Category Archives: ObamaCare

Finding the Faults and Repairing the Unaffordable Care Act

Change

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FaceTwitSpace has a Universal Healthcare Poll running this week. As of this writing, over 107,148 other people have voted on the question, “Are you in favor of a Government run healthcare system.”

My vote was ‘Hell, No!’

This Health Care argument has nothing to do with health. After all, all the people who will vote on it will not be covered by it.

It’s about the money. And power.

If you can drive the private insurers and private providers out of the market, whatever is left controls who lives and who dies. If you have private insurance, you can change insurers if you don’t like your coverage. If the government says “You must have insurance and you must get it from us,” they put you in jail if you change insurers.

That’s Change We Can Believe In.

If you can drive the private insurers and private providers out of the market, TWO TRILLION more dollars end up in Washington. Each and every year. Except next year when it will be more. And the year after when it will be more still more.

Trillion.

That’s Change We Can Believe In.

President Obama told the nation Wednesday night that we must “change the health care system to reduce the costs and restore the economy.” That is exactly correct. Unfortunately, Mr. Obama did not say another word about reducing the cost of service or restoring the economy; he spent his news conference time on changing the health care system to one run by Uncle Sam’s bureaucrats instead of one run by insurance bureaucrats. That doesn’t fix the problem. It just changes its location. Two trillion more dollars change hands from the private sector to go to Washington. That is exactly wrong.

That’s Change We CAN’T Believe In.

Pundits have said that new Administration’s need to stack accomplishments during the first 100 days is the reason for the rush to ObamaCare. Nothing could be further from the truth.

It is critical that the Administration fast track Universal Health Care through immediately, just as they did the “Stimulus Pack” and the theft of the auto industry and their concessionist international diplomacy and the bank bailout that somehow forgot to make any mortgage money available and the 100 days/100 press conferences.

Why is it critical? Because even Congress would rebel if they actually read the bills.

That’s No Change At All.

we’ve really stepped in it this time

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“There is nothing, no matter how stupid it sounds, that I am rejecting,” Charles Rangel (D-NY) said. Rep. Rangel chairs the House Ways and Means Committee.

President Obama called home from gay Paris to remind the Congress critters he wants a health care bill on his desk before the August recess.

Barney Rubble said the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions would begin forging the legislation on Tuesday, June 16. Senate Democrats have an ambitious schedule to get this turkey passed before the voters notice.

The House is ready. Their bill outlined on Tuesday will “allow” people to enroll in a government-run health insurance plan similar to Medicare.

  • The law will require every American to have health insurance.
  • The law will create a government-run insurance company that would, in President Obama’s words, “keep insurance companies honest.”
  • The law will provide government subsidies to help people buy insurance.
  • The law will require employers to provide health benefits to employees.
  • The law will not address how Congress would actually pay for these health-care initiatives.

The administration wants a plan that requires every American to have health insurance. And if you cannot afford health insurance, you can buy it from Government Motors^H^H^H Government Shield. And if you do not buy health insurance, you will need an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. At taxpayer expense.

Health care is free in jail.

Yesterday was Donald Duck Day.

George Poleczech likes to remind us, “You Democrats have really stepped in it this time.”

Every government rations health care by making you wait. Every one of them. Wait long enough and every illness cures itself, ya know. Every one of them. As we rush headlong into the arms of government health care, even Canada is finally moving away from it.

Sorry, George. It looks more like we Americans have really stepped in it this time.

Why Does Obama Want to Bankrupt Me?

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The pundits all expect that General Motors will file for bankruptcy protection on Monday.

Why?

We (used to) assume that people act to preserve their economic interests. Government acts to preserve the governors.

Given the horse puckey that has already gone on in the Wall Street-Pennsylvania Avenue continuum, I think I have it figured out why Barack Obama wants to bankrupt me:

  • 1. The Democrats need to generate demand for universal health care. Imagine that.
  • 2. Big bond holders bought credit swaps, the financial innovations that insure debt. Credit swaps pay off only in a formal default. Imagine that.
  • 3. Congress needs to shore up Social Security; all the calls to strip that pot of gold from their hands scared them silly. Imagine that.
  • 4. The Administration needs to be able to say, “See, this is what happens when you sell gas guzzlers; you go bankrupt.” They are already saying that about the Dodge Hemi. Imagine that.

