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Land Of The Fee (IBD Exclusive Series: Government-Run Healthcare: A Prescription For Failure)
IBD Editorials ^
| September 9, 2009
| INVESTORS BUSINESS DAILY Staff
Posted on 09/09/2009 5:23:59 PM PDT by Kaslin
Reform: The chairman of the Senate Finance Committee wants levies on insurers to pay for ObamaCare and fines for families who don't sign up. We can cut costs and expand coverage without sacrificing freedom.
To keep ObamaCare alive, Montana Democrat Max Baucus has proposed a Rube Goldberg scheme of fees and fines on insurers and the uninsured designed to forcibly bring everyone into the loving and protective arms of the nanny state. To help finance his Plan B, Baucus would impose annual fees of $6 billion on health insurers, $4 billion on medical-device makers, $2.3 billion on drug manufacturers and $750 million on clinical laboratories, among other taxes.
How this will cut health care costs we're not sure. These fees and taxes punish medical innovation and those who bring us lifesaving medicines that reduce hospital stays, obviate surgeries and extend lives. And these costs will inevitably be passed on to consumers.
Like any business, and unlike the government, insurers must make a profit to stay alive and weather lean times. And they're not immune to troubled times, having cut 6,200 jobs in February.
Stating the obvious, industry spokesman Robert Zirkelbach of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) says, "New taxes on health insurance coverage is only going to make coverage less affordable for individuals, families and small businesses."
President Obama has said that if you're happy with your health insurance, you can keep it. So why would he want to impose punitive taxes on insurers? Is it part of a plan to put private insurers out of business to clear the field for a government-run public option?
(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...
TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; US: Montana
KEYWORDS: 111th; baucus; baucusbill; bho44; bhohealthcare; bhotaxes; democrats; donttreadonme; givemeliberty; govthealthcare; healthcare; healthcarecosts; healthcareform; hsa; ibd; insurance; insurancereform; malpractive; maxbaucus; medicalcare; medicalcosts; nannystate; obamacare; phantomuinsured; plantationhealthcare; privateinsurance; publicoption; rationedhealthcare; rationing; socialezedmedicine; taxation; taxes; taxhike; taxhikes; taxincrease; taxincreases; tortreform; uninsured; universalhealthcare; wreckinghealthcare
1
posted on
09/09/2009 5:23:59 PM PDT
by
Kaslin
To: bareford101; BerniesFriend; blaveda; Bookwoman; Celeste732; dsc; FrdmLvr; FreedomPoster; ...
2
posted on
09/09/2009 5:25:11 PM PDT
by
Kaslin
(Acronym for 0bama: One Big Ass Mistake America)
To: Kaslin
Crushing capitalism to get Americans dispirited enough to submit to the collective.
3
posted on
09/09/2009 5:28:39 PM PDT
by
listenhillary
(We became community organizers and Obama and the Statists get p*ssed off at us?)
To: Kaslin
“Land of the Fee.” What a great title. All too true. This taxing trend needs to be reversed, and soon.
To: Kaslin
Bump to those just now tuning out the president.
5
posted on
09/09/2009 6:28:54 PM PDT
by
listenhillary
(We became community organizers and Obama and the Statists get p*ssed off at us?)
To: socialismisinsidious
Socialized Medicine aka Universal Health Care daily digest PING LIST
FReepmail me if you want to be added to or removed from this daily digest ping list.
6
posted on
09/09/2009 8:28:48 PM PDT
by
socialismisinsidious
( The socialist income tax system turns US citizens into beggars or quitters!)
To: Kaslin
Obama acts like a dictator. First he says that he will listen to other ideas, but then he says he will not listen to ideas that will kill the Obama/Pelosicare bill.
The bill SHOULD be killed, and replaced with conservative ideas for reform like buy insurance from any state in the country, Health Savings Accounts or Tort reform, etc..
7
posted on
09/09/2009 9:26:30 PM PDT
by
Sun
(Pray that God sends us good leaders. Please say a prayer now.)
To: socialismisinsidious
8
posted on
09/10/2009 4:50:27 AM PDT
by
tbw2
(Freeper sci-fi - "Humanity's Edge" - on amazon.com)
To: tbw2
9
posted on
09/10/2009 11:31:53 AM PDT
by
socialismisinsidious
( The socialist income tax system turns US citizens into beggars or quitters!)
To: socialismisinsidious
I have read some articles on an Amazon Kindle. I publish my eBooks, digital editions of print books, and extended editions of print articles in this medium as a new way to reach readers. Most of my reading, though, is on a full computer screen.
10
posted on
09/10/2009 3:42:39 PM PDT
by
tbw2
(Freeper sci-fi - "Humanity's Edge" - on amazon.com)
To: listenhillary
A fairer means is to tax all international money wiring to Mexico and Central America taxed at 35% to pay for illegal alien health care.
ObamaCare Jokes Obama Jokes
11
posted on
09/10/2009 3:51:47 PM PDT
by
tbw2
(Freeper sci-fi - "Humanity's Edge" - on amazon.com)
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