More proof that ObamaCare is nothing more than a deficit band-aid.

I have mentioned this several times previously, ObamaCare is one of the most deceptive pieces of legislation ever filed and designed to do one thing and one thing only - temporarily stem the bleeding created by decades of runaway government spending.  Using several powerful and emotionally arousing statements, ObamaCare is designed to cure what ails us.  Here are some of the popular claims.

• We have too many uninsured Americans (35 million, 45 million including illegals)
• America spends the most on health care than any other nation
• Despite spending the most on health care, we rank poorly compared to other nations
• We have a crisis due to skyrocketing insurance costs

All of these claims supposedly add up to a crisis situation, but there is NO crisis.   Consider the following in response.

• Of the 35 million, less than half want insurance and cannot afford it.  The rest are either young adults who do not feel the need, people making 75k or more a year, those that are eligible for coverage and choose not to get it or people transitioning from job to job.
• Yes we do, but we spend the most on everything!  That is the effect of being the wealthiest nation in the world, nothing to be ashamed out.
• Everyone of those rankings can be manipulated and skewed to make it sound much worse.  For example we have a high rate of birth death compared to other countries.  But if you look at how other countries determine "birth deaths" it is very different from ours and that is just one example
• Insurance costs are rising because of government intervention.  There can absolutely be a free-market solution to health care, but not when private insurers have to compete with: Medicare, Medicaid and gigantic federal subsidies to employers.  Look at Massachusetts for a perfect example.  Ever since we adopted RomneyCare our insurance rates jumped DOUBLE DIGIT year after year - do you want that America?

So while we have structural problems in our health care system, we do not have a crisis.  Therefore a different reason is required and the Foundry presents one. 

But a report released Friday by the non-partisan and independent Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the agency in charge of running Medicare and Medicaid, blows the lid off of every one of Obama’s claims. All of the following quotes are from the report itself:


Health Care Costs Increase: “In aggregate, we estimate that for calendar years 2010 through 2019 [national health expenditures (NHE)] would increase by $289 billion, or 0.8 percent, over the updates baseline projection that was released on June 29, 2009.” In other words, Obamacare bends the cost curve up, not down.

Folks, are you reading this?  This is STRAIGHT from the source, the people responsible for Medicare and Medicaid are claiming that costs will go up!  How much more evidence do you need?

If costs of health care going up, then obviously controlling costs was never a concern, despite their initial claims.  If we want more people to buy insurance, then should we not strive to lower insurance costs? 
“However, a number of workers who currently have employer coverage would likely become enrolled in the expanded Medicaid program or receive subsidized coverage through the Exchange. For example, some smaller employers would be inclined to terminate their existing coverage, and companies with low average salaries might find it to their - and their employees’ - advantage to end their plans … We estimate that such actions would collectively reduce the number of people with employer-sponsored health coverage by about 12 million.”

So now that the government enters the business of providing perverse incentives, employers will be discouraged from providing benefits and more people will find themselves without coverage.  I thought the main point was the millions of uninsured Americans?  So clearly this is not about lowering costs or even insuring people. 

So what is this all about!??

“18 million are estimated to choose not to be insured and to pay the penalty associated with the individual mandate. For the most part, these would be individuals with relatively low health care expenses for whom the individual or family insurance premium would be significantly in excess of the penalty and their anticipated health benefit value.”

I see, starting to make sense.  So the government starts taxing existing insurance companies and plans to penalize using coercion and force those that do not wish to become insured.  Remember these are people who could afford it, but choose not to and we are forcing them.  Pelosi states this is for the common good, because why should we pay for people who get sick and do not get insured. It's called taking a risk Mrs. Pelosi and EVERYONE has a right to take a risk, if they get sick then they will declare.  If you can bail out Goldman Sachs, then we can sure as hell bail out our own citizens.   To make a long story short, this mandate is designed to raise revenue. 

“Of the additional 34 million who are estimated to be insured in 2019 as a result of H.R. 3962, about three-fifths (21 million) would receive Medicaid coverage due to the expansion of eligibility to those adults under 150 percent of the FPL.”

So the majority are being placed onto Medicaid.  Federal government monies will initially subsidize this and then pull the plug leaving states in a financial crisis 5-10 years down the road.  Clever huh?  At that point States will declare a major emergency and the same crooks on Congress will rush to our aid via a single payer system or some other socialized mechanism.  

All in all, hundreds of billions will be raised in new taxes, 500 billion more will be slashed from Medicare and mandates will implemented to raise revenues.  This is nothing more than a shell-game to stem the budgetary bleeding of the federal government and it has now become so painfully apparent that I am shocked it has any supporters left.  Other than the legion of blinded zombies who follow every liberal talking point there should be nobody in America unaware of what this bill entails and why it is presented.  Everything it claims is a crisis and in need of fixing the bill exacerbates and one is left wondering, do they really think we are that too stupid?