Editor’s NOTE: It look as if Neal shouldn’t have listened to Perspectives on America on Thursday (July 23rd) as we must have gotten his blood to boiling. JB

July 25, 2009 – While Barack Obama was campaigning for President one of his main plans was to create some sort of universal health care for all those who could not afford health insurance. I wonder if anybody remembers back in 1993 when Hillary Clinton tried to do the same thing, only to be shot down in flames?

This time things are different. Obama, with his silky smooth speeches, has the support of far more people than Hillary did back in 1993. This time around there seems to be much more support for some sort of universal health care program.

Those who support the idea of government run health care need to stop and think for a moment. Both Britain and Canada have government run health care, and both systems are near disasters.

However, as Samuel Adams once said, “Mankind are governed more by their feelings than by reason.”

People are less apt to think about the problems associated with government run health care than they are to feel that health care is something that they are entitled to, no matter who pays for it.

Our government has already assumed far too much power over the private sector, with them assuming control over the financial, and auto industries. Do we really want them getting control of the health care industry as well?

Daniel Webster once said that “Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions.”

But if you insist in believing that our health care system is a mess, and that the government must do something, let me provide you with some facts you may not be aware of.

First of all you have to understand that our nation is out of money, broke, bankrupt. As of this writing our national debt stands at $11.6 trillion dollars, and is climbing steadily. The interest on the national debt is $146 billion. Our government has taken in $1 trillion in taxes, hardly enough to pay off the debt.

It has been estimated that Obama’s plan for universal health care will run upwards of $1.5 trillion. Where is he going to get the money to pay for it? Do you want your taxes to go up to provide government run health care when you could just use the money to buy your own? Sure it sounds nice for those who don’t make enough to buy their own health insurance, but you have to remember that nothing is free. For every penny the government spends, it takes that penny from someone else, or it borrows it saddling you, (and your kids, and their kids) with the responsibility of paying off the debt.

So, think about that before you sign on to any plan for government run health care.

The 111th Congress has already written a bill which is going before committee which would create a government run health care system. I wonder, why hasn’t the news covered any of the details contained in this piece of legislation. Could it be they are still too busy covering Michael Jackson’s death?

This monstrosity of a bill is 1018 pages long. I have been reading through it, as best I can. It is a difficult read, even for someone like me who is an avid reader. You know, James Madison once said, “It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood…”

The fact that this bill is huge is an understatement. To say that it is difficult to read, is also true. Just to give you an idea of how hard it is to read this bill, from page 355 of that bill we read;
10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1860D–2(b) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w–102(b)) is amended—(1) in paragraph (3)(A), by striking ‘‘paragraph (4)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs (4) and (7)’’; (2) in paragraph (4)(B)(i), by inserting ‘‘subject to paragraph (7)’’ after ‘‘purposes of this part’’; and (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: ‘‘(7) PHASED-IN ELIMINATION OF COVERAGE

Did that make any sense to you? To make anything of this bill one would have to continually go back and forth between this bill, and other previous laws to see what has been amended. This is very time consuming and tedious work.

I often wonder if they do this intentionally so that the average citizen will just give up without finding out what a bill actually says.

However, I did read through bits and pieces of this bill, and what I read I do not like at all. Here are just a few of the things I found within this bill that upset me.

On page 29 of the bill there is an annual limitation placed upon individuals and families,
(A) ANNUAL LIMITATION.—The cost-sharing incurred under the essential benefits package with respect to an individual (or family) for a year does not exceed the applicable level specified in subparagraph (B).

(B) APPLICABLE LEVEL.—The applicable level specified in this subparagraph for Y1 is $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for a family. Such levels shall be increased (rounded to the nearest $100) for each subsequent year by the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index (United States city average) applicable to such year.

On page 51 it says that the benefits offered under this plan will be granted to all individuals without regard to personal characteristics extraneous to the provision of high quality health care or related services. Does this mean even illegal aliens will be getting health care at taxpayer expense?

On page 58 it says the plan will;
enable the real-time (or near real time) determination of an individual’s financial responsibility at the point of service and, to the extent possible, prior to service, including whether the individual is eligible for a specific service with a specific physician at a specific facility, which may include utilization of a machine-readable health plan beneficiary identification card

So the government is now going to decide if we are eligible for treatment, and they will be issuing a government beneficiary card. Wonderful!

On page 59 the plan allows for electronic withdrawals from you bank account for “reconciliation with the related health care payment…”

On page 127, and this is one the doctors are really going to love, the bill states,

(2) OTHER PROVIDERS.—The Secretary shall provide for the participation (on an annual or other basis specified by the Secretary) of health care providers (other than physicians) under the public health insurance option under which payment shall only be available if the provider agrees to accept the payment rate established under section 223 (without regard to cost-sharing) as the payment in full.

Another one the doctors will love is found on page 241,
‘‘(ii) preventive services (as defined in section 1861(iii)) for which payment is made under this section.

‘‘(B) All other services not described in subparagraph (A).

Service categories established under this paragraph shall apply without regard to the specialty of the physician furnishing the service.’’

That looks to me like doctors will get the same pay for service no matter their specialty. I think if I were a brain surgeon I would be a bit upset if I were getting paid the same as a family practitioner. But that’s just me.

Finally, on page 430, it sounds like they may plan on limiting, or rationing care for those who have specific problems, particularly those associated with age,
‘‘(B) The level of treatment indicated under subparagraph (A)(ii) may range from an indication for full treatment to an indication to limit some or all or specified interventions. Such indicated levels of treatment may include indications respecting, among other items—‘‘(i) the intensity of medical intervention if the patient is pulse less, apneic, or has serious cardiac or pulmonary problems

Aside from the fact that government instituted and run health care is not one of the specifically enumerated powers found in the Constitution, aside from the fact that this country just cannot afford to fund this program, this plan has some serious issues that ought to raise the hair on the back of people’s necks.

I doubt it will do much good, but I am going to provide the URL for the entire health care bill currently sitting in Congress. I would hope that if what I have just told you has you concerned, that you would take the time to look through this bill for yourself.

Then if you are as upset as I am, contact your representatives, repeatedly if you feel so inclined, urging them, no, telling them that if they value their position in Congress that they had better note vote for this bill.

Here is the link, go read it for yourself. If you care at all about this country, and the quality of our health care industry, you really ought to take the time to pay attention to this issue. Otherwise if this bill becomes law I hope you don’t ever get seriously ill.

http://www.federalobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/hr3200.pdf

Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders and says “OH SHIT!!…. HE’S AWAKE!!”

“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?“

~ The Author ~
Neal Ross can be reached for comments at bonsai@syix.com. Visit Neal’s Blog at http://www.zombie-slayer.com/neal