Guest Editorial
Bad reasons to vote for Health Care Bill
By Steele Coddington | November 25, 2009
Democrat Representative Harry Mitchell recently wrote an article published in The Arizona Republic explaining why he voted for the “Affordable Health Care for America Act” as if he did us a favor. Sorry, but the Bill is as fraudulent as are his reasons. His claims as to what the bill will or will not do are blatantly misleading – he said it “contains no death panels, government take-overs, or dismantling of the private insurance industry. It doesn’t provide illegal immigrants with coverage, nor does it weaken Medicare.” Wrong on every count!!
Of course, there is no specific paragraph on “death panels,” but about every responsible expert acknowledges that because of the certainty of doctor shortages and the significant increase in “free” care recipients, the system will require rationing of care. That will mandate with certainty an evaluation by a bureaucrat who will decide who gets the priority – and the choice in many cases will inevitably amount to sentencing a senior with a shorter life expectancy to an early grave.
No government take-over? Once the nose of the camel is under the tent, the radical liberal long term dream of socialized medicine will surely manipulate a need for a government run public option that will knock out any private sector temporary allowed, quicker than a Mickey Finn, eliminating the private insurance industry and its employees. Any vote for this plan is comparable to the government’s decision to declare a two inch fish in the Colorado River an endangered species with consequences to California’s farmers that far exceed the crisis imagined for the fish.
Doesn’t weaken Medicare? How can that possibly be with reductions in reimbursements to doctors and hospitals and estimated cuts to Medicare of $500 billion? Those factors alone will substantially diminish the “quality of care” of Medicare – by causing incredible waiting times for treatment, and leading to prescribing the least effective medicines and treatments based on the cost – not the cure.
Doesn’t cover illegal aliens? But there is no prohibition, so the bill has more potential for abusing the public trust than an Obama summit meeting to decide on how we surrender the only “necessary war” in Afghanistan. In other words, after the bill is passed, “for the good of the American public,” any illegal aliens who inevitably will be granted amnesty so they can realize the American dream and vote Democrat, will ultimately be covered – whether still illegal or not.
The Congressman conveniently avoided mentioning the “phantom entitlements” which though unstated in the bill, will shamelessly shower payback gifts to unions, trial lawyers, AARP and on ad infinitum costing tax payers billions. With no tort reform, the government ignores the major cause of sky rocketing health care costs. Unnecessary tests, exams and referrals to other doctors are a CYA practice by doctors who can’t afford not to, as protection from lawyers specializing in malpractice suits like disgraced big-bucks lawyer and former presidential candidate John Edwards.
Mr. Mitchell also cites the endorsement of the act by AARP to support his vote for the Act. How incredibly laughable and disingenuous, in as much as AARP’s endorsement constitutes a huge conflict of interest because, as another leftist group supportive of Obama’s plan, they will benefit materially from proposed reductions in Senior’s Medicare Advantage programs and their ultimate demise. AARP, using its name as a seniors’ advocacy group, will make millions selling more Medigap coverage, collecting its royalties that account for more income than membership dues.
No government take-overs? Well, only the entire healthcare system of the United States. Critics of the bill say provisions in it contain sufficient authorization to give birth to at least 111 new bureaucracies – for example, 10 new entities just to deal with Native American health care.
And the worst! Congressman Mitchell didn’t utter the dirtiest Democrat five letter word – taxes. The Congressional Budget Office puts the real cost at $1.1 trillion – but reliable sources estimate it at $1.8 trillion. Hidden, so the public won’t go into shock, are 13 separate tax hikes that will hit every American and every business in one way or another. This Bill is a monumental government take-over – with unimaginable tax consequences that will accomplish the real goal of this administration – to control your wealth, your freedom, your choices, and how you live your life.