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Dear Liberal Obamacare apologists

 
Dear Liberal Obamacare apologists

Steven R. Berryman
 
[from The Tentacle, November 18th, 2013]
 

Even though Dr. Charles Krauthammer has decided that the demise of ACA/Obamacare will constitute the death of the key component of liberalism – giving away other people’s money – I still want to congratulate the goals of healthcare reform.


The goals are surely worthy, but they are not cost effective, nor is there even a potential for a smooth implementation, or start-up, or roll out, or what have you.


Goals such as adding 30 million of the currently uninsured to the insurance rolls, the vast majority of whom are not insurable due to cost, or who already can't afford coverage, or they would already have purchased a plan…..plus forcing the allowance of preexisting conditions, portability, eliminating lifetime caps, minimum coverages for preventive care, free maternity and free birth control, etc…are laudable.
 
[side note:  Thus far, ObamaCare is causing less entry into Med Schools, and early retirement choices for Drs, so who will help the new 30m enrollees get treated??]

Boyce Rensberger, in The Frederick News-Post, http://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/health/policy/article_8ce039f6-28d1-57bc-aed7-1e567fc5fe07.html voiced in his column last Saturday that improvements to coverages are surely worth paying more. Who is he to say what you can afford!


U.S. Rep. John Delaney (D., MD 6th), in the same edition in an AP column, said he voted against legislation that would have allowed you to keep your current coverages – which was promised during the sell-in phase – because the president's plan to stop cancellations was better.


Strangely, nobody is addressing fundamental underlying flaws that Obamacare is a cost-bomb. President Barack Obama’s quick-fixes are to kick the can down the road past mid-term elections. This approach is already known to increase final costs.


Simple logic dictates:


Forcing people that will certainly be “net-takers” from the new Affordable Care Act plans on to these exchange plans from out of nowhere will by definition make costs soar. Even a 101 level actuarial student knows this!


The Executive Branch seems to be ignorant even of how insurance works and remains profitable for insurance companies. This, and the willful ignorance of replacing and confusing a goal of reasonable healthcare affordability and quality…..with a goal of giving away free healthcare insurance cannot stand.


No matter how nice these goals are, even Robin Hood himself would blush at how much the middle class will pay for the forced largess!


Think about it:


1) We already know that the poor, unemployed, and infirm will be covered, but already can’t pay their own way in our real world. That would not change. That’s an enormous cost! The money has to come from somewhere!


2) We already know that pre existing conditions by definition are fantastically expensive to treat. Long-term cancers, heart and lung and kidney diseases plus diabetes, etc... This part of the risk pool will take $100 or more out of the plan for every dime they put in. That’s an enormous cost! The money has to come from somewhere!


3) We already know that forcing minimum coverages onto basic plans = the Obama extras that many will not need – will make them more expensive. HOW CAN THEY NOT? Adding coverages to plans always drives up the final price, as insurance is a product designed to retain a certain profit margin in the end.


And bear in mind that the extras were added to all plans to create more profit via those never ever needing to exercise the extras….They know this.


We must force people back into the workforce, and means test social programs for fraud. There is no other way than a full gut of this bad deal for the productive among us.


[Additionally, Obamacare “navigators” must be screened for fraud and abuse recommendations.]


Cost overruns of Obamacare will come out of the hides of the struggling middle class, trying to raise children while working. They are already in massive pain from the undeclared Inflation of student loans, food prices, energy prices, gasoline prices, transportation expenses, new taxes (especially here in Maryland) etc…which have all been made worse by partisan politics, phony green energy, global warming scares, a compliant Environmental Protection Agency, intentional destruction to our fossil fuels monopoly, give-away trade agreements, etc.


Simply, the Obamacare will fail as it is too expensive to an already struggling middle-class of our citizenry that will surely bear the burden. Already relying on dinners of crackers and cheese, mayonnaise and bread sandwiches, peanut butter and hot dogs, even a small bump in cost of living will force those already on the edge to make bad choices, perhaps to the pet food aisles.


And don’t blame the geeks: The website will continue to crash and burn because every fix reveals another two or three unforeseen circumstances. Yes, the program fails to allow for smart insurance plan choices when the level of government subsidy owed to you upon qualification is still an unknown.


[By the way, the subsidy will come by check, and constitute more enormous potential for fraud.]


Why do you think that labor unions, Congress, government staff, and savvy corporations have already sought and won waivers from being taken by Obamacare?


Don’t apologize for a plan that was never a plan, with financial ramifications never vetted.


A full "gut" and [then] debate of a real reform plan for healthcare, complete with a full rebuild, including fairness...from the ground up... are the only answer for a population with too much skin in the game to accept the lies coming from American national leadership.


Mid-term elections will sort out much of the mess.


 




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