Pulling the Trigger: Obama's Slow Road to Socialized Medicine
The president’s health care speech last night consisted of discredited canards bookended by emotional manipulation. Between his distortions, token gestures for opponents, and lengthy bouts of tongue-lashing, Barack Obama signaled he will continue pushing forward toward socialized medicine. However, it seems likely he will move incrementally through a final bill that will nationalize health care a year after the next presidential election.
“You Lie!†Let Me Count the Ways
The bulk of his speech consisted of recycled falsehoods long since dismissed. To note the highlights, one can begin with the moment that caught everyone’s attention: Obama’s denial that “our reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants,†which provoked Rep. Joe Wilson’s response, “You lie!†(This Joe should not be confused with Ambassador Joe Wilson, an accomplished liar in his own right.)
Obama did lie. The Congressional Research Service found, “Under H.R. 3200, a ‘Health Insurance Exchange’ would begin operation in 2013 and would offer private plans alongside a public option…H.R. 3200 does not contain any restrictions on non-citizens—whether legally or illegally present, or in the United States temporarily or permanently—participating in the Exchange.†The Democrats’ plan contains no requirement that patients verify citizenship, just as the National Council of La Raza requested this summer. (Since Obama has yet to deliver on amnesty, he has to offer something.)
More egregious is his promise that nationalized health care would not result in, well, nationalized health care. â€Let me be clear,†the phrase he characteristically utters while muddying the waters. “It [the “not-for-profit public optionâ€] would only be an option for those who don’t have insurance. No one would be forced to choose it, and it would not impact those of you who already have insurance.†A seismic change in the insurance landscape will affect everyone with insurance, and everyone who pays taxes. The Congressional Budget Office found at least 3 million Americans will move from employer-provided insurance to the public “option†by 2016, because their employers will drop their coverage.
Obama vowed, “I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits, either now or in the future.†The Lewin Group reported the House health bill would run a $39 billion deficit in its first decade, rising to more than $1.1 trillion in its second. This plan, according to the CBO, will necessitate “an average increase in premiums†for Part D consumers of 20 percent in ten years.
Not to worry: “Reducing the waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicaid will pay for most of this plan,†Obama assures us. This recalls the old liberal smear that Ronald Reagan thought there was a budget line item labeled “waste, fraud, and abuse.â€
Finally, Obama insisted, “under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions.†FactCheck.org rightly noted, “House and Senate legislation would allow a new ‘public’ insurance plan to cover abortions, despite language added to the House bill that technically forbids using public funds to pay for them.†If this is not rectified, pro-life Democrat Bart Stupak vows to kill the bill – with the help of a bipartisan bloc of 39 other Congressmen.
Playing with Blocs
Stupak’s principled coalition is one of three that has vowed to kill various proposed incarnations of the health care bill. The Drudge Report noted last night the Democratic whip counts two notable factions opposed to the current bill: Blue Dog Democrats worried about socialized medicine and leftists desirous of it. The article counts 57 leftists, including members of the House Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus, who have refused to vote for any bill not containing public health care.
Some in Big Labor, too, have spoken out forcefully for socialized medicine. The next president of the 11-million-member AFL-CIO, Richard Trumka, said last week, “we won’t support the bill if it doesn’t have the public option in it.†This is no small threat, as labor spent $400 million electing Barack Obama last year. Trumka has vowed to take on Democrats who vote against a public option. However, Teamsters President James Hoffa and SEIU President Andrew Stern, both of the George Soros-financed labor coalition Change to Win, have proven more flexible. (CTW has more than half as many members as the AFL-CIO.) Hoffa asked for something “doable,†and on the eve of Obama’s speech, Stern appeared on MSNBC’s The Ed Show to announce his non-negotiable demands for the final bill; a robust public option was not among them. Still, any union threat to work against an already unpopular Democratic Congress during the midterm elections may prove enough to kill any bill that does not cater to their demands.
…All of which suggests a possible solution.
