Why military health care for active duty members, their families, and retirees.. is not up to snuff?  check your congressman out, and let them know..we want health care improved on bases... not shunted off to HMO's, etc
http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/industry.asp?txt=H03&cycle=2004
How much is your congressman receiving from the Health Services/HMO PACs and other PACs? You may find out by way of reference A below. Click on reference A >> Who Gets >> US Congress>>Search by last name >>List PAC Contributions. Take your time on these web pages. Review these pages periodically as they are updated.

----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2005 6:21 AM
Subject: US Military Hospitals: Ambushed by PACs?

 US Military Hospitals: Ambushed by PACs?

by Robert F. Sawallesh
19 February 2005
http://www.pentagonmaverick.com/

   If you live near a military base how much is your Congressman receiving from Health Services/HMO PACs? Guess who received $304,443 in the 2003-2004 cycle?

   Florida Congressmen Michael Bilirakis, Jim Davis, Bill Young and Adam Putnam seem to have no problem in accepting Health Services/HMO PAC cash. They also have no problem in being politically silent about the USAF hospital at MacDill AFB. Their districts "surround" MacDill AFB.

   Who is "paying off" the above Congressmen to be politically self silent about the military hospital at MacDill AFB? Could it be the Health Services/HMO PACs. The hospital at MacDill is scheduled to be demolished and replaced with only a clinic.

   Why would civilian health care providers in the MacDill AFB catchment area like to see the military hospital at MacDill AFB demolished? That answer is easy. In March 2002 I received a letter from the Pentagon's Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. The letter stated: "TRICARE paid approximately $69 million [FY 2001] to civilian institutions for health care services (inpatient and outpatient) provided to beneficiaries within the MacDill AFB catchment area.

    Nearly 50 years ago, on 05 March 1956 a retired Brigadier General, President of the Heart of America Chapter,  Retired Officers Association sent a letter to ROA HQ in Washington, DC regarding military retiree health care. He stated: "The constant chipping away of so called fringe benefits, commissary, post exchange, and now medical care has had a disastrous effect."

   In a preceding paragraph the general stated "On the whole, then, it would appear that the American Medical Association's approval might be attributed to the fact that they were benefited so materially by this bill." (Bill pertained to medication/health care for retired personnel).  The General forwarded a copy of his letter to US Senator Richard B. Russell. The General's correspondence was obtained from the National Archives in Washington, DC.

      So today, almost fifty years later, how do Health Services/HMO PACs and the AMA try to influence members of the US Congress? Below are the amounts the Health Services/HMO PACs donated to members of Congress who "surround" MacDill AFB. Guess how much each received in the 2003- 2004 cycle? The answers are below.

Congressional districts which "surround" MacDill AFB:

Bilirakis, Michael (R-FL-9th)         $304,443 from Health Services/HMO PACs
http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/memberprofile.asp?CID=N00002982&Cycle=2004
http://www.house.gov/bilirakis/
Note: Vice Chairman of House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Davis, Jim (D-FL-11th)                    $70,636 from Health Services/HMO PACs
http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/memberprofile.asp?CID=N00002926&Cycle=2004
http://www.house.gov/jimdavis/
Note: MacDill AFB is in his Congressional District. Davis does little, if anything, to support the base hospital. Just try and get him to show an interest regarding the USAF hospital at MacDill AFB. He plans to run for the Governor of Florida in the next election.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Young, C W Bill (R-FL-10th)            $ 34,000 from Health Services/HMO PACs
http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/memberprofile.asp?CID=N00001817&Cycle=2004
http://www.house.gov/young/
Note: Has Congressman Young visited the hospital at MacDill AFB and inquired as to why the hospital will be demolished and replaced with only a clinic?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Putnam, Adam H (R-FL-12th)          $ 20,558 from Health Services/HMO PACs
http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/memberprofile.asp?CID=N00009618&Cycle=2004
http://www.house.gov/putnam/
Note: Congressman Putnam needs to visit the hospital at MacDill AFB with military retirees from his district.
                                   Grand Total $429,637

   How much is your congressman receiving from the Health Services/HMO PACs and other PACs? You may find out by way of reference A below. Click on reference A >> Who Gets >> US Congress>>Search by last name >>List PAC Contributions. Take your time on these web pages. Review these pages periodically as they are updated. Other references below may be of interest.

Reference web sites that should be of interest:
A. Health Services/HMO PAC Contributions to Federal
Candidates: http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/industry.asp?txt=H03&cycle=2004
B. Open Secrets: http://www.opensecrets.org/index.asp
C. US Congressional Committees: http://thomas.loc.gov/home/hcomso.html
D. Florida Congressional districts at http://southeast.fws.gov/pubs/maps/fl.pdf.
E. Contacting Congress:  http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/.
F. Class Act Lawsuit:      http://www.classact-lawsuit.com/
G. Operation Brown Bag: http://mrgrg-ms.org/history14.html

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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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Dan Cedusky, Champaign IL "Colonel Dan"
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