Sen. Carl Levin wrote me a letter recently thanking me for contacting him about the tax status of credit unions. It seems credit unions have been enjoying a tax exempt status.

Sorry, senator, I vehemently state I have never sent any correspondence to you about credit unions nor did I realize they were tax exempt! My husband and I did send you an email asking you to deny unions special favor regarding Obamacare. Obamacare is supposed to tax “Cadillac health plans,” which are high value plans.

The tax is 40 percent on the difference between the threshold, $27,500 per family, and the value of the plan.

Unions did not like this tax because its members have these high value plans. We asked you, senator, to deny unions special favors and to treat them as others are treated. Well, unions did win out because the tax on these plans was delayed until 2018. How nice, since this tax was to help pay for Obamacare!

Obamacare may help some people pay $12 for a wellness exam at a clinic (minus x-rays), but at the same time it is penalizing others. I went to the doctor twice last year — the second time because my doctor talked me into getting a cholesterol test. I had never had this done even though it is included in Obamacare.

How shocked I was when I received a notice from my Medicare insurance I owed over $100, even though the test showed my cholesterol extremely high. I started calling, but did not get an answer to why the bill. Instead, suddenly the insurance company says I do not owe anything and the testing site had to “eat the cost.” This makes me upset for two reasons: one, I feel guilty the vendor did not get paid. Yes, I could pay the bill but not receive a discount the insurance company enjoys. Two, if healthcare providers are not getting paid, they may very well go out of business! I decided to cancel any follow-up visits with my doctor.

My husband has an illness that could become very expensive for the government and us. His doctor and I are working hard to keep him well. The doctor ordered two extra blood tests than normal — the insurance company sent a statement denying payment and said we do not owe this. The CEO of Mayo Clinic stated on TV that healthcare providers are getting 20 to 30 percent less in reimbursements because of Obamacare. Also, doctors must input patient info into an online health record or be penalized by the government. I know one doctor who stays up after midnight to get this done.

I think the low-cost health clinics for low income people are a good thing. But why did the Democrats hurt other people? Some people have lost their health plans and doctors. Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo) tried to fix Obamacare in September 2010 for these plans. The senate Democrats voted in the same month to not consider S.J. Res. 39 by vote of 59-40. NBC even reported on this.

Senators Levin and Stabenow, do you now wonder why we are so contemptuous of you?

 

Mary Martin

Union