The Trigger Man
Although he offered a vigorous defense of the public option, Barack Obama backpedalled last night, calling it “only one part of my plan,†“only a means to [an] end, and we should remain open to other ideas that accomplish our ultimate goal.†Among these, he singled out one: “some have suggested that the public option go into effect only in those markets where insurance companies are not providing affordable policies.â€
Maine Republican Olympia Snowe crafted the plan to have the government move forward with the “80 percent†of Obama’s plan “everyone†agrees on. If, after imposing hobbling restrictions on the insurance industry, “affordable†coverage does not materialize, Sen. Snowe says she can “support a public plan which is available from day one – in any state where private plans fail to ensure guaranteed affordable coverage.†Of course, the public option, however it comes about, will produce the results noted above – nationalization of health care, ultimately leading to health care rationing – but they will not be seen for years.
The trigger option is to the health care debate what Rep. Howard Berman’s plan was to Iraq withdrawal proposals: a thoughtful policy with which conservatives disagree that is at least predicated upon measurable criteria. Thus, a centrist Democrat such as Ben Nelson of Nebraska, an opponent of the current public option, backs the idea.
On the other extreme, Rep. James Clyburn, D-SC, also promoted a triggered public option, to begin in 2013, on MSNBC last night. In the meantime, he supports establishing “pilot programs†of public insurance around the country. Clyburn’s support is significant: it means all factions of the Democratic Party can endorse this as a compromise that will result in government health insurance, moving the nation closer to Obama’s goal of Canadian-style, single-payer socialized medicine.
Although MoveOn.org has already filmed an ad against the trigger option, it seems the inevitable final destination of this “reform.â€
With the current intraparty split, Obama must watch his highest legislative goal to date die a slow and public death, see that Congress sneak the government option into the final bill during reconciliation (provoking massive backlash in the 2010 elections), or pull the trigger. Of these, the third assures him maximum political coverage: government health care that begins distorting the insurance market after the 2012 election, proposed by a Republican and which enjoys “bipartisan†support.
This looks very much like our future: the slow road to socialized medicine.
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It’s unfortunate that I have reached a place where I cannot bear to listen to the sound of his voice, once muted (thats better) I observed the crowd, Polosi in Red, Hilary in Red pantsuit, most other wemon Red, Obummer Tie Red,,,,I see Red, Isee Red, I see Red.
Let me see if I understand this. Our Government will manage healthcare, and they will do a better job than is being done today because they are not motivated by profit, like those terrible insurance companies.
Undoubtedly, without question, our Government will be able to reduce waste and operate more efficiently.
Obama assures us that it won’t cost anything because: “Reducing the waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicaid will pay for most of this plan.â€
Well, if we can reduce waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicaid, which are Government run programs, I have three questions:
1. Why don’t we eliminate the waste and inefficiency?
2. Why do we have waste and inefficiency?
3. Isn’t the fact that we have that much waste and inefficiency in these Government programs evidence that Government can’t necessarily do things better?
Obama says that: “Instead of honest debate, we have seen scare tactics.†He’s right. Unfortunately, he’s also guilty.
If I was me and me is me the Union’s put Obama in office and spent big money to do so. And they need payback government health care is so they can drop the union members off at the front door when they fine out that there dues put a guy in the White House and he can’t deliver and the Unions have spent there future right from under there noise’s. Someone needs to check the books for the dumb ass’s before they get ENRON – ED a little forensic accounting on the books please
If the average citizen can’t afford health care because he doesn’t make enough money, how can our government affort it when they don’t make any money. They do print it though. I believe it is counterfeit and illegal in all states, but the District of Columbia.
When I first started in healthcare nearly 40 years ago, the compliance manual advised by the fed. government sponsored accrediting organizations that set standards for facilities & providers, inspected their operations and determined whether they were fit to receive federal/state dollars was just a few pages.
It was devoted mostly to ensuring that if a policy existed you followed it or if a practice was consistently followed it be written into policy for consistency sake.
The last time I looked at the manual (7 years ago) it was 3 inches thick!!
The small community hospital I was working in at the time had hired a nurse educator, quality assurance nurse, HR assistance, 1 full and 1 part time internal medical record reviewer as well as held weekly meetings of every dept. head (clinical and non-clinical) mostly devoted to compliance with the onerous “healthcare standards” and changes in the federal register.
How big was this hospital? 35 Beds!!!
