Friday, July 17, 2009

The Dekulakization of Health Care.

It didn't take long to run into an "uh-oh" moment when reading the House's "health care for all Americans" bill. Right there on Page 16 is a provision making individual private medical insurance illegal.

When we first saw the paragraph Tuesday, just after the 1,018-page document was released, we thought we surely must be misreading it. So we sought help from the House Ways and Means Committee.

It turns out we were right: The provision would indeed outlaw individual private coverage.
Sigh. The Reds have well and truly overrun DC. Tailgunner Joe, where are you when we need you? We're sorry, you were right.

25 comments:

MadRocketScientist said...

Maybe, maybe not, I haven't read the bill.

http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2009/07/good-to-know.html

Rev. Paul said...

That surprises anyone how, exactly?

Anonymous said...

Well... you have to. They would eventually die from not being able to compete, but that may take years. That would give time for a future government to undo the legislation. Make them outright illegal and when the time comes they will be able to wail and scream about how, “…there's no alternatives! We can't undo it! Susie Soccer Mom and her kids will DIE without it!”

NotClauswitz said...

When the insurance industry collapses and is co-opted by the Government, the financial takeover will be complete. Soros will have won and Europe will be free to eat EuroCheese and go on permanent Vacation.

Don said...

You guys are overreacting. You'll be able to keep your current health coverage, which I note is precisely what The Obama promised, no more, no less. Like Lord Voldemort and Ming the Merciless, The Obama is very precise in his promises.

And you WILL be able to have private insurance, assuming you never change your provider again.

It's our children who won't, and I don't know about you, but mine are always on my last nerve anyway.

Drang said...

I did read that section of the bill, and I don't think it prohibits private health insurance but it does require that any new insurance be included in the Reichs I mean Peoples' I mean Honest Berry's Health Care Lot STOP THAT! (darned cat) the Federal Health Exchange.

Ghu knows what THAT will look like...

BTW, as of 0300 PDT this AM if you googled "HR3200 bans private health insurance" The Clue Meter was the #2 hit, after (BARF!) Daily Kostipation; hope whoever it was at the VA who took a look doesn't hold a grudge...
WV: blogra. "For bigger, longer lasting posts!"

Jake (formerly Riposte3) said...

"Maybe, maybe not, I haven't read the bill."

Based on my 5 minute scan of the relevant parts of the bill, it looks like it doesn't ban new private coverage, but it may severely restrict the type of coverage that can be purchased.

From HR3200, Sec. 102(c):

(c) Limitation on Individual Health Insurance Coverage-

(1) IN GENERAL- Individual health insurance coverage that is not grandfathered health insurance coverage under subsection (a) may only be offered on or after the first day of Y1 as an Exchange-participating health benefits plan.

(2) SEPARATE, EXCEPTED COVERAGE PERMITTED- Excepted benefits (as defined in section 2791(c) of the Public Health Service Act) are not included within the definition of health insurance coverage. Nothing in paragraph (1) shall prevent the offering, other than through the Health Insurance Exchange, of excepted benefits so long as it is offered and priced separately from health insurance coverage.


I don't know enough about health insurance or the overall bill to really know how much that would restrict new plans, but on the surface it's pretty disturbing.

theirritablearchitect said...

Joe was doing his schtick long before you and I were born, Tam, and yes, he was right about the Red Scare...and looking back at the history of the whole thing, I'm not sorry about it at all.

Any of it.

What's left to do now, but confront what he was warning us all about?

Anonymous said...

Typical of the Democrats. This is just like when they talk about how proposed gun control laws "won't take anyone's guns away."

No, no it won't. It will just simply prohibit you from owning anything new. The Democrats do this all the goddamned time, and no one ever seems to call them on it.

NattyBumpo said...

It will be a bit like my trip to England years ago. I could buy a pocket knife--I don't like being without one--but I couldn't possess it under the law. I thought that was a neat bit of rule. You can buy insurance/guns; you just can't use them.

Nat

Fuzzy Curmudgeon said...

I'm beginning to wonder when the Great Frog March From The Capitol will be.

Wanna be sure I'm in DC to help.

TheAxe said...

It's sad to think about how few of my generation would understand your title.

Caleb said...

I am really not okay with the government taking meat out of my sandwiches like this. What's next, privatizing auto insurance? Can you imagine an entire country running around with minimum coverage?

Brittanicus said...

IF YOU WANT TO DEMAND HEALTH CARE REFORM, YOU BETTER MAKE THAT CALL NOW!

CHOOSING THE USUAL PROFITING INSURANCE COMPANY, OR CHOOSING GOVERNMENT PLAN SHOULD BE UP TO AMERICANS?
The deciding factor in implementing health care for everybody--LEGALLY--in America, is the Publics voice? Those who want to just follow the same old road, can do so with the profit taking commercial insurance. Those who would be satisfied with a government run health care program, can now start demanding it from the lawmakers. Those who see a Universal health care system, similar to most developed countries in Europe, should start informing every Representative and Senate politician starting today. Rationing in places like England, was caused by the major impact of uncontrolled immigration. I see--THE RATS--are coming out of the woodwork, using propaganda and downright lies about government run medical care?

