Healthcare reform

Dear Editor:Many thanks to our representative in Congress, Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-34), for voting to pass healthcare reform legislation. Without this measure, the for-profit health insurance industry would keep making themselves rich on the backs of ordinary Americans. Note that the 2008 compensation of Aetna's CEO was more than $38 million and Cigna's CEO received more than $30 million. All the while our insurance premiums are going up and the percentage of money going to their profits keeps increasing. This industry has spent millions trying to defeat or change this legislation to make it benefit them. From January to March, healthcare firms and their lobbyists spent money at the record-setting rate of $1.4 million a day on campaigns designed to influence the healthcare reform legislation. This legislation, by getting rid of wasteful spending, will actually reduce the federal deficit by an estimated $106 billion while insuring an additional 36 million people. It is about time that the American people had comprehensive healthcare reform. Democrats were the party that successfully fought to create Social Security and Medicare and once this bill passes the Senate, we will finally have health care for all. - Anita Rivero, Downey

********** Published: November 13, 2009 - Volume 8 - Issue 30