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Who Are the Poor Democrats Going to Stick with the Medical Bill?

By Doug Bandow on 6.14.09 @ 9:28AM

To the uninitiated, health care "reform" sounds like a good thing. Of course, "reform" is in the eye of the beholder. In practice, most Americans would not like the sort of "reform" being plotted by the Obama administration: politicizing the medical system, turning coverage and treatment decisions over to government.

It turns out that Democratic politicians aren't so certain they like "reform" either. For even the Democrats seem to realize that ultimately someone has to pay the increased cost. And hiking taxes doesn't bode well for their futures.

Reports the Los Angeles Times:

Behind the open brawling over how to rebuild the nation's healthcare system, another struggle is beginning that may be the toughest test for the drive to cover millions of people without insurance and improve medical care for all: who should pay the eye-popping bill.

President Obama and his congressional allies -- who are also struggling to hold down the national debt after years of deficit spending and new outlays to combat the recession -- have pledged to raise more than $1 trillion over the next decade to offset the costs of what would be the biggest health overhaul in generations.

But the prospect of new taxes, new fees for businesses and cutbacks in other government spending has set off a furious behind-the-scenes struggle that is reviving the old maxim attributed to the late Sen. Russell Long of Louisiana: "Don't tax you, don't tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree."

Faced with a proposal to increase the tax on liquor and soft drinks, for instance, the liquor lobby sent Anchor Brewing Co. of San Francisco to see House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco). The milk industry objected too, saying it would have to raise the price of chocolate milk.

And when congressional Democrats started warming up to the idea of curbing the tax break for employer-provided health benefits, the labor movement attacked one of the idea's leading champions, liberal Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

"I suspect what will emerge as the toughest issue for lawmakers is not the ideological debate about the role of government, because there is some consensus there about the need for a centrist approach. Rather, it will be how to pay for the plan," said Drew Altman, president of the nonprofit Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. "The bottom line is there is no slam-dunk, easy way to do this."

To date, interest groups remain reluctant to appear intransigent and risk getting shut out of negotiations.

But the jockeying is expected to become public soon.

And it's already worrying Democrats on Capitol Hill, where there is little consensus about how to come up with hundreds of billions of dollars.

Well, there's always the option of "taxing the rich." After all, that's how we are going to pay for the $13 trillion in bail-outs so far. And the nearly $800 billion so-called stimulus package. And the more than $100 trillion in unfunded liabilities for Medicare and Social Security. What's the problem with hitting the rich up with a few more trillion? "Taxing the rich" is what makes America great, right?

Jim O'Brien| 6.14.09 @ 10:33AM

Obama says he’s open to all suggestions. Sure he is ...... Here’s one: turn over our health care to free enterprise. We need less government involvement, not more. The more government meddles with health care, the fewer doctors and hospitals we will have. That means lower quality and long waiting periods, and as a result people will die from ailments that could have been treated if the government had not interfered. Congress should be advised that it is not authorized by the Constitution to take away our lives by rationing and withholding treatment.

The Demo-Socialists' current scheme is to push everyone toward the so-called “single payer” system by requiring universal coverage. Businesses which don’t provide coverage will pay a “fine”, which will be low enough to provide them with an incentive to pay the fine, thereby forcing their employees into government insurance. The “fine” will be cheaper than providing coverage, so it’s a Socialist trick.

American health care is currently the best in the world as a result of free enterprise developing new drugs and innovative procedures. Free market competition leads to higher quality and lower prices in every field, including medicine. This is the essence of capitalism. The free market “knows” more than any Commissar of Health inside the American Kremlin can possibly know.

Even if Obama’s Socialized Medicine were a good idea, which it isn’t, universal government coverage would put another nail in the coffin of our economy. We can’t keep printing money without duplicating what happened in Germany in the 1920’s, when hyper-inflation inspired and fueled the rise of Adolf Hitler.

PHILFL63| 6.14.09 @ 1:18PM

Please! No more taxes. No more cynical, incompetent, quasi-intellectual, affirmative-action fools (who have no business in positions of political power/authority) trying to turn America into a giant ghettoized wasteland by implementing welfare for all but primarily the low-life constituency of minorities and welfare recipients. Please bring back America before massive federal government intervention, unions, and diversity. Life is not fair. I do not want my money going to try and make it fair to satisfy starry-eyed liberals and cynical politicians. America is better than this.

Oldefarte| 6.14.09 @ 4:06PM

Americans obviously still don't GET IT----when Obama casually commented to Joe Werzelbacher about the need to REDISTRIBUTE WEALTH, this is what he was referring to! There are no free lunches, folks. If anyone thinks that the costs of Obama's stimulus plans plus his proposed healthcare insurance plan does not translate into MORE AND INCREASED TAXES OF EVERY VARIETY, then they had better seek psychiatric assistance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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The American Spectator

Comments

Jim O'Brien| 6.14.09 @ 10:33AM

PHILFL63| 6.14.09 @ 1:18PM

Smitty| 6.14.09 @ 3:34PM

Oldefarte| 6.14.09 @ 4:06PM

wholesale shoes| 7.8.09 @ 4:53PM

Gold| 7.9.09 @ 10:57PM

winter boots| 8.6.09 @ 2:53AM

boots| 8.6.09 @ 2:53AM

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