I look at this and say, not only is this federal gov. intrusion into what should be a local/state function; it has tremendously added to the cost of “healthcare”. None of the above described people were directly involved in patient care (hands on).
A neo-Communist would look at this and say the government is doing it’s job of protecting the people and federal monies AND creating jobs in the process…
Am I wrong?
They are going to push this through, whether or not 80% of the people want it. Then they are going to fine you 4000 dollars (Rounded up) if you don’t have insurance. I say, “Good luck collecting.” It’s not even small claims court kind of money, and they can’t arrest every citizen in the country. I, for one, will refuse to pay the government for intruding in my life, and I will burn my medical records before handing them over to a corrupt government who can’t even balance a checkbook, or keep social security numbers safe.
I’m hoping that worse comes to worse, that the State of Texas secedes from the Federal government and the Republic of Texas rises again.
All that hugging and kissing before HE started talking, and then all the applauding before, during and after made me so sick. Pelosi sat on the edge of her chair waiting for the moment to jump up signaling the liberals to follow. I noticed at least once when the republicans did not stand (I couldn’t stand to watch whole thing). The content of the speech sure made me feel alot better as a 65 yr old- HE will pay for this plan by taking all the fraud out of medicare. Fraud to HIM is any test, procedure or medicine that ‘old farts’ do not deserve.
After hearing Obama speak to the nurses this am, I am glad I am retired. I worked as a RN when they initiated medicare and it was a holy mess. Now that it has finally settled down and is working I think they should leave it alone. Nurses you don’t know what you are asking for. Johnie
The Obama clownship is at it again; he is amazing that he thinks we are suppose to believe his 100% lies- a compulsive liar. Its hard for me at times to grasp the arrogence that he has. If this evil and dark healthcare happens – it will be the biggest stab in the heart of america that we have never seen before in history concerning our free country. A stab of rights being taken away from our citizens- the government playing god all for the sake of power control.
We must fight no matter what; if we have to fight going down than it will be never in vain! If the tea partys keep growing and americans keep waking up we can wack the governmental control freaks in the head and steam roll them. We have the best health care in the world- and Obama is for change. Change to what? Going down to hell and oppression isn’t good change Obama.
When Medicare first “came out” everyone thought it was going to be great, it was sold very similarly to what Obama’s plan is.
Medicare isn’t really “working”. By accepting “assignment” and/or participating in Medicare, physicians are not free to practice medicine and get paid for the care they provide their Medicare patients.
They are free to practice medicine within the framework of what Medicare covers, what patient’s co-insurance pays them and what they provide in “free/unpaid” care. Most MD’s cannot provide unpaid care for long although most will provide some.
It would be interesting to ask every MD if he/she would like to receive the same type of payment as they get with their Medicare patients…I believe it would be a resounding NO.
The Obama pomp and circus and phony baloney is amazing!! They act so goody goody and holy just to take the american citizens down the road of oppression and thumb their nose at us. We pay them- We The People are the government and we must stop hearing and believing the continuous lies. People always want a free lunch and the government says, oh you can get it. The catch is – wants they give you the free lunch supposedly – then there is higher taxes and they own you. Its all a carrot on a stick- then at the end you will be crushed.
I heard that the minority will shut the government down if they try to push it through behind our backs. Whatever works I could care less. I hope this is true, but I haven’t really researched this. Has anybody here heard of this? Is this possible?
Thanks for your incite. We need to look at what is going on from those that actually deal with the problems government regulators present to all of us. The larger the document, the more loopholes lawyers have to file their frivilous torts.
It would be interesting to determine the ratio between those that actually heal and those that postulate within our hospitals.
I agree, they acted quite oblivious to the mess they’ve gotten this country into,
I hope you do get your SS benefits, too. My year was the last to be given at age 65.
Now, they’re looking for more ways to screw seniors.
Julie is right.
It may be functioning, but it’s not working, especially when you realize that a big percentage of the care they pay for, is being paid for with funds that have been illegally confiscated from the minority of our allegedly free citizens of this once great country who produce more than they consume…. Damn those evil capitalists !
I’m not sure that they can…
There is a way to shut it down of course.. and we’re the ones that have that power.
We can do it if we go on strike, & stop working for them any longer.
It’s time for ATLAS to SHRUG !