The Special interest lobby, status quo have very wealthy fingers in the pie and do not want Health care for everybody? It's a trillion dollar business like Cancer treatments. The pharmaceutical companies, AMA and others have very much to lose? Even many corrupt politicians are stockholders in this behemoth money machine. Most American working class can do--without-- high premiums, pre-existing condition clauses. deductibles, co-pays that is representative of the wealthy medical care insurers. CALL YOUR SENATOR OR REPRESENTATIVE ! Whatever pertains to your family, you should start ruffling the indifferent feathers of the people in Washington at 202-224-3121 Just like illegal immigration , we cannot afford anymore to subsidize the business that hire them or the millions of illegal families.

Tam said...

"Brittanicus",

Were I you, I'd sue my ESL instructor.

Tam said...

PS: Are you now, or have you ever been, a member...

Never mind.

Ed Foster said...

Brittanicus, have you ever been to Canada? On the face of it, as near as dammit to the U.S., but their healthcare sucks!

My buddy Normand's father had to wait a week to get his broken leg set, up in Quebec, and I've seen the constant, daily stream of Canadians crossing the bridge from Windsor Ontario to Detroit for American healthcare.

Sure their drugs are cheap, but they're all more than 20 years old, or flat out ripoffs of American patents. A sure way to discourage innovation.

It costs about a half a billion dollars (American) to get a new drug to market, due primarily to bureaucrats.

The fear of a lawsuit and bad publicity is more than enough to keep the drug companies on the straight and narrow, but bureaucracies are competitive biological entities that have to grow or die. And what they compete with is the free market and the innovations it needs to keep functioning.

Without the profit motive, all you get for doctors is the 45,000 per year timeservers you find in places like Britain (you know, kind of like Brittanicus).

The modern socialist state began in Germany (Bismark began social security) and Sweden, the looney-bin of political experimentation.

If you fall sick in the Stockholm region, you have the option of leaving government healthcare, and enrolling in American style private HMO's.

The same in Germany, where the public wards are mostly filled with indigents, illegals, and Turks. They're also incompetently run sewers, quite similar to the deathtraps the British refer to as hospitals.

I have family over there, and they wait for their annual trips to America to get their dental work done. Google up "British people pulling their own teeth" to see just how bad it is.

While far from perfect, the American health system is also, by far, the best in the world.
As for all the 40 million or so people who supposedly have no healthcare, please subtract the 20 million or so 18 to 35 year old males who have insurance available to them at work, but choose not to take it, as it cuts into their beer and party money.

Also yank the 15 million or so illegals who bleed the system, and you're almost out of "poor deservings".

Anyone who needs medical care and can't afford it can go to any hospital that accepts public money (almost all of them) and get it anyway, under the Hill-Burton act. By law, nobody can be turned away, and the hospital has to provide it at cost (meaning it gets tacked on to our overhead when we use the same hospital). All without federal bureaucrats. What a concept!

Ed Foster said...

Excuse me, I forgot the finale. MORON!

Rob K said...

If Brittanicus is what the government schools produce, I think that's enough evidence against government health care for me.

Anonymous said...

Brittanicus,

Êtes-vous francais?

I believe the speech pattern is likely French. Exchange student or Arab-immigrant, educated, true Leftist believer.

Shootin' Buddy

Joanna said...

Yeah, screw my greedy oncologist, making me come in and get treated ASAP so he wouldn't have to give me chemo and could get to the golf course on time.

Of course, in your mind, profit-seeking would have involved delaying surgery so I had to pay for chemo after it spread. Gee, I wonder why he didn't do that? Maybe because money was a nice side perk of his ultimate goal?

Hey, and guess what? I had no insurance at the time. I wrote letters and Got My Shit Together and the hospitals counted me under charity care. Try pulling that with a government program.

Don said...

I don't really get why you're arguing with Brittanicus; if you read the entire post, you can't really tell which side he's on. Maybe pro-government-healthcare, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Clearly his hovercraft is full of eels.

theirritablearchitect said...

Here's one for ya Brittanicus,

Put your filthy ass within arms reach of me and see if your fucking socialized healthcare can save you from exsanguination.

Think I'm kidding?

Anonymous said...

"Rationing in places like England, was caused by the major impact of uncontrolled immigration."

And you're seriously suggesting that England has a bigger problem with uncontrolled immigration than the USA has or is likely to have in the next 25 years?

Ian

Jake (formerly Riposte3) said...

"And you're seriously suggesting that England has a bigger problem with uncontrolled immigration than the USA has or is likely to have in the next 25 years?"

I'll second that statement.

Something to remember when comparing any immigration problem (or anything having to do with border security) in England with similar problems in the US:

ENGLAND IS AN ISLAND!!!!!