While we don't yet know the details, Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid unvieled a plan today to create a national government health
care plan, but allow states to opt-out of it if they choose.
While supporters of the measure have touted it as simply
federalism, the reality is far different.
The problem is that even if legislation allows individual states
to opt out of a government plan, any national plan will incur
costs that would likely be borne by all taxpayers, regardless of
whether or not their state carries the plan. For instance, any
government plan would have to have initial start up costs -- in
the House Democrats' bill these amount to $2 billion, which would
be given to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. And if
the government plan begins losing money and needs to be bailed
out by the federal government, taxpayers in all states would bear
the burden.
While the House bill includes a provision that would prevent a
federal bailout, nobody seriously believes -- especially after
the events of the past year -- that future lawmakers would allow
a government plan with millions of beneficiaries to fail rather
then pump federal money into it.
I wouldn't trust present day Democrats with a dog-catcher bill!
Every communque to congress should begin with the words in 16
point Type... YOU ARE FIRED! Clean out your desk!
PKane| 10.26.09 @ 5:21PM
Federalism my *Democratic party symbol*!
It'll be just like the "federalism" of everything from stimulus
to speed limits tied to highway funds. Sure, you don't *have to*
participate, but you still have to pay for it.
BD57| 10.26.09 @ 5:30PM
The "no bailout provision" is worse than "probably ineffective" -
- - it's flatly unenforceable.
No Congress can bind a future Congress. Our elected officials
know this. Including that provision in the law is a bald-faced
attempt to deceive voters.
Ken (Old Texican)| 10.26.09 @ 5:00PM
I wouldn't trust present day Democrats with a dog-catcher bill!
Every communque to congress should begin with the words in 16 point Type... YOU ARE FIRED! Clean out your desk!
PKane| 10.26.09 @ 5:21PM
Federalism my *Democratic party symbol*!
It'll be just like the "federalism" of everything from stimulus to speed limits tied to highway funds. Sure, you don't *have to* participate, but you still have to pay for it.
BD57| 10.26.09 @ 5:30PM
The "no bailout provision" is worse than "probably ineffective" - - - it's flatly unenforceable.
No Congress can bind a future Congress. Our elected officials know this. Including that provision in the law is a bald-faced attempt to deceive voters.
Liberal Reader| 10.26.09 @ 10:12PM
Yes.