Sunday, July 19, 2009

Healthcare Part 2

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. I was a little busy these past few days. Well, enough of the small talk. Let's get to business.

If you remember, and I am sure you do, one of the main points I made the first time I spoke about health care was that this push for reform by Obama is mainly to serve as a segue into socializing the system. As more information surfaces, and as details from the proposed plans are becoming known, I am more certain that this is the case.

There would be a law that would require all people to purchase insurance, and that all those who do not purchase insurance would be fined a percentage of their income. (Now do not even get me started on this. How can one be obligated by law to purchase insurance? It is amazing that this is even being discussed, forget that fact that with the Democrats having the votes, it likely to be passed. The fact that the government is trying to take this much control of our lives is very frightening. But I digress.) As I have been saying, the reason for this would be to force people into the government option. The only people that would be affected by this are people that would not otherwise want to purchase health care. So when they are now forced to, they will obviously seek the cheapest option, the government option. Mission accomplished, more people loaded on to the system.

There would also be some type of legislation stating that if one looses their coverage after the bill is passed, they would have to join the government option. Again, more people forced into the system. Oh, and what happened to keeping your own insurance if you liked it?

Another one of the proposals would include expanding the coverage of Medicaid. Let me ask you. If Obama keeps saying, (and correctly so,) that there are huge problems with Medicaid, (and we all know that it is bankrupt,) how does it make sense to add to its expenses? How could it possibly help for it to spend more? As usual, the answer is it doesn't. It obviously does not make any sense for a failing system to expand. But then again, does this administration seem concerned with doing anything that makes sense?

Obama has said repeatedly that they will be reducing Medicaid expenses and making it more efficient. By adding on more people to cover? The only way this is even remotely possibly is if they at the same time cut what they cover by a large amount. That's right. All you low income families who rely on Medicaid, and who are so excited to see the government pick up more of your bills will be hurt by this health care reform. The government will be supplying you with less coverage. Less tests, less procedures, less health care. If you wish to keep up your current level of care, you will have to pay some other way. They will not tell you this, but wait and see, this will happen. I can not predict exactly where they will choose to cut back, but they have seemed to indicate that it will be in the area of testing. Maybe they will choose to stop covering a annual mammogram? Who knows. I don't. And to be quite honest with you, I do not think they do either.

They keep talking about cutting unnecessary testing. Not once have they given an example. Not once have they said which tests they plan to cut out. So many diseases are being cured today because of early detection. I mentioned the mammograms earlier. In the U.S.A., the survival rate of breast cancer is 92%. In Britain, it is only 78%. This is greatly because of the testing done here. It is also because of more treatment options here, but that is another story. What I am trying to say is that cutting down on testing will more likely lead to a less efficient system, not the opposite as they are promising.

And make no mistake. The government knows this would not be economically responsible. They have made it clear that they have no intentions of saving money, and lowering costs. The director of the Congressional Budget Office said that the only thing he has seen from the House, has been efforts to increase spending, and increase government involvement in the system. Interesting, no sign of them attempting to lower costs. Isn't it sad that I am not surprised to hear that?

One of the ways they are planning on raising back some of this money is obviously.... increase taxes! The Democrats best friend. Should this bill be passed, there would be 39 states with people in upper brackets paying over 50%. Yes 50%. You make 100 dollars, 50 dollars goes to the government. Highway robbery. People were joking (but it wasn't funny,) that Obama was like Robin Hood, coming to spread the wealth. They were incorrect. Robin Hood would have never even attempted to take over 50%.

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