Are You "Giddy" Over Healthcare?
Rep. James Clyburn said this week he was "giddy" over the report from the CBO. The bean counters said the big healthcare bill will cost just under a trillion dollars and reduce the deficit at the same time. That's like telling me you saved the family money by buying a dress on sale.
Healthcare costs are too high. Too many people do not have insurance. Insurance companies make too much profit. Too many people are dying because they do not have access to healthcare. The problem has gone on too long and something has to be done. This is the simple argument for reform.
If all these problems could be solved with this healthcare bill and the CBO report is accurate, then I too would be giddy. But I have serious doubts. And I am sick of their continued use of the term "reform".
Over the years I have witnessed Washington tackle many reforms. We've enjoyed tax reforms, education reform, campaign finance reform, ethics reform, and many others. The promise of reform is always the same - cost savings with a simpler system. In my view, every time a reform is passed it costs more money and the system becomes more complex.
During all this talk I have yet to hear the term "bureaucracy". The first thing that happens when the government gets involved with anything is create bureaucracy. I've heard of 12,000 additional IRS agents that will be needed to enforce the tax laws in this bill. There will be many new government agencies, departments, offices, staff, processes, rules, procedures, etc. The 535 congressmen and President Obama will not have nearly enough family and friends to fill all the positions.
The 2500 pages of this bill is now a blur to me. The promises are impossible to believe anymore. Take this one example. You have heard that the bill will save $500 billion by stopping Medicare fraud. Really? If it is so easy to stop the fraud, why didn't they do it 20 years ago or even last year? I expect about as much success here as the "war on drugs". I bet there is nothing in this new bill that protects us from the new fraud that crooks will invent to steal money from this plan.
I am ashamed at the behavior of some of my conservative brethren. Their insensitivity to the uninsured sick is beyond imagination. But don't miss the conservative point. The issue is not just about money, we question the assumption that this bill is going to save lives. Health insurance is no guarantee of quality health care.
I am not giddy about this heathcare mess.
Healthcare costs are too high. Too many people do not have insurance. Insurance companies make too much profit. Too many people are dying because they do not have access to healthcare. The problem has gone on too long and something has to be done. This is the simple argument for reform.
If all these problems could be solved with this healthcare bill and the CBO report is accurate, then I too would be giddy. But I have serious doubts. And I am sick of their continued use of the term "reform".
Over the years I have witnessed Washington tackle many reforms. We've enjoyed tax reforms, education reform, campaign finance reform, ethics reform, and many others. The promise of reform is always the same - cost savings with a simpler system. In my view, every time a reform is passed it costs more money and the system becomes more complex.
During all this talk I have yet to hear the term "bureaucracy". The first thing that happens when the government gets involved with anything is create bureaucracy. I've heard of 12,000 additional IRS agents that will be needed to enforce the tax laws in this bill. There will be many new government agencies, departments, offices, staff, processes, rules, procedures, etc. The 535 congressmen and President Obama will not have nearly enough family and friends to fill all the positions.
The 2500 pages of this bill is now a blur to me. The promises are impossible to believe anymore. Take this one example. You have heard that the bill will save $500 billion by stopping Medicare fraud. Really? If it is so easy to stop the fraud, why didn't they do it 20 years ago or even last year? I expect about as much success here as the "war on drugs". I bet there is nothing in this new bill that protects us from the new fraud that crooks will invent to steal money from this plan.
I am ashamed at the behavior of some of my conservative brethren. Their insensitivity to the uninsured sick is beyond imagination. But don't miss the conservative point. The issue is not just about money, we question the assumption that this bill is going to save lives. Health insurance is no guarantee of quality health care.
I am not giddy about this heathcare mess.
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