Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Healthcare Crisis Reconciliation Plan

President Barack Obama, on his 100th day in office, told Americans, "we've begun the work of remaking America."

Remaking America?

Apparently the nation that became the top economic and military power of the world has been using a flawed system based on the U.S. Constitution and needs to be changed into something more apt to become a failure, in the eyes of Barack Obama.

One of the issues included in this remaking of America is a healthcare proposal (H.R. 676) that will be pushed through Congress, and forced upon the people. No need for bipartisan support when you wield a liberal wand of power. But just to make sure the healthcare plan passes, Obama and friends plan to use a sneaky tactic called "Reconciliation."

The Trojan Horse tactic allows Democrats to fast-track the legislation while shielding it from any last moment filibuster. The move needs only a simple majority in the Senate to pass. This kind of dirty politics, according to Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, pushes the health care bill through "without the benefit of a full and transparent debate," and "does a disservice to the American people."

Senator Max Baucus, Montana Democrat, disagrees with the Reconciliation approach, saying, "If we jam something down somebody's throat, it's not sustainable."

The majority of Democrats say they need to use such tactics since the Republicans refuse to negotiate.

What is there to negotiate about? The entire "single-payer" idea is against what this nation stands for, and is doomed to failure on all levels of implementation.

The goals of the Democrats are no secret. Obama, and the Congressional Democrats, seek to control the private sector, and in the case of healthcare, to shut down the private health care industry. In fact, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Democrat Representative from Illinois, was quoted as saying, "Those of us who are pushing for a public health insurance option don't disagree with the goal of eliminating the private healthcare sector. This is not a principled fight. This is a fight about strategy for getting there, and I believe we will."

This attitude by the Democrats is no different than everything else they push. They mean to empower the federal government in the name of fairness and enhancement, but by doing so they remove the liberty of choice and opportunity. By destroying the private sector in regards to healthcare choices, making them the single payer of insurance, essentially, they are not only failing to eliminate the system they deem so corrupt and unfair, but are continuing the exact same system, but replacing the payers with themselves instead - eliminating choice, and narrowing all of your options down to the single payer, specifically, the federal government.

Complaints by the liberals have been that insurance companies often do not cover what should be, or gives preference to those who pay more with better plans for those who can afford them, is too expensive for some to obtain, and that the time to approve procedures is often unreasonable. I agree that the current system is not the best system we could have, and that high costs are partially to be blamed on the current insurance system. The existing insurance environment essentially places a third party between the patient and provider. But rather than turn the system into a government system doomed to fail, how about reforming the current system by removing the regulations that discourages competition, or the writing of policies that fit the individual's needs, rather than a "size that fits all" template required by government regulations?

To resolve this problem, however, the government instead suggests that a bureaucrat in Washington DC make these choices instead. So, the federal government, because they will be the ones with the money, will dictate to you what treatments, medicines, and procedures you can or cannot have. No matter how much the fans of liberalism protest and argue saying this is not true, the system that Obama and the Democrats wish to put into place is not much unlike the systems in Canada and Britain where a national health care board determines what they will and will not cover. In Canada, according to a friend of mine near Toronto, to ensure full coverage, she has to buy private insurance in addition to her federal health care, because The State has cut back on what it covers, and is in serious financial troubles because of the onslaught of patients going to the medical office for every slight little cough, sniffle, and ache.

American Democrats, however, have a solution for that, they claim. Conservatives recognize it as "rationing." It all comes down to if they determine you truly deserve the care. And, since in the end, it is a matter of what is best for the overall community, also known as "the common good," eventually the federal government will decide that if you are too old and not able to contribute to society anymore, you don't need that arthritis pain medicine, or that new hip joint, or the medicine that will keep you from dying from a heart attack. After all, it would be a waste of money to spend precious tax dollars on an individual that no longer contributes to the collective state.

Obama has assured everyone, however, that if you have insurance, you can keep what you have. The government care is only for those that can't afford their own health insurance. Sure, you will all be taxed for it, but it is the moral thing to do, so be taxed on it, smile, and be happy in the fact that your taxes are doing a very moral thing.

Human nature, however, dictates that if what the government has to offer is being paid for by you anyway, and it will be cheaper in the long run for you to use what you are paying for anyway, you will drop the health insurance and use the government's healthcare. Then, as the government gains more people into their system, the private market will eventually cease to exist due to a lack of customers.

Then, when the system is overrun with people, and the number of rich Americans continues to dwindle because of the hostile environment by the government against success, where will the money come from to cover the cost of the system? Answer: You. Either through increased taxes, increased co-pays, or both. Just ask a Canadian.

What amazes me more is that they are doing this as quickly as they can, jamming it through using unscrupulous tactics before anybody can mount a counter-attack.

Obama's healthcare plan will add to the staggering deficit being created by the current Administration, kill hundreds of thousands of jobs connected to the private healthcare industry, reduce the income level of the medical profession forcing much of the talent to leave the industry or to not enter the industry in the first place, increase the waiting time for care, and put your health matters into the hands of federal bureaucrats with only cutting the costs of the programs in mind.

Healthcare costs will swell, quality of care will drop, and the economic stability of the federal government will weaken. The federal government cannot run, or heavily regulate, a system like this efficiently, and the hopes of turning it around once they realize it is an abysmal failure will be slim to none because the private industry will be completely destroyed by then.

And the liberal left wonders why those to the right of center are not even willing to negotiate on the matter. That doesn't make the Republican Party the Party of No, it makes them the party of reason and common sense. How can you negotiate regarding a plan that fails in every way?

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Obama, on 100th Day, Says He Is ‘Remaking America’ - Bloomberg, Edwin Chen and Roger Runningen

Obama Tactic Shields Health Care Bill From a Filibuster - New York Times, Carl Hulse

A 'Trojan horse' approach to passing universal healthcare - OneNewsNow, Jim Brown

Ready for Rationing? - Net Right Nation, Rep. John Shadegg

The Unprincipled Fight for Government-Run Health Care - Heritage Foundation, Conn Carroll

GOP's Coburn: Obama's Healthcare Will Devastate Seniors - Newsmax, Jim Meyers

A Frightening Prospect - Americans For Limited Government, Robert Romano

The Public Plan Threat to Accessible Health Care - The Heritage Foundation, Conn Carroll

Obamacare to Squeeze Private Insurance - Townhall, Jillian Bandes

Universal Obamacare: Will It Bankrupt America? - Newsmax, David A. Patten

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