WSJ: Pelosicare the worst bill ever.
From The Wall Street Journal online:
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has reportedly told fellow Democrats that she’s prepared to lose seats in 2010 if that’s what it takes to pass ObamaCare, and little wonder. The health bill she unwrapped last Thursday, which President Obama hailed as a “critical milestone,” may well be the worst piece of post-New Deal legislation ever introduced.
In a rational political world, this 1,990-page runaway train would have been derailed months ago. With spending and debt already at record peacetime levels, the bill creates a new and probably unrepealable middle-class entitlement that is designed to expand over time. Taxes will need to rise precipitously, even as ObamaCare so dramatically expands government control of health care that eventually all medicine will be rationed via politics.
Yet at this point, Democrats have dumped any pretense of genuine bipartisan “reform” and moved into the realm of pure power politics as they race against the unpopularity of their own agenda. The goal is to ram through whatever income-redistribution scheme they can claim to be “universal coverage.” The result will be destructive on every level—for the health-care system, for the country’s fiscal condition, and ultimately for American freedom and prosperity.
and…
All of this is intentional, even if it isn’t explicitly acknowledged. The overriding liberal ambition is to finish the work began decades ago as the Great Society of converting health care into a government responsibility. Mr. Obama’s own Medicare actuaries estimate that the federal share of U.S. health dollars will quickly climb beyond 60% from 46% today. One reason Mrs. Pelosi has fought so ferociously against her own Blue Dog colleagues to include at least a scaled-back “public option” entitlement program is so that the architecture is in place for future Congresses to expand this share even further.
As Congress’s balance sheet drowns in trillions of dollars in new obligations, the political system will have no choice but to start making cost-minded decisions about which treatments patients are allowed to receive. Democrats can’t regulate their way out of the reality that we live in a world of finite resources and infinite wants. Once health care is nationalized, or mostly nationalized, medical rationing is inevitable—especially for the innovative high-cost technologies and drugs that are the future of medicine.
Am I alone in wondering how Herseth Sandlin is going to vote on this?
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Comments
Most of Americans are concerned about:
1) The economy and jobs.
2) The deficit and the state of the future.
3) How we come out of the struggle with Islamic terror (specifically in Iraq and Afghanistan) safer.
The best thing that has come out of this debate is a general recognition among Americans that the health care and health insurance system isn’t broken but only in need of some routine repair and maintenance.
On Tuesday, when Christie, McDonald and Hoffman win, we will change course and decide to climb a different mountain (see my recent post on Rounds’ legacy) which better reflects a path more representative of what most American’s desire (and not just the radical left).
“The best thing that has come out of this debate is a general recognition among Americans that the health care and health insurance system isn’t broken but only in need of some routine repair and maintenance”
I’m sorry, Troy, but I don’t think that statement reflects reality at all. Americans think the health care and insurance industries need more than just “routine repair and maintenance.” I would say your statemens reflects the view of the conservative minority in this country, but definatley not the view of the majority.
(1) Only an idiot or a propagandist could call being involved in two multi-billion dollar wars at the same time “peacetime.” It’s hard for me to take the rest of the article seriously after that. (2) From the way I understand it, when the CBO scored this bill, it reduces the deficit over 10 years. (3) Polls continuously show that approximately 60% of the country supports a public option. Calling this bill “unpopular” is beyond a stretch.
Stephanie will vote for it, unless Pelosi gives her permission to vote against it because her vote isn’t needed to pass it. I cannot believe how something this monstrously disastrous for our country can be seriously considered in the legislature, except that the legislators no longer care what the people think, many refuse to listen to the people, they are more concerned with their political futures than the good of the nation, and many are indebted to special interests in return for their support. My only hope is that if the Reps/conservatives can win tomorrow, it will put the brakes on this runaway train and wake up more people.
To Braden and John, keep up the spin, but the wheels aren’t getting much traction anymore. The majority in this country do NOT want this bill. Certain parts of health care and insurance need attention, but this bill does not address those problems, adds to the deficit, and WILL destroy the private insurance industry to the detriment of everyone’s health and freedom. Those pushing this bill want the power and don’t really care about the people’s health.
We have e-mailed our legislators to please vote against the bills. Johnson won’t care; he’ll just vote for it no matter what. Herseth will vote against it probably if her aye vote is not needed to pass it; doesn’t mean that she doesn’t believe in the bill. Thune will wisely vote against it. What we think doesn’t matter at all. Sad commentary on today’s political system.
Springer – have you even looked at this bill? Or are you just ’spinning’ based on what others are saying??
Saying that this bill will not address ‘those problems’ with health care and insurance is a farce.
“WILL destroy the private insurance industry to the detriment of everyone’s health and freedom” Are you serious with this statement? I’m sure you also think that ‘death panels’ are real – and Glen Beck is god.
This bill will fix the broken system – and make the weak sectors stronger. It will not destroy private insurance – but make them stronger by providing compeition with an exchange. You will not loose your private or employer based health insurance – but if you are uninsured – you will have options for obtaining something that is cheaper than COBRA or paying straight out-of-pocket.
I for one – am not drowning in Glen Beck’s kool-aid. For the most part – this is a good bill – and I sure hope it passes.
I wish we could have two systems the current one and the government run program. Since that won’t happen all of you who think the government needs to run the healthcare industry pleasse move to Canada, I will pay for the first bus out.
Fix the problem don’t ruin the system! Anon, where are the incentive to find new cures, new technology?
To anon 12:28: Read the following please, as copied from a previous post by PP.
“Page 94—Section 202(c) prohibits the sale of private individual health insurance policies, beginning in 2013, forcing individuals to purchase coverage through the federal government.”
“Page 111—Section 223 establishes a new board of federal bureaucrats (the “Health Benefits Advisory Committee”) to dictate the health plans that all individuals must purchase…”
“Page 211—Section 321 establishes a new government-run health plan that, according to non-partisan actuaries at the Lewin Group, would cause as many as 114 million Americans to lose their existing coverage.”
How would I be able to purchase private health insurance after 2013? If the gov’t is in charge of dictating which insurance companies can operate and what they can and must offer, how is that going to protect private health insurance?
Have YOU read the bill???
I agree with WSJ! Apparently Tim Johnson thinks it’s a good one!