HSA Healthcare Blog

Think mandating health insurance coverage at the national level is the functional equivalent of states mandating that drivers carry auto insurance?

Obama does.

He’s wrong.

Again.

As Judson Berger of Fox News points out, there are many differences between mandated health insurance and auto insurance. Here are a few highlights:

Auto insurance is avoidable – health insurance is not.

Car insurance is mandated to protect others – health insurance is not.

Health insurance would be subsidized – by your tax dollars – car insurance is not.

The ultimate irony? Remember candidate Obama? HE was adamantly opposed to mandating health care coverage. That was candidate Clinton’s position if you recall. But in his recent joint address to Congress, Obama eagerly enveloped the concept – never mind potential constitutional hurdles to mandating health insurance coverage for all citizens.

As Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WVa) points out, the health care proposal introduced by Sen. Baucus includes a big — make that humongous — tax increase on working class folks who happen to be union members or others that are privy to benefit rich health plans- folks like coal miners in Rockefeller’s state.

By early estimates, an average West Virginia coal miner might suddenly see his paycheck shrink dramatically in 2013 and beyond. That’s because of a proposed 35% excise tax on benefit rich plans.

Of course, if Baucus strips out the excise tax, he loses about $200 billion in additional funding – money needed to support health care plan purchases by people who cannot otherwise afford coverage.

What a mess these idiots are creating.

According to yahoo news, it now appears as though Sen. Baucus may unveil a draft of health care legislation without the support of Republicans, thereby dimming any chance of producing a truly bipartisan bill. See story here.

Moreover, Democrats are also lining up in opposition with outspoken W. Virginia Senator Rockefeller stating he cannot support the bill (apparently because it does not give the federal government enough hands-on control). Side bar comment: Whatever happened to West Virginia?

At a meeting yesterday (9/15/09) in Denver, Don Hamm, CEO of Assurant Health, and a leading member of AHIP’s individual medical team, pegged the odds of no bill being passed this year at about 30%.

I’m beginning to believe it’s more like 60% – there simply are too many competing factions. And now, you have the Democrats who can’t even agree with each other.

Another side bar comment: Are they are *really* Democrats?

The longer this goes on, the more unbelievable it becomes.

Senator Enzi, R-Wyo., is one of 3 Republicans working side by side with 3 Democratic senators attempting to reach concensus on healthcare reform.

Recently, he took to the youtube airwaves to issue a commentary that in my opinion, accurately represents the state of affairs in Washington with respect to this particular contentious issue.

Here is a link to the story

Rarely do I make endorsements on this blog but now, I wholeheartedly endorse this youtube video statement made by Senator Enzi. In it, Senator Enzi accurately describes the need for reform countered by efforts being pushed by Democrats that go way too far.

Take a moment to watch the video. What do you think?

People may tend not to believe what I say about health insurance because, well, perhaps I am biased.

So here’s what the Wall Street Journal has to say about the (alleged) mess with health insurance – and by the way, I agree with every word in this article, which is why I am sharing it with you.

First, it’s important to understand that 90%, fully 9 out of 10 working Americans, are covered under a health plan where they work. Most people are pretty happy with their plans too — they should be, given the enormous subsidies employers are forced to pay (which makes GROUP coverage seem “cheap” to those covered).

The horror stories Obama is using to scare the rest of us have nothing to do with GROUP insurance – those stories have to do with INDIVIDUAL coverage, often after someone leaves the cozy mother-nest of group coverage.

So that leaves us with only about 10% of the marketplace that has a real problem of any kind (other than cost). Give or take, that’s about 15 million people, which includes the self-employed and those who have to otherwise fend for themselves.

Several ideas Obama is proposing have already PROVEN TO BE DISASTROUS in several states; namely, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. Why in the world would anyone want to take ideas proven to be bad and implement them nationally?

Fundamentally, it has to be because of a gross misunderstanding of the scope of the real problem. There is no other explanation.

In fact, however, changes proposed will actually serve to further increase, not decrease costs, both in higher premiums AND higher taxes.

Will they system then be “fixed?”

Of course not – many people will be forced to simply opt out and “pay the fine.” Then what?

The cycle will get even more vicious – that’s what!

Here’s to hoping that more informative articles such as this one from WSJ will help people understand that the scope of the fix should be narrowed to more closely fit the scope of the problem.

Americans are just waking up to discover they are being duped by a president pushing for health care “reform” that at the earliest would not begin to take place until – 2013 – AFTER the next presidential election!

Because of my connections with several of the major insurance companies, this is a little known secret I have been privy to for a few weeks. Now, American is just beginning to get the message.

Here’s a link to an extensive health care reform story from MSNBC

For one thing, this mess is actually bigger than Hillary Care ever dreamed of being!

But it’s all supposed to be about getting the uninsured, insured – right?

Well, that ain’t going to happen until 2013 at the earliest!

What a crock!

This is politics, pure and simple folks. Obama democrats are hell-bent to get something passed — anything at all — regardless of how egregious it is, and with no regard whatsoever to the long term financial damage it is bound to wreak on the economy.