Health Care Reform, or Health Care Takeover?
February 28th, 2010The now infamous health care summit came and went. Last week I blogged that if the Republicans attended this progressive-fest the outcome would be Groundhog Day. The same thing over and over. I was wrong. Obamacare was exposed for what it is, a ruse.
Democrats used the old liberal playbook citing examples of all the sad stories due to evil insurance companies, such as the woman who used her dead sister’s dentures. I’m not real sure that moved the debate toward any tangible solution, other than the Democrats pleading for government takeover, and oversight of the best health care system in the world.
The Republicans stated their free market solutions, and pointed out the budget gimmickry, smoke, and mirrors used in the Obamacare plan. They clearly showed Americans the distinct ideological difference between the two opposing plans.
Democrats believe big government is the solution, Republicans believe people should be free to make their own health care decisions within a free market system without government intervention, and taxation.
The most clearly stated argument against the Senate/Obama plan was presented by Congressman Paul Ryan. Ryan left Obama speechless because it is impossible to dispute the indisputable.
You can go to Heritage.org, where they have posted; Video: Paul Ryan Destroys Obamacare’s Deficit Reduction Claims.
Or there is the excellent analysis at Investors.com IBD Editorial; Rebuttals To Ryan? We’re Still Waiting. Below are the bullet points that Ryan quoted at the summit, compliments of the Investors.com article:
• “This bill does not control costs (or) reduce deficits. Instead, (it) adds a new health care entitlement when we have no idea how to pay for the entitlements we already have.”
• “The bill has 10 years of tax increases, about half a trillion dollars, with 10 years of Medicare cuts, about half a trillion dollars, to pay for six years of spending. The true 10-year cost (is) $2.3 trillion.”
• “The bill takes $52 billion in higher Social Security tax revenues and counts them as offsets. But that’s really reserved for Social Security. So either we’re double-counting them or we don’t intend on paying those Social Security benefits.”
• “The bill takes $72 billion from the CLASS Act (long-term care insurance) benefit premiums and claims them as offsets.”
• “The bill treats Medicare like a piggy bank, (raiding) half a trillion dollars not to shore up Medicare solvency, but to spend on this new government program.”
• “The chief actuary of Medicare (says) as much as 20% of Medicare providers will either go out of business or have to stop seeing Medicare beneficiaries.”
• “Millions of seniors who have chosen Medicare Advantage (Medicare through a private insurer) will lose the coverage that they now enjoy.”
• “When you strip out the double-counting and … gimmicks, the full 10-year cost of the bill has a $460 billion deficit. The second 10-year cost of this bill has a $1.4 trillion deficit.”
• “The ‘doc fix’ (restoring cuts in Medicare reimbursements) costs $371 billion … a price tag (that) made the score look bad. (So) that provision was taken out, and (put) in stand-alone legislation. But ignoring these costs does not remove them from the backs of taxpayers. Hiding spending does not reduce spending.”
• “Are we bending the cost curve down or are we bending the cost curve up? If you look at your own chief actuary at Medicare, we’re bending it up. He’s claiming that we’re going up $222 billion, adding more to the unsustainable fiscal situation we have.”
I would say Ryan went prepared, exposed the fraudulent numbers in the bill, manipulated by Obama and the Democrats to deceive the public into supporting this government takeover that would alter the relationship between the American citizen and government forever.
Are you prepared to live in a United States of America where a ruling elite and their bureaucracies make your health care decisions for you? This is no small matter. Are you willing to sacrifice your liberty which will result in America becoming no more than a second rate European Socialist Democracy? Are you willing to accept the accompanying norm of 15% unemployment?
The Obamacare plan is a sham, it will not accomplish what Obama and the Democrats claim. An honest reform plan would stand on its own. There would be no need for smoke, mirrors, and gimmickry. The producers of such believe the American people as stupid and incapable of self governance.
A tsunami may have missed Hawaii yesterday, but the electoral tsunami will not miss Hawaii’s favorite son and progressive supporters holding office today, come this November.
The opinions expressed here are solely those of Fritz Pfister, or identified sources, and not those of RE/MAX Professionals Springfield, or RE/MAX International.
