The truth about Obamacare
Dear Friend,
If you think you might have to go to the doctor, you better do it now. Amid drooping approval ratings, Comrade Obama is in a panic to ram through the catastrophic healthcare plan before Congress's summer recess.
But the good news is that the bad news about so-called Obamacare is starting to spread. And since most media outlets are likely to pass over the hideous details of this plan in favor of more Michael Jackson coverage, I wanted to be sure to give you the straight talk on this complete mess of an idea.
Thankfully, even Democrats are uneasy about the trillion-dollar entitlement program that's masquerading as "universal coverage." Typical of an Obama bill, the devil is in the details -- and those details are well hidden inside the more than one thousand pages of this bill.
The bottom line is that Obama's health care "reform" will look to create a U.S. government run health insurance program that will function as a direct competitor to private insurance plans.
This program will legally turn health care coverage into a right rather than a privilege -- or even an option, since anyone opting not to carry any health insurance will have to pay a penalty (read: tax) of 2.5 percent of their gross income.
And all without one of those pesky Constitutional amendments...
Of course, to the uninformed , the idea of "universal coverage" sounds like a wonderful idea. And many people wrongly assume that this means the government will be picking up the tab for your healthcare. But nothing could be further from the truth.
In fact, Obamacare is the ultimate example of the adage, "there's no such thing as a free lunch."
You don't have to look very far to find real world examples that explode the myths about universal coverage. Obama is pushing the idea that this will eventually save people money and control medical costs. But if you look at countries with government-run healthcare like France, Germany, England and Canada, it's easy to see that this isn't the case. These countries all have tax rates that most Americans would find abominable -- and these high taxes are in place to support the socialized health system.
With Obamacare, higher taxes are a virtual certainty. And while lots of people like to believe that these taxes will only impact "the rich," they should realize that the so-called "rich" are usually their employers. Small businesses employ most of the people in the U.S., and under Obamacare, tiny companies with as few as five employees would be required to pay a penalty (read: tax) of a whopping eight percent of their income unless they supply their employees' healthcare insurance.
But healthcare is expensive. So many employers will be unable to shoulder such a huge financial burden. So the result will naturally be that, rather than hiring more employees, they will actually prefer to cut staff -- which means that there will be fewer jobs.
Obamacare: no money saver
So will universal coverage at least cut medical costs? Don't bet on it. One of the pillars of the wrongheaded idea of universal coverage is that since everyone will be insured, they won't wait for a medical emergency, which ipso facto will lead to an uptick in preventive care, thereby cutting medical costs by heading off major medical problems at the pass.
Yeah, right.
We've already got a doctor shortage in this country. A sudden deluge of patients clamoring for care (whether they need it or not -- because hey, who doesn't like "free" stuff) is certain to overburden the system.
This point aside, studies have shown that American healthcare spending has been only slightly higher than socialized healthcare countries like France and Germany. The only nation with government-run health care expenditures significantly lower than those of the U.S. is England: a nation with a healthcare system that's notorious for denying and delaying care to patients until they are in dire health straits.
With all of the vast sums of money that this system would cost, I'm sure Obama is drooling over the idea of saving a few bucks by limiting access to care. Good luck getting an MRI or a PET scan unless you're at death's door.
The bottom line is that, in spite of the many assurances and platitudes offered by the president, there's absolute no proof whatsoever that his new healthcare system will make things better; but many examples that it will make things worse.
We can only pray that enough people in Congress can tear themselves away from Michael Jackson stories on CNN to see the flaws written on every one of the 1,000 pages of the Obamacare bill and vote it down.
Hoping against Obama's version of "Change,"
William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.
Just thought I would add this to the mix. I think the better way is to get the hospitals and drug companies and insurance companies to lower their rates then tax us to get coverage!! And what galls me is you pay a penalty if you don't sign up for it. Oops another freedom taken away!!!!