According to the NY Times assessment, health “reform” is moving ahead. Here’s a segment from their article. I highlighted the most damaging part of this legislation in bold.
“Four of the five Congressional committees considering health care legislation have already passed bills. Each would require all Americans to have insurance and provide government subsidies for those who cannot afford it. Each would bar insurance companies from refusing coverage for pre-existing conditions; imposing lifetime caps on coverage; or dropping people when they get sick.”
Once this compromised legislation is passed not one thing will have been achieved to actually help control the cost or access to health care in America. There is nothing regarding tort reform, there is no mention of leveling the cost of prescription drugs to what other countries pay. There isn’t anything to manage cost at the provider level. It is no more than a legal mandate for all Americans to purchase a private market product. It’s a big ass win for the health insurance companies and nothing for struggling American families.
Do you know how low your families income will have to be before qualifying for any government subsidies to purchase insurance? Think poverty level and subtract 10. Now multiply by the number of job losses that continue by the cost of government subsidized health insurance from the private market. You want to talk about expensive? Just look at what mandated insurance did to Massachusetts courtesy of the spawn himself, Mitt Romney. Yep. They’re broke.
Don’t get me wrong, I would support health care reform in a valuable format that will actually reduce costs and provide marketplace competition. The legislation that is forming now is no more than the American government forcing a private market product on the consumer. And I don’t want anyone to compare car insurance. You have a choice to buy a car and drive it. This legislation leaves no choice. And the President will sign it, no matter how compromised, and call it a win. Why do you think the Pharma’s and Insurers are still at the table? They want to make sure a “bi-partisan”, “compromise” is reached that will hand them 40 million new customers.
And despite the fracas of August, the major stakeholders in the health care debate — hospitals, doctors, insurers and the pharmaceutical industry — have not abandoned the negotiations. Ralph G. Neas, chief executive of the National Coalition on Health Care and a veteran of Washington legislative fights, said this was especially significant.
“They’re saying to themselves: ‘We’re going to get 30 to 40 or 50 million new customers. This is in our economic self interest,’ ” Mr. Neas said. “That, as much as anything else, could propel this forward to a law that does provide quality health care for all.”