about the new plan. The co-chairs of the bi-partisan Partnership for the Future of Medicare, former director of the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office Doug Holtz-Eakin and economist and former health policy and administration professor Dr. Ken Thorpe, said the following:

“These [Medicare Advantage program] across the board cuts are short-sighted with little consideration of their impact on the quality of care currently delivered to beneficiaries. Such an action is disruptive to the system, driving more beneficiaries to the unreformed fee-for-service model that will in no way help improve the health of beneficiaries or the long-term sustainability of Medicare.” (Partnership for the Future of Medicare, PFM co-chairs’ statement on CMS’s proposed Medicare Advantage payment changes)

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During a debate on gun control, Salazar had the nerve to say women don’t know if they “feel like [they’re] gonna be raped” and that call boxes, safe zones and rape whistles are good enough at protecting women from sexual assault.

Salazar is also a high profile endorser of Romanoff’s congressional bid.

Please consider the following comment from the NRCC as you cover Romanoff’s silence on Salazar’s comments and women’s safety.

“Andrew Romanoff’s silence on Joe Salazar’s sickening rape comments confirms he quietly shares his anti-woman views. Romanoff must publicly renounce Joe Salazar’s endorsement immediately.” – Tyler Q. Houlton, NRCC Spokesman

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