HEADLINE: CAHI Begins Radio Campaign;
30-Second Ad Urges Congress to Pass Health Insurance Tax Credits

DATELINE: ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 10

BODY:
This week, the Council for Affordable Health Insurance (CAHI) began running a 30-second radio ad urging Congress to pass health insurance tax credits. The ad, currently airing in the Washington, D.C. media market, is intended to reach the nation's lawmakers.

The U.S. House is currently considering health insurance tax credit legislation called the Fair Care for the Uninsured Act (H.R. 583). It was introduced in February by Reps. Mark Kennedy (R-Minn.) and Bill Lipinski (D-Ill.), and currently has more than 120 cosponsors. The Senate version (S.1570) was introduced Aug. 1 by Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.).

The legislation provides a refundable, advancable tax credit of $1000 for an individual, $2000 per couple, and $500 per child, for a maximum of $3000 per household, for the uninsured.

"Most of the uninsured are lower- and middle-income workers who don't have the money to buy health insurance," stated CAHI Director Dr. Merrill Matthews. "By reducing the effective cost of a health insurance policy, tax credits help the uninsured buy the insurance plan that is best suited for them."

More information on this topic is available in the new CAHI Issues & Answers publication: An Affordable Way to Help the Uninsured. This publication and the radio ad are available on CAHI's website at <a href='http://www.cahi.org' target='_blank'>http://www.cahi.org</a>.

The ad transcript follows:

I am one of the nation's 43 million uninsured.

Without health insurance we cannot get preventive care and if we go to the hospital they usually charge us three times more than people with insurance.

President Bush, Republicans and Democrats in Congress have a plan that gives uninsured families up to $3,000 a year to buy health insurance.

Congress, we need help now. Will you please pass this legislation and help us?

To schedule an interview with CAHI Director Dr. Merrill Matthews or to receive a hard-copy of An Affordable Way to Help the Uninsured, contact Tom Gardner, director of communications, at 703-836-6200 x386 or tgardner(At)cahi.org.
<a href='http://www.usnewswire.com' target='_blank'>http://www.usnewswire.com</a>

CONTACT: Tom Gardner of the Council for Affordable Health Insurance, 703-836-6200 ext. 386

LOAD-DATE: November 11, 2003

joebordenrebel Wrote:The legislation provides a refundable, advancable tax credit of $1000 for an individual, $2000 per couple, and $500 per child, for a maximum of $3000 per household, for the uninsured.

?????

So, the plan is to give $$$ to the uninsured. The plan doesn't get the people insurance, instead it rewards those without insurance with $$$.

Heck, maybe I will drop my insurance to get me some extra dough (not really, but some people may do this)!

There has to be more to it.

Yeah, they were discussing it on St. Louis' KMOX this morning. The phrase that kept giving me pause was "access to health insurance at your job."

When I worked part-time at my last job, I had access to health insurance but it was $300 a month. So how will this bill help anyone without insurance? Even McDonald's has some expensive access to health care, I'm sure.

joebordenrebel Wrote:Yeah, they were discussing it on St. Louis' KMOX this morning. The phrase that kept giving me pause was "access to health insurance at your job."

When I worked part-time at my last job, I had access to health insurance but it was $300 a month. So how will this bill help anyone without insurance? Even McDonald's has some expensive access to health care, I'm sure.

I just can't stomach the idea of giving money to the uninsured. I have no problem with helping them find health care/insurance, but I don't want to reward them for not having it.

The health insurance issue...Who are the people that don't have insurance? Don't the majority of the "Poor" get governmental health care? If so, it would lead me to believe that it was the middle class that does without.