Campaign for an American Solution - AHIP PERSPECTIVE: AHIP STATEMENT ON SENATE HEALTH CARE REFORM LEGISLATION

From AHIP, this says it all about the Senate's latest boondoggle effort to "reform" health care.

As structured, the Senate bill will dramatically INCREASE premiums almost immediately, due to a number of factors including a new $70 billion tax on the insurance industry (to pay for so-called reform) and a mandate to cover all applicants regardless of health conditions.

This bill continues to be mindboggling to the normal American. Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and the rest of the Chicago politicians are utterly clueless.

Advertising emergency room wait times gains popularity -- latimes.com

From the LA Times comes this interesting story of American ingenuity. Emergency rooms around the country are responding to long wait times by posting wait times at various ER rooms around the vicinity.

2-hours were you are? It could be only 4 minutes down the street.

Another new company is testing the idea of place holding, for a fee. Get online, pay a small fee, save your place in line, wait at home, then go when it's your turn.

My goodness. And to think nobody has relied on the government to figure this out.

What will they think of next?

46 million huh?

Wow, that's a lot.

And as it turns out, a gigantic overstatement that can have only one purpose - to persuade the American public that the health care "dilemma" is so dire that only his (still undefined) plan can save the country.

Let's review the facts, sans hyperbole.

• Fact 1: Percentage-wise, the number of uninsureds actually is lower than in 1998 (Obama claims it continues to rise).
  
• Fact 2: Health care of children has improved dramatically since 1998 by about 3 million kids.
• Fact 3: As many as 12 million (of the uninsured 46 million) are ILLEGAL aliens -- ILLEGAL as in they shouldn't be here in the first place and certainly should not be counted.
• Fact 4: About 8.3 million earn between $50,000 and $75,000 (meaning they have the means to buy health care coverage, but opt not to).
• Fact 5: Amazingly, even more, about 8.7 million, earn over $75,000 (no excuses for them whatsoever).

So far, we've accounted for about 29 million of the 46 million, leaving about 17 million. But, of those, about 8.8 million are without coverage only for about 4 months or less before returning to the ranks of the insured.

That leaves a grand total of about 8.8 million (legal) American citizens who are, according to Kaiser Foundation, chronically uninsured.

So why all the fuss over a mere 8.8 million people who are here legally and cannot, truly cannot afford to purchase health care coverage?

Would it not be much, much simpler to focus on THOSE people? Forget about the illegals and I mean that literally. They have no right to be here in the first place; therefore, they should have no "right" to expect health care coverage (which they now get for free merely by showing up in emergency rooms at all hours of the day and night).

As for the 16 to 17 million legal Americans who clearly earn enough to buy health care coverage but opt not to do so, again, forget about them -- start turning them away if they can't cough up the cash to pay the doctor. (There's actually a good example of why making the purchase of health care coverage mandatory makes sense, 10th Amendment issues notwithstanding).

What about the chronically uninsured? Why not qualify them for Medicare (under age 65)? In theory, many of them should qualify now for Medicaid - based on income. If the threshold needs to be lowered, fine - let's get those people covered, and I have no problem subsidizing that effort with tax dollars.

But the illegals? The people who clearly make enough money but opt not to spend it in advance on purchasing health care coverage? Those laggards have been turned into pawns by the Obama administration that clearly has one overriding goal in mind: Install some kind of system that eventually will become the only game in town.

(The essence of this article was derived from an article by Peter Hannaford in The American Spectator.

Finally!

Somebody has picked up on the fact that current CBO estimates for Obamacare extend only for 10 years out.

At some point, one must ask: What happens after the initial 10 years? Does Obamacare suddenly stop and cease to exist? Of course not. It's a government program, which can only mean one thing - it is destined to get bigger and bigger until it becomes self consuming.

But at what cost?


A new article from the WSJ shows a scary scenario where the costs in the second decade of Obamacare greatly exceed anticipated revenue creating a "Grand Canyon" of additional national debt.

Just how much debt will the Chinese be willing to underwrite?

My suspicion is that these blowhard Democrats who today are crying over the incessant constituency outrage had better start looking for a new job in another year, should they bow to Pelosi and vote in favor of the largest single boondoggle in American history.

Yes - because inevitably, sh*t happens and people who are convinced they are invincible end up being - bankrupt.

No - it's a rights thing. The government should not force people to buy anything, especially insurance. For that matter, the government should not tell people where they can and cannot smoke.

Well, there ya have it - the pros and cons.

Here's an interesting article that got me to thinking about it all. Not sure I know what my own answer is but one this is certain - people who NEED health care coverage desperately WANT health insurance - and if they are allowed to wait and buy it only when they need it, that drives the cost through the roof.

Then there's this - the other perspective, arguing that having the uninsured become insured will lead to better care for all.

Personally, I tend to agree with the latter view. It's life. Sh*t happens. It is completely irresponsible not to carry insurance on one's health (which must mean that health insurance is a responsibility - not a "right").

CDR

Thankfully, the American people aren't quite as gullible as Obama would like for them to be.


As it becomes clearer that The Liberal One really wants the Government to take over our every day lives, Americans are growing skeptical of this approach.


The Post Reports: Splinters in Health Care Debate


Hopefully, we are turning the corner on this wretched idea.

To be sure, there are things the Government can do that will help, such as protecting physicians & hospitals against soaring litigation costs, and streamlining the medical information system to be computerized.

But forcing people to buy health insurance or pay a penalty is a fundamentally bad idea. Forcing businesses to do the same is an even more egregious no-no.

If people opt not to carry coverage when they plainly can afford to do so -- screw 'em if something happens. Those people should not even be allowed to file bankruptcy.

What about the poor people? The working and non-working folks who literally cannot afford coverage? They should be allowed to participate in Medicare on a sliding subsidized scale. How simple is that?

But to allow the Government to set up shop and become the WalMart of health insurers is fundamentally a flawed concept.

Thankfully, people are beginning to see the light - and just in the nick of time.

CD Richard

In a somewhat stunning acknowledgment of reality, Senator Baucus now states that health care legislation will not include a "vast majority" of the 46 million "Americans" uninsured.

Read the Washington Post story here

Who is he talking about? Illegals. The "Undocumented workers."

First and foremost, how did a "majority" of the 46 million "Americans" come to include ANY number of undocumented illegals?

What's the real number please? Anyone know?

Of course not - it's politically powerful to stretch the truth by including hordes of illegals in the number of "uninsured Americans."

What a bunch of baloney.

Moreover, just how do you (Congress) plan to keep those people OUT OF THE EMERGENCY ROOMS??

That is one of the biggest problems with our "system." The indigents show up there because the hospitals are obliged to provide coverage, then they are forced to pass the cost for coverage on to those who can afford to pay, i.e. those with health insurance, which predictably drives up the cost of coverage.

Hey Congress: Solve THAT problem and you're more than half way home already.

By the way, I am perfectly cool with the idea of putting people like that on a Medicare type plan. Why not? Better than nothing!

An income stepped Medicare enrollment option makes more and more sense.