It's Not An Option (IBD Exclusive Series: Government-Run Healthcare: A Prescription For Failure)

IBD Editorials ^ | July 15, 2009 | INVESTORS BUSINESS DAILY Staff

[Kaslin]

Congress: 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.

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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. Under the Orwellian header of "Protecting The Choice To Keep Current Coverage," the "Limitation On New Enrollment" section of the bill clearly states:

"Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day" of the year the legislation becomes law.

So we can all keep our coverage, just as promised — with, of course, exceptions: Those who currently have private individual coverage won't be able to change it. Nor will those who leave a company to work for themselves be free to buy individual plans from private carriers.

From the beginning, opponents of the public option plan have warned that if the government gets into the business of offering subsidized health insurance coverage, the private insurance market will wither. Drawn by a public option that will be 30% to 40% cheaper than their current premiums because taxpayers will be funding it, employers will gladly scrap their private plans and go with Washington's coverage.

[zot]

I shudder to think how Obamacare will be rationed.

[Kaslin]

A friend, who is also a freeper posted the picture in the poilitcal chat room we both chat in. The lunatics had a fit about it.

[green pastures]

Thanks.

Hey, I guess on the bright side, Congress will be subject the govt. plan, too...

[Kaslin]

My husband and I also have Tri-care, but we have Tri-care for life because we are both over 67. My husband actually is over 70. We are both also on Medicare. You can take tri-care for life when you are 65

[Alamo-Girl]

Jeepers. Thanks for the ping!

[rcrngroup]

No, no - the point I've been trying to make for months is that WE ALREADY LOOK FOOLISH. What we're doing (calling, faxing, emails, teaparties) are a waste of time....and have been for months. ALL THINGS HAVE CHANGED - and we're still employing old tactics. They love it when we call and write - it's SO easy to ignore us, and it keeps us in our box.

I feel like a voice crying in the wilderness and nobody is hearing me.

The only way we will ever beat this socialist-fascist-commie bastard 0booooooomba is with Am Rev II or CW II. Socialism never retreats or retracts on its own. 0booooooomba & the demoRAT socialists will change the election rules and/or stuff the ballots via Acorn corruption, and the 2010 or 2012 election will be nothing less than a Soviet style commie election.

Thomas Jefferson - "The tree of liberty must be watered now & then with the blood of tyrants and that of patriots." We are at that point now I believe, not only to remove 0booooomba & the socialists (including RINOs) but also to rip out & destroy socialism that has corrupted & woven itself into virtually every aspect of our gubmint & economy. We gotta get back to our original founding fathers view of government and life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness for individuals, but not as welfare recipients or victimization wards of the feds or states.
.

[LTCJ]

Don't know, Chap but you'd have to be dumber than a rock to believe they wouldn't try to replace Tri-Care with Gov’t health care. Matter of fact, that would probably be the easiest thing for them to do if they face too much general resistance.

[MeekOneGOP]

Pingin’ a BUNCH of folks here!

(Thanks for your indulgence). :)

Ping! Ping! Ping!

[Jet Jaguar]

BTTT

[MarMema]

The maximum cost-sharing amounts of $5,000 and $10,000 seem arbitrary as well.

And loopholes everywhere.....

[Squantos]

Yanked all the congress critters chains and called for about an hour each Tuesday and Wednesday . Wrote polite proper letters to the editors of local press a few weeks ago but it never made the light of day. Killed a bunch of trees with snail mail and that is that ..........

For the most part I am resigned to the fact these rats and rinos will do what they want and screw us . 2010 can’t get here fast enough for me yet I tend to believe shamnesty is over the horizon and will be a hard winter or cold spring for liberty in the next 12 months.

Stay safe Meek !

[MeekOneGOP]

I hear ya!

bump! bump! bump!

[KitJ]

BTTT

[KTM rider]

what is happening to this nation is similar to what happened to germany in the 1940’s

[KTM rider]

Sheer me !

there is nothing else to do but march into the sheering barn

[cbkaty]

Not to mention the ultimate effect of unemployment for an estimated 2 million individuals who work in the health insurance industry?

If we thought dealing with the paperpushers at the insurance companies was difficult, wait till they all get GUBMINT paperpusher jobs...with no...accountability....

[cbkaty]

Washington does not have the constitutional or moral authority to outlaw private markets in which parties voluntarily participate. It shouldn't be killing business opportunities, or limiting choices, or legislating major changes in Americans' lives.

Are there any patriots left in Washington?

[Madame Dufarge]

BTT thanks, Meek.

I'm speechless right now.

[Texagirl4W]

This is very SCAREY.

[metesky]

Thanks for the ping, Ralph.

This is just ducky, ain't it? Madame Dufarge and I lived well into our sixties just so GodGov can have a hand in killing us?

I don't think so...