1. One might think demand for universal health care would be, well, universal. Oddly it isn’t. That said, if half the country suddenly loses its benefits when the bankruptcy domino train rolls through, Democrats hope that changes. A GM bankruptcy almost guarantees that all those workers jump on the Medicare bandwagon.

2. Credit swaps pay off only in a formal default. Look at which Wall Street player whisper in President Obama’s ear to see how financial policy is formulated. A GM bankruptcy could guarantee the credit default.

3. Congress is not afraid that the Social Security will be bankrupt by 2050. Congress is afraid that the Social Security will become irrelevant within their elected terms. Congress absolutely cannot give up that “revenue” stream. A GM bankruptcy guarantees the Social Security revenue stream.

A GM bankruptcy means autoworkers now have 201Ks because the stock in their (former) 401Ks tanked. If GM shares are not wiped out and the company recovers, the autoworkers’ 401K’s will recover eventually. A GM bankruptcy means autoworkers and everyone else with GM stock in a retirement account is more than ever dependent on Social Security. I hope the UAW has finally discovered that a boughten politician doesn’t stay bought. And I hope that you, gentle reader, understand that bankrupting GM decimates my own personal retirement account.

4. Finally, the Administration needs to eliminate the popular gas guzzlers to push forward their Consumer’s Union vision of the perfect car: the 1985 Yugo. After all, it is not right to sell ten million popular cars and trucks. It is only right (should that be left?) to this Administration to sell about half a million Yugos. Or Fiats. A GM bankruptcy guarantees there won’t be anything else sold.

“Those cars are ugly,” Rufus said about the looming Chrysler-Fiat deal. “Americans may not remember all the problem cars Fiat made the last time they were sold here, but Americans don’t buy ugly.”

I dunno. The Democrats sold us first Al Gore and now Barack Obama so perhaps they can sell us Flea Flops, too. But I’ll betcha not one Congress Critter buys one. According to the Intert00b, Far Green darling, multi-millionaire Mr. Gore owns a giant 10 mpg Ford Expedition.

Socialized Medicine in a Genuinely Socialized Country

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Li Rifu and Chen Yanfe live in Shuang Miao, a rural village in east-central China’s Zhejiang Province. Last year, Mr. Li and his wife were both diagnosed with cancer.

The NYTimes reported that “Ms. Chen’s reproductive tract cancer has gone into remission after $7,000 in medical bills. But Mr. Li’s fist-size malignant prostate cancer tumor has resisted two operations and four rounds of chemotherapy.”

They have spent nearly $50,000.

Of their own money.

In China where care is nominally free.

“With payments from the local health insurance fund capped at $4,300 a person per year, Mr. Li has had to sell many of his possessions, and still he has had to go into debt.

“It is a common occurrence in this country, nominally communist, but with little or no safety net.”

Medical care is more expensive in the U.S. than in China. Health care costs are skyrocketing here and health insurance premiums have risen four times faster than wages since 2000 according to the Scranton Times Tribune .

About 46.6 million people in the United States were without health care insurance in 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau reported.

As an aside, our U.S. believers in socialized medicine would have us emulate Canada, not China. Milk in Canada costs about $8/gallon.

Our U.S. believers in socialized medicine all have plans for affordable coverage for everyone. Their plans offer to cover all essential medical services with affordable premiums, co-pays, and deductibles and guarantee eligibility. Those covered will have income sensitive federal subsidies to buy the mandated insurance. Medicaid and SCHIP will expand. The plan will require employers to contribute a percentage of payroll toward the cost of a national insurance plan.

Let’s see. Federal mandates. Federal subsidies. Federal bureaucracy. That’s a great prescription. Reduced patient care. Increased taxes. Increased wait times. And “Press 2 for English.” Yeah, that sounds like Canadian health care.

Back to China. China has an economy growing over 10% annually. China has cradle to (early) grave medical coverage. China caps health care benefits at $4,300 per person.

I wonder what cap our U.S. believers in socialized medicine will impose.