A Very Sick Health Plan; Bay State’s ‘Grand Experiment’ Fails [RomneyCare]

For folks increasingly leery of President Obama’s plan to radically overhaul America’s health-care system, or 17 percent of the nation’s economy, all this could hardly have come at a better time — that is, fiscal troubles aplenty within Repubican Mitt Romney’s brainchild, Massachusetts’ “grand experiment” in “universal” health care.

Initiated on Mr. Romney’s gubernatorial watch in 2006, this “experiment” has fallen on hard times, and predictably so. Even though the Bay State commenced its program with a far smaller percentage of uninsured residents than exists nationwide, “RomneyCare” is threatening to bankrupt the state. Budgeted for Fiscal Year 2010 at $880 million, or 7.3 percent more than a year ago, this plan, aimed at providing low- or no-cost health coverage to roughly 165,000 residents, has caused Massachusetts’ overall expenditures on all health-related programs to jump an astounding 42 percent since 2006.

So what does Mr. Romney’s successor, Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick, propose as a remedy for these skyrocketing costs? Well, whaddya think? The standard litany of prescriptions (no pun intended) — price controls and spending caps, for a start, and then, again predictably, waiting periods and limitations on coverage. As in Europe and Canada, so too in Massachusetts. And, we feel certain, everyone from Mr. Romney to Mr. Patrick said, “It would never happen here.” But then, such things are inevitable when best-laid plans, with all their monstrous costs, run smack-dab into fiscal reality.

California, Massachusetts, Michigan.

These are the states to watch. This is what Democrats do when they have power.

California has abundant natural resources and educational and technical resources. Didn't help.
Massachuetts has educational and technical resources. Didn't help.
Michigan has farming and heavy industry. Didn't help.

The Democrats turn everything to crap.

Health care is NOT a right. Health care is a service provided by trained professionals. Health care is a resource that is subject to scarcity, supply and demand rules, and other market factors.

Health care is a human need, but not a right. Even then, as a need it is subject to gray areas.

We *need* food. Most of us use the money from our jobs to buy food. Therefore we need to go to work. Work is miles away, so we need cars to get there. So, as a need, I need the government to provide me with a car. I need it to survive. It’s my RIGHT.

Universal health care is like universal public education. It’s a way for the ruling class to get the middle class to pay for the lower class. It guarrantees that those paying will get less than they pay for. And for that reason, it must be coercive.

ha ha.

epic fail.

fails everytime its tried.

rationing, kill the old, don’t try to extend life... blah blah

Fascist dictator-carpetbagger Mitt Romney chortles
as he inflicts socialized medicine (HillaryCARE=ROmneyCARE)
upon Massachusetts citizens, without one of their votes (the ROMNEYway(TM)).

Sen. John Kerry to Don Imus on RomneyCARE=HillaryCARE: "I like this health care bill".

Sen. Hillary Clinton on RomneyCARE=HillaryCARE: "To come up with a bipartisan plan in this polarized environment is commendable."

THE REAL DEAL:

"Hospital patients 'left in agony'"
"Patients were allegedly left screaming in pain and drinking from flower vases on a nightmare hospital ward.
Between 400 and 1,200 more people died than would have been expected at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust over three years, a damning Healthcare Commission report said.
The watchdog's investigation found inadequately trained staff who were too few in number, junior doctors left alone in charge at night and patients left without food, drink or medication as their operations were repeatedly cancelled.
Patients were left in pain or forced to sit in soiled bedding for hours at a time and were not given their regular medication, the Commission heard.
Receptionists with no medical training were expected to assess patients coming in to A&E, some of whom needed urgent care.
Sir Bruce Keogh, medical director of the NHS, said there had been a "gross and terrible breach" of patients' trust and a "complete failure of leadership".
The Healthcare Commission's chairman Sir Ian Kennedy said the investigation followed concerns about a higher than normal death rate at the Trust, which senior managers could not explain.
He said: "The resulting report is a shocking story. Our report tells a story of appalling standards of care and chaotic systems for looking after patients. These are words I have not previously used in any report.
"There were inadequacies in almost every stage of caring for patients. There was no doubt that patients will have suffered and some of them will have died as a result."
Julie Bailey, 47, was so concerned about the care being given to her 86-year-old mother Bella at Stafford Hospital that she and her relatives slept in a chair at her bedside for eight weeks.
She said: "We saw patients drinking out of..."

National Health Preview - The Massachusetts debacle, coming soon to your neighborhood.
Three years ago, the former Massachusetts Governor had the inadvertent good sense to create the "universal" health-care program that the White House and Congress now want to inflict on the entire country.
It is proving to be instructive, as Mr. Romney's foresight previews what President Obama, Max Baucus, Ted Kennedy and Pete Stark are cooking up for everyone else.
In Massachusetts's latest crisis, Governor Deval Patrick and his Democratic colleagues are starting to move down the path that government health plans always follow when spending collides with reality -- i.e., price controls.
As costs continue to rise, the inevitable results are coverage restrictions and waiting periods. It was only a matter of time.

They're trying to manage the huge costs of the subsidized middle-class insurance program that is gradually swallowing the state budget.
The program provides low- or no-cost coverage to about 165,000 residents, or three-fifths of the newly insured, and is budgeted at $880 million for 2010, a 7.3% single-year increase that is likely to be optimistic.
The state's overall costs on health programs have increased by 42% (!) since 2006.

What really whipped along RomneyCare were claims that health care would be less expensive if everyone were covered.
But reducing costs while increasing access are irreconcilable issues.
Mr. Romney should have known better before signing on to this not-so-grand experiment, especially since the state's "free market" reforms that he boasts about have proven to be irrelevant when not fictional.
Only 21,000 people have used the "connector" that was supposed to link individuals to private insurers.

Romney’s signature accomplishment meant to appeal to the political center. Unfortunately for him, this is going to bust him for 2012.

We conservatives will be on his case for it....as will a legion of Democrats.

Speaking of Public education....most schools pay about $8000.00 a student, so if you aren’t paying way over $8000.00 on your property taxes, someone ELSE is paying for your child’s education, and if you have MULTIPLE children in public school, you owe your friends and neighbors and local business men a HUGE DEBT of GRATITUDE for putting your kids thru school.

As an admitted Romney supporter . . .

This illustrates a good point. Romneys original plan wasn’t awful, probably just bad. But, when Government Politicians run anything they can’t resist giving more and more away until the program fails. Same for social security, medicare, etc. Each started with a “reasonably” good objective, and if they strictly adhered to their original objectives, they wouldn’t be the huge unfunded liability that they are today.

Short story - lesson learned (again) - Government out of Health Care !

A little thing like abject failure has never stopped the left from pursing its goals with blind ferocity.

Sickening, really, that a Republican's fingerprints are on this debacle. RomneyCare alone should be the last nail in Mitt-wit's coffin. The fact that he got the Heritage Foundation to endorse it should redound to their everlasting shame.

I think that the American people love this stuff. Look at the Rass poll on Obama.

The sad thing is is that the American people are going to pay for their lack of vigilance.

When they see the problems all these policies bring, it will be too late to turn them back.

So, I do believe the people will eventually wake up. But I believe also by then it will be too late

How do you dismantle something like this? Just in case we have to do the same or obamacare. It would be nice to say, “Yes, we can’t undo a government program!”

Didn’t Hawaii shut down a smaller program recently?

One more reason to not nommiate Romney ever for any office. He is one slick RINO!! barf!!!!

One question I never hear any pundit or reporter ask:

"Mr. politician please name one (1) country or state where socialized health care is successful".

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