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I am bummed!  I have really enjoyed riding in the MS 150 for the last 4 years.  However, 2009 will have been my last ride in support of MS research.   I can no longer support the National MS Society.

I have come to this decision based on the position the NMSS has taken with respect to the current proposed health care legislation, in particular, H.R. 3200 – America’s Affordable Health Choices Act.

As a rider in the Dallas-Ft.Worth MS 150, I rec’d an email from the NMSS asking me to contact my representatives in Congress and request that they support health care reform.  They even provided a link with a pre-formatted letter.

After reading the proposed letter, I was concerned my representatives would interpret this letter as my support for the current legislation in Congress (no, not the Republican legislation nobody ever talks about!).  If you read this blog, you know I am deeply opposed to the legislation the left has put forward.  So I responded to the email and requested the position of the NMSS regarding the legislation currently before Congress.  Following is the response I received yesterday:

Dear Mr. Lavey –

Thank you for your feedback regarding health care reform, your email has been forwarded to me for response.

While pursing health care reform, the Society has been adamant that patient choice and access are protected.  The Society is also working to ensure that efforts to lower costs for everyone will not result in limited access for anyone.  In fact, a key component of health care reform is that pre-existing condition clauses used by insurance companies will be eliminated. This will help ensure that people with MS and other chronic diseases are not denied services because of their health status.

The Society is working closely with Members of Congress and other partners to achieve meaningful and comprehensive health care reform.  The focus is on fixing and strengthening our existing employer-sponsored health care system, while figuring out how to get health insurance coverage for those who are uninsured, better health insurance for those who are underinsured, and help those who struggle with the cost of prescription drugs or obtaining other medically necessary treatments.

The legislation emerging in Congress called the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act – HR 3200 will help provide more choice, expand coverage and access to care, limit out-of-pocket costs, and improve quality of care for people with MS.  This legislation will let you to keep your insurance if you like it.  There is a common misconception that this bill will create a government run health insurance system, which is just not the case.  Rather the legislation outlines scenarios where you can choose to stay with the coverage you have, seek other private coverage, or choose a government sponsored plan.  There will be more choice.

We encourage you to take a look at our National Health Care Reform Principles (pdf), which were developed by a broad-based group of volunteers including many living with MS.  These principles are a blueprint for our advocacy work on health care reform that ensures the needs of people with MS are being met as health care reform takes shape and becomes a reality.

Many pieces of the Society’s reform principles are being discussed in the legislation including the elimination of lifetime coverage caps, ending discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, the expansion of home and community based services, and efforts to lower out of pockets costs.

The Society has been working on these issues separately for many years.   The America’s Affordable Health Choices Act provides an opportunity to accomplish many goals in one bill.  After working to shape the bill and analysis of the legislation that emerged, the Society has joined other organizations such as the American Medical Association, the American College of Physicians, the Epilepsy Foundation and many other doctor and patient groups in supporting the effort.

Thank you again for your email.

Best wishes,

Kim Cantor

Kimberly Cantor
Manager, Federal Government Relations
National Multiple Sclerosis Society

While I generally support the principles the NMSS espouses for health care reform, I can’t accept the transition of these principles into HR 3200 and the other legislation the left has proposed.  So next year on the first weekend in May, I will not be riding the MS150.  If anyone else can suggest a worthy cause for which I could ride my bike, I’d be glad to consider it.  I hear there is a guy in Austin who is doing some good work in the fight against cancer.  I think I’ll look into his position regarding the current proposed legislation.