Healthcare Boondoggle Becomes Reality

A year of pulpit-pounding rhetoric and arm-twisting has resulted in what we will see as the basis for the largest tax-increase in the history of America. Dozens of Congressmen were bullied into an Aye vote to pass the 'healthcare reform' bill - Congressmen who know damn well that they will be voted out of office come November.

Healthcare reform was sold to us as reform that will expand coverage for a certain percentage of Americans (and NOT all Americans). The estimated $10 trillion price tag will be paid for with cost-cutting measures for rich people.

As I have stated before, Americans are not stupid. They know that you can't go purchase a $2 million house and pay for it by cutting out the daily Starbucks coffee and getting rid of HBO.

This is what will happen (and I dare Congressman John Sarbanes to swear to resign from political office for the rest of his life if it doesn't happen) - healthcare costs for private health insurance (which is what MOST of us have) will skyrocket. You think your health insurance rates are going up fast now? Wait another 4 years. You will have to choose between paying your mortgage and feeding your family or paying your health insurance.

And the government healthcare plan? It will SUCK. And I mean S.U.C.K. If you are on this plan you will gladly stop paying your mortgage and stop eating to get better health insurance. Need an MRI? Nope. Sorry, there's a waiting list. You will be eligible in 3 more years. You're 84 and need chemotherapy? Nope. Can't have it. You're too old.

How can our elected officials say that healthcare will NOT be rationed? There doesn't seem to be any logical way to operate their socialist plan without rationing healthcare. And who gets rationed? That will be interesting. Which voting class has the least political power? You are the ones that will get rationed out.

And to top it off, taxes will rise through the roof. You think being in the 28% tax bracket sucks? Wait until a family of 5 making $85,000 per year suddenly jumps to the 65% tax bracket. Do you think you'll like this healthcare 'reform' then? Yeah, that's what I thought.

What did Americans really want? Simple things. Not this complex socialistic overhaul of the the health insurance system.

1) Get rid of the 'pre-existing' conditions that prevent you from getting coverage. Everyone hates pre-existing conditions except for actuaries and CEO's who determine rates for everyone else. But I think it's safe to say that the majority of Americans have some sort of pre-existing condition that will not be covered if they leave their current medical plan and have to join a new plan. And this sucks.

2) Portability. Do you like you existing plan? You should be able to take your health insurance plan with you when you leave your job.

3) Insurance for children. Our children should not be punished for being born into a family where the parents do not have health insurance. Throw them into Medicare.

4) Create 19 GIANT government bureaucracies that will cost trillions of dollars to operate and provide inadequate care. (Never mind, we DON'T want that).

So it will be interesting to see which Congressmen will be shown the door in November. They know their jobs are on the line. I bet a lot of them end up with government jobs courtesy of the Obama administration.

Can we at least be glad we don't have to hear the rhetoric anymore?