Pelosi Bill Undermines Obama’s Vision and Its Own Policies

Posted November 3rd, 2009 at 3.52pm in Health Care.

On the campaign trail, then Senator Obama set a course for universal coverage of children through the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and opposed an individual mandate. H.R. 3962, as introduced by the House leadership, repeals the SCHIP program in 2014 and includes an individual mandate.

Moreover, the bill would send millions of young, healthy adults into Medicaid which will increase the cost of insurance for every one with private coverage because of the cost shift and “crowd out effect” associated with Medicaid.

The Pelosi bill not only diverges from the President’s policies but is inconsistent with itself. The individual mandate has been repackaged as “individual responsibility” that is enforced through a tax on those individuals without “acceptable health care coverage.” But H.R. 3962 actually makes it easier for a family to simply pay the tax and remain uninsured because under Section 305, any child born without “acceptable coverage” is automatically enrolled in Medicaid and will continue to be eligible for Medicaid at least for a year, regardless of family income.

How does an entitlement to Medicaid regardless of family income promote individual responsibility? Or, is this policy really one of the secret deals with the insurance companies that allows them to avoid covering high risk pregnancies and the first year of life which are generally more expensive than coverage of older children?

Author: Dennis Smith
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November 3, 2009 Freedom of Speech TX writes:

Why don’t we just set up a lottery hopper and pull out slips of paper with ideas and solutions?

November 3, 2009 John Lloyd Scharf, Salem, Oregon writes:

USPS/IRS Health Care

If health care is the problem, insurance is not the cause and government is not the answer.

Of those “50 million,” that lack insurance there were 45,000 who died without health care. With health care, 98,000 died FROM health care because of malpractice.

The question is do we want to trust that largest corporation in the world, the U.S. Government.

Do not expect house calls anytime soon.

We have seen how well the government delivers on its promises and its bureaucracies pursue the money without giving us benefits on so many levels. Imagine another organ of the government that only ultimately must listen to the Secretary of the Treasury - another “service” of which is the IRS.

http://theprogressivecapitalist.blogspot.com/2009/10/affordable-health-care-for-america-act.html

That blog of mine above has several .pdf connections (HR. 3962 and two summaries, a few videos, and page references for new taxes and other mandates). If you cannot use the link, google “Progressive Capitalist H.R. 3962.”

If you believe the promises of this bill, you have to deal with the lie that it fosters competition with a government option called the “Public Option” and establishes the government as a monopoly making its own rules.

Don’t worry. You’ll run out of “rich” soon enough. We have at least a$12 trillion economy of which at least $1.8 trillion is spent on health care. If you read the bill, there are plenty of opportunities to soak the middle class, if you do not mind the 1.6 million made jobless.

November 3, 2009 Bobbie Jay writes:

Government of America undermines Americans. sounds like alot of discriminating and bias. SOMETHING THIS COUNTRY ISN’T!

November 4, 2009 Okieoneshinobi, Iowa writes:

The insurance companies are the problem. They decide who lives and who dies, who gets insurance and at what cost. They pay billions to block reform. Our health is too important to be solely in the hands of multi-billion dollar corporations that are accountable to no one. The Declaration of Independence states that we have a right to life. The outrageous costs of health care are an infringement on that basic right. If you trust the unaccountable CEO of an insurance company to have the final say on whether you live or die when that time comes, be my guest. I should have the right to choose an accountable government run option to decide what health care I get. We are the richest country in the world and we have one of the worst health care systems. It is time to change, the health of our citizens is too important.

November 4, 2009 TerryP, Nebraska writes:

I have no problem with you having the right to choose whatever option you want as long as it is on your own dime and not mine or anyone elses. That is one of the biggest problems with this bill as well as so many others. Many people want something but they are not willing to pay for it. They want someone else to pay for it. If they were willing to pay for it, then the gov’t wouldn’t be needed, because the free market would provide it.

Almost every new and old gov’t program is predicated on the fact that some people want something, but are unwilling to pay for it themselves. They have to use the force of gov’t to take money from someone else to pay for their pet project.

November 4, 2009 Jim writes:

THIS ‘MAN’ HASN’T EVEN RUN A LEMONADE STAND
AND IT SHOWS AS HE RUNS U.S.

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