Secondhand Smokette gets to the nub of the problem with Obamacare in her San Francisco Chronicle column today: It is a fiscal house of cards, built in sand, on a windy day. Perhaps that is why the president and Democrats are so desperate for a Republican vote or two—then, they can share the blame.
But she says it better than me. From the column:
No one knows what the final health care reform bill will look like, but plenty of reasons remain for voters to be skeptical. Until those who claim the mantle of reform acknowledge the cost of all the things they want to give families, they have too many incentives to over-promise and too few incentives to tell people they can’t get something for nothing.
In Washington’s standard hide-the-tax fashion, the Senate Finance Committee legislation would impose an excise tax on “Cadillac” employer-funded health care plans - a 40 percent levy on premiums in excess of $8,000 per individual or $21,000 per family. So they’re taxing a service to make it cheaper...If this plan passes, workers will have to pay higher premiums and/or taxes for what they already have. That’s more cost shifting than cost savings. The worst suspicions of the plan’s critics thus have been confirmed. Under ObamaCare, those who have health care will be paying more - fair enough - but for less health care - which is not so fair.
As for proposed limits on what insurers can charge based on age or gender - again, these schemes don’t control costs. They shift costs. And cost shifting is the practice that has led to runaway health care spending in America. With all the freebies thrown into versions of the package - with millions of additional people covered, no denials for pre-existing conditions, free checkups and preventive procedures - ObamaCare can only increase the nation’s health care tab.
Debra also notes the mendacity in the air about the supposed cuts that will be made to make this albatross “affordability. They won’t happen:
And whatever cuts they budget into the future are likely to disappear when they have to be implemented. On Friday, the New York Times reported that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants to pass a measure to revoke a 21.5 percent reduction in Medicare payments to doctors. Reid’s right to do so. It’s rapacious and bad medicine for Washington to decide it can pay for its big promises by shorting doctors, who will have to cost-shift some more.
But does Reid propose to pay for this $240 billion with other cuts or taxes? Of course not.
You just know that if the health care reform bills pass the House and Senate floors, they will become more bloated and imbalanced when they move into the House-Senate conference committee. If there’s one thing this Congress cannot do, it’s subtract.
That’s undeniable. This year, Social Security recipients don’t get a cost of living adjustment because there is no substantial inflation. And what is the government about to do? Give each a $250 check!
Obamacare is the sure road to national bankruptcy, after which the Chinese or Arabs will buy us at a fire sale.
You have a decision to make: double or nothing.
For this week only, a generous supporter has offered to fully match all new and increased donations to First Things up to $60,000.
In other words, your gift of $50 unlocks $100 for First Things, your gift of $100 unlocks $200, and so on, up to a total of $120,000. But if you don’t give, nothing.
So what will it be, dear reader: double, or nothing?
Make your year-end gift go twice as far for First Things by giving now.
