Sunday, November 24, 2013

Obamacare

* "If you like your healthcare plan you can keep it." Personally, I never bought into this lie for one minute; knowing that the true goal remained single payer. This lie was right up there with being able to insure 30 million more people - without it costing anybody anything. Or that your premiums would go down, even as insurers were required to have no policy limits, accept all preexisting conditions, and let your 'children' stay on your policy until age 26. I do not know how many people bought into these lies - right up until their policies were cancelled.

* Incredibly, only 52% now believe Obama to be a liar and untrustworthy, according to a recent poll. What is wrong with the rest of the population? There are those who still do not believe Obama to be a liar, even after NBC obtained memos from 2010 showing that up to 2/3 of those in the individual market would lose their coverage; and that in 2010 the White House predicted up to 80% of small business policies would be cancelled, along with up to 69% of employer provided group plans. Whereas the policy people in the White House argued for the President to speak the truth, the political advisers felt differently. So, Obama went with the political people because, as a good leftist ideologue, the ends justify the means; and the 'issue' trumps all other values, including the truth.

* Obama said, maybe dozens of times, "If you like your health care plan you can keep it. Period. No one will take it away from you." Here is more proof it was all a lie. After millions had their policies cancelled, Obama told another lie to cover up the lie about keeping your plan: What I said was you can keep your policy if no changes were made to it after the law's enactment. Jay Carney added this lie: "What the President said...is that there are going to be changes brought about by the Affordable Care Act that create minimum standards of coverage." Uh - no! Obama never said any of that. There were no caveats to "You can keep your policy, period."

* Obama then took it to the next level by blaming insurance companies. But the insurers had no choice - the policies had to meet the law's minimum standards, even if it was for a type of coverage you do not need (maternity and newborn care, for example). So, Obama decided that everyone's policies that did not meet the law's requirements were "substandard." Not surprisingly, the mainstream media supported the President in his lies. Said the New York office of Pravda (you may know it as the New York Times), the President did not lie, he simply "misspoke." So, even after the memos showed Obama knew he was lying in 2010 and thereafter, and even when he subsequently claimed a caveat that he never mentioned, the Times says Obama "misspoke." Anybody still believe the trash published in this paper's editorials? The Times went on to say that the millions of policies that were cancelled were "substandard." That's exactly how Obama described those cancelled policies; which is not a surprise coming from a government controlled media outlet. Hence, the reference to Pravda.

* As one of those millions who had their policy cancelled, I can assure everyone that neither Obama nor the editorial writers of the Times asked to read my policy before describing it as "substandard." But why let facts interfere with the advocacy of the underlying issue. Again, the 'issue' over truth. The Washington Post, another Pravda branch, said Obama's comments "reflect how elected officials sometimes gloss over nuances." This same left wing media had no problem adopting the left wing lie of "Bush lied, people died." So they had no problem calling a President a liar, even though they had absolutely no proof of Bush lying. Nor was there any proof, when every major intelligence agency in the world, including Israel's Mossad, said Iraq was developing WMDs.

* Economist Christopher Conover at Duke University has predicted that 129 million Americans (of 189 million with their own health insurance) will lose their coverage after full implementation of the law. The Manhattan Institute predicts an average increase in insurance premiums of 41%. I wonder how many still believe the Affordable Care Act was about getting better healthcare for anyone. It was, and remains, all about government control. You think you know what's best for you and your family? You think you still live in a free society? Young people who do not need or want insurance will pay for those who need subsidies. Those who will still be able to pay for private policies will pay higher premiums, to help pay for those who need subsidies. This is, of course, nothing other than income redistribution. Obama told you he thought it was a good idea to 'spread the wealth around' during his first campaign. Why didn't some of you believe him?

* We know that many plans will give you fewer doctors from which you can select, resulting in longer waits to see your doctor. We know that many plans will have fewer hospitals in their network. Don't like the hospital you may have to use? Sorry, the government knows what's best for you. And what about the doctors? Think some will drop out? Likely. And those who do not? I think we can anticipate that the government will dictate that they must take Medicare and Medicaid/Medi-Cal patients, resulting in reduced income. After all, doctors are licensed by the government. You want that license? Then you will do what we tell you to do. Think this is far-fetched? It was already proposed in Massachusetts.

* And what about those thinking of entering medical school? Think they will want to incur $200,000. in student loans if they might never be able to pay off those loans? You see, there are any number of potential - and likely - negative consequences that will flow from Obamacare. Things like longer waits to see your doctor, and lesser quality of care. But when you are a leftist, you need not concern yourself with any of that. It 'feels good' to say we are covering more people; and if it 'feels good,' what else do you need to be concerned about? The other nice thing about being on the left is that you do not believe your laws have any actual consequences. But even if they do, and even if those consequences are negative, you can still take comfort in knowing that, somehow, Obamacare makes everything more 'equal.'

* With Thanksgiving only days away, the President wants you to discuss healthcare and insurance at your Thanksgiving dinner. No - really! Obama tweeted: "When your loved ones get together this holiday season, remember to talk to them about health insurance." His web site even tells you when to bring it up, how to bring it up, and why everyone needs to participate in the system. I hope even my liberal readers can see the totalitarian/communist nature of Chairman Obama's web site. Soon, they will want you to report anyone who refuses to buy insurance; and perhaps not too much thereafter, anyone who owns a gun. As I discussed in my analysis of the Supreme Court decision upholding Obamacare, the Court gave Congress virtually unlimited power to force you to do or buy whatever they want. If you wish to see that power exercised, then continue to vote for democrats.