Tuesday, June 15, 2010

