I’ve had some time to digest Obama’s speech to a joint session of Congress on 9/9/09 and so far I have the following observations: First of all, I’d like to address the loss of freedom by the questionably unconstitutional requirement that citizens buy some form of insurance:
…under my plan, individuals will be required to carry basic health insurance
Compare that to this:
But an additional step we can take to keep insurance companies honest is by making a not-for-profit public option available in the insurance exchange. (Applause.) Now, let me be clear. Let me be clear. It would only be an option for those who don’t have insurance. No one would be forced to choose it (emphasis mine)
Now consider an employee who works for Company X, which decides it’s cheaper to pay the tax penalty (H.R. 3200, Sec. 313) rather than provide employer-subsidized insurance. Company X’s employees are now left to either buy private insurance or accept the government’s plan. What if an employee can’t afford private insurance or can’t justify the cost when considering her budget? Under this plan, that employee is required to use the public option or pay a 2.5% tax on her income (according to H.R. 3200, Sec. 401.59B, Pg. 167, Lines 18-23). This, to me, is a considerable loss of freedom and forced wealth redistribution. There are those who would say that I already pay for the uninsured through inflated health care costs. To that I reply “no I don’t.” I have a healthy lifestyle, I visit my primary care physician regularly and hence I don’t have large medical expenses. But under this plan, I’ll have no means of avoiding the requirement to help pay for those who aren’t so diligent in maintaining their own health. The government would serve Americans better if it took on metabolic syndrome (for starters) as aggressively as it’s trying to take on health care insurance reform. Next I’d like to address the speed with which this reform, specifically H.R. 3200, was initially rushed through. H.R. 3200 is a 1000+ page bill that was introduced on 7/14/2009, was passed by the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Education and Labor in just three days and the White House was pushing it to be passed before the September recess. But then in his speech to Congress on 9/9/09:
This exchange will take effect in four years, which will give us time to do it right.
Compare that to this:
Everyone in this room knows what will happen if we do nothing. Our deficit will grow. More families will go bankrupt. More businesses will close. More Americans will lose their coverage when they are sick and need it the most. And more will die as a result. We know these things to be true.
So do we need to get health reform now or do we have four years? While we’re talking about families going bankrupt, businesses closing, and Americans losing their coverage, let’s consider this statement made later in the same speech:
Instead of honest debate, we’ve seen scare tactics. Some have dug into unyielding ideological camps that offer no hope of compromise.
Talk of bankrupting families, closing businesses, and Americans losing coverage isn’t a scare tactic?
And now the infamous liar moment:
There are also those who claim that our reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false. The reforms — the reforms I’m proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: You lie! (Boos.)
Now compare that to this:
July 16, 2009 (Washington, DC) – Today U.S. Congressman Dean Heller (R-NV) offered an amendment to the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act (H.R. 3200) during the House Ways and Means Committee markup that would require the use of existing citizenship verification tools to determine eligibility for taxpayer-funded healthcare benefits. The Heller amendment was defeated. Section 246 of H.R. 3200 does not require the tools necessary to make sure illegal immigrants do not access taxpayer-funded healthcare benefits.
If the reforms do not apply to illegal immigrants then why did the Democrats vote against an amendment to use verification tools to ensure illegal immigrants will not get coverage paid for by American taxpayers? There is also the concern that private companies can’t compete with the government and that this plan will lead to the eventual end of private insurance. In his speech, Obama said this:
Now, I have no interest in putting insurance companies out of business.
Compare that to this: SEIU Health Care Forum, 3/24/07
I would hope that we could set up a system that allows those who can go through their employer to access a federal system or a state pool of some sort. But I don’t think we’re going to be able to eliminate employer coverage immediately. There’s going to be potentially some transition process. I can envision a decade out or 15 years out or 20 years out where we’ve got a much more portable system. (emphasis mine)
Last night’s speech was supposed to rally everyone behind the same goal. It was supposed to clarify that goal as well as the means to achieve it. Instead it was more of the same.
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