Guess What? Health Care Is Expensive… « NEOAVATARA

Guess What? Health Care Is Expensive… « NEOAVATARA

Senate Democrats have been looking for some way, any way, to decrease the costs of their health care reform bill.

Their solutions have been less than exemplary. First, they basically cut out the already uninsured. Not really morally fulfilling. Then, they cut here and there, and artificially brought the cost down. But there were so many holes in that plan, it was basically useless. Now, House Democrats led by Charlie Rangel are proposing the largest tax increase in American History: a 4% surcharge on all income over $250,000. I am doubtful that kind of class warfare will fly either. And taxing health care benefits is even less popular.

A recent New York Times/CBS News poll showed only 20 percent of respondents support the tax and a Washington Post/ABC News poll found 70 percent opposed it. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll found 54 percent of respondents oppose the new tax. Not exactly broad based support.

I go back to my initial statements about health care several months ago. Facts are, you can’t cover 10% more people and not spend more money. The initial costs of universal health care reform is enormous, and by my calculations a realistic 10 year projection is $2 trillion. I would be shocked if the actual number (not CBO numbers, mind you, but actual real life costs) is one cent less than that.

All of the so called cost cutting measures so far have been, frankly, half measures. The Obama White House, along with VP Joe Biden, applauded a deal with hospitals to save $155 billion over the next decade on Medicare and Medicaid. You know what a joke that is? That accounts for less than 1% of all the costs involved with health care reform. The Democrats are playing on the fringes, without dealing with the heart of the matter. There is only one cost cutting measure that in the long term is practical, real, and will work: rationing. Every country with national health care knows this. The truth is, Canada rations. England rations. Every country rations.

If we really want a universal health care system, the majority of people in this country are going to have to sacrifice. Yes, you and I, the general population, will have to actually give up something to provide care to those that don’t have it now. There is no other way.

It appears Democrats (and frankly, Republicans) are unwilling to state this simple fact. There is no magical wand for Barack Obama to wave over the country, and allow people to get the same level of care they receive now for the entire public, without spending oodles of money we don’t have. And the public, ironically, is smart enough to realize this. That is why they are resisting the ridiculous work-arounds that the Democrats are proposing to artificially reduced the cost of health care to below $1 trillion.

I wish there was one politician, of either party, that had the courage to simply state the facts. Republicans want no part of this. And the Democrats, President Obama included, are too cowardly to face the public and tell them the hard truths. Until those truths are openly debated, I feel that real health care reform is doomed.

But, considering the joke of a plan put together by Democrats, that may not be a bad thing. I repeat: a bad bill is worse than no bill at all. And the Democrats are trying to achieve the impossible: they could actually make the health care system in the United States worse than it is today. An impressive, albeit shocking, achievement.