I am
afraid we are headed for lost jobs, an economy increasingly made up of
part-time workers, higher health spending, a decline in medical innovation and
medical devise production, and more difficulty retaining desirable health
insurance and care.
Past
polling going back to the 1940’s have consistently indicated that Americans have
believed desired a system of “national health insurance;" but they have never
indicated that they would be willing to pay adequate amounts out-of-pocket
money to get it.
President
Obama has promised the American people that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would
insure 45million uninsured people without costing middle class families one
penny in new taxes; and that paying for it would not add one dime to the
federal deficit. He even said that a typical family of four would save $2500
yearly in premiums before the end of his first term in office.
The
Congregational Budget Office, on the other hand has calculated that by 2023,
ObamaCare will have imposed over $1 trillion in new taxes. $318 billion of this
amount will come from taxes aimed primarily at singles earning >$200,000
yearly and married earning >$250,000. But the remainder of the increased tax
money will come in a variety of forms that will hit both middle and low income
people.
When
all is said and done, the folks the president assured would not see taxes go up
a dime to bankroll health reform will shoulder close to 70% of ObamaCare’s tax
burden.
President
Obama has promised that this new law will provide health care coverage for 45
million people. But…the CBO calculates that by 2023, there will remain 31
million uninsured—a far cry from the president’s promise!
Another
Obama promise: “We’ll lower premiums by up to $2500 for a typical family per
year….We’ll do it by the end of my first term as president of the United
States.” (June 5, 2008) But…according to the Kaiser Family Foundation/Employer
Health Benefits Survey, average premiums for family coverage during that period
increased from $13,375/year to $16,531/year.
The
President has promised that spending on health care will “not add one dime to
the deficit.” However, his own Treasury Department has calculated that federal spending,
as a share of GDP will rise by more than 40% by year 2085. Rising health entitlements
will account for every penny of that increase!
President
Obama has said, “I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits.”
(September 2, 2009) Former CBO director Douglas Holtz-Eakin has calculated that
“the new reform law will raise the deficit by more than $500 billion during the
1st 10 years and nearly$1.5 trillion in the next decade.”
President
Obama has promised that “If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your
doctor, period.” (June 15, 2009) But…recently, we have seen health insurance
companies one after another dropping coverage of clients because of ObamaCare’s
requirements. For example:
1) Florida Blue is dropping
300,000 policy holders.
2) Highmark in Pittsburgh is
dropping 20% of its individual market customers.3) Kaiser Permanente of California is dropping 160,000 patients.
4) Independence Blue Cross Philadelphia is dropping 45% of its customers.
5) Kaiser in Ohio (where Nancy and I get our health care coverage) is going completely out of business and selling all its coverage and business to Healthspan Integrated Care. (These figures come from FOX News Special Report of 10/23/13)
Well,
so much for that promise!
(Much
of this blog post is a redaction of an article in The Weekly Standard of
10-21-13. The Rest is from my own experience.)
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