Land Of The Fee (IBD Exclusive Series: Government-Run Healthcare: A Prescription For Failure)

IBD Editorials ^ | September 9, 2009 | INVESTORS BUSINESS DAILY Staff

[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.

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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?

[Kaslin]

[listenhillary]

Crushing capitalism to get Americans dispirited enough to submit to the collective.

[Fester Chugabrew]

“Land of the Fee.” What a great title. All too true. This taxing trend needs to be reversed, and soon.

[listenhillary]

Bump to those just now tuning out the president.

[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.

[Sun]

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..

[tbw2]

I'd like to join but am afraid that there are too many articles too fast to read. ObamaCare Jokes Obama Jokes

[socialismisinsidious]

Smart thinking...it was too much so I dropped the individual article ping and I started pinging a daily digest. Here it is from yesterday:

SOCIALIZED MEDICINE DAILY DIGEST FOR 9/8/09 POST PRESIDENTIAL BLATHER

Have you read a book on kindle? I can't imagine it being fulfilling, love the feel of a book too much.

[tbw2]

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.

[tbw2]

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