Don't Ask Me; I Just Work Here

For those of who you have been reading these posts, you may have figured out that I’m not a big supporter of this healthcare reform, which in all honesty, is really health insurance reform. There are a lot of things that concern me about the bill itself, but none of those reasons top my chart. Yes, I’m worried about the increase in costs for insurance. Yes, I’m concerned that people have been making misleading statements (probably on both sides of the debate). Yes, I’m bothered by the amount of “free” money being offered by the government. Yes, I fear for this nation and the future of our children. A number of these concerns extend beyond even the measures of this law.

Although those reasons are valid and they are why I ask a lot of questions, they aren’t the issues that bother me the most at the end of the day. So what is it that really concerns me? The fact that no one seems to know what’s going on, or that they aren’t willing to take questions. I’m not sure which scenario is more likely, but it’s probably a combination of both. And that’s why all those other concerns I have are even floating around.

If you call a Senator’s office, more than likely the person to whom you’ll speak won’t have a clue as to the impact of a certain bill. I’m no expert on law, but I know more about what’s going on than those people who breathe it each and every day. For many, it’s their job, their paycheck, nothing more. They either make uninformed statements or else hide behind blanket statements like, “I can’t speak on behalf of the Senator.” No, you may not be able to do that, but can you speak for yourself? Can you start to look at the bigger picture? Or will you just fall into line like all the other Americans are supposed to do?

You know, it really bugs me that all these people, working in the offices of Senators and Representatives, have a direct link to our top leaders, and yet they don’t seem to care. Perhaps they do, but they sure don’t convey it.

Consider this: I’ve been waiting for months for a response from Senator Evan Bayh’s office. Last week, after I called the Indianapolis office to complain about the DC office, I was promised a response from the DC office. That was on Wednesday, July 7. I gave them 24 hours (I had already given them six months), and I called the Indianapolis office again to find out what had happened.

“I sent that email yesterday at, let’s see, 3:50. Someone will get back to you.”

“I’ve been told that before. When?”

“I’ve made note of that. Someone will get back to you.”

“So what’s a reasonable time frame to expect an answer?”

“What do you mean?” (I don’t know why, but I get this question back from staff members a lot.)

“How long should I expect to wait to get an answer, a day, a week, a year? What’s reasonable?”

“When you get an answer, that’s what’s reasonable.”

Does that sound like someone who cares? (By the way, as of Monday, July 12, I still haven’t heard a word.)

I called HHS and spoke to a gentleman there who claimed that I would have answers to some questions by the end of the day. That was on Friday. Still no answer yet.

But every now and then, you’ll find someone who will give you a straight answer, one you know that is the honest truth. I can’t say for sure whether it’s because the person just slipped and forgot office protocol, because they are frustrated and want to get it off their chest, or because they really do want to be honest. I once asked someone in Bayh’s Indy office what percentage of phone calls they were getting were opposed to the healthcare reform. I was surprised when she answered, “80%.” Well, that wasn’t what I expected. Normally, I get, “We don’t have that information available.” (And I’ll avoid a long rant about that number and whether or not Bayh was listening to his constituents.)

Another time, I was speaking with an intern and asked her if she planned to go into politics once she graduated from college. She informed me that after this experience, she had no desire whatsoever to enter that field. You know what? I would vote for her.

Our government keeps preaching about how consumers will be protected, that they’ll have more benefits. It sounds good when they’re talking about insurance companies, banks, giant retailers, Internet providers, and so forth. But those same rules don’t apply to themselves. They are somehow excluded from the same rules of common courtesy, of helping out the consumer, so to speak.

As Americans, are we going to continue to tolerate this kind of treatment? Will we settle for second best, to allow our concerns to be addressed by pat answers or ignorance? Or are we going to push a little harder, ask tougher questions, and stand up until we get some answers? Frankly, I’m in favor of the latter.

I think I need to make another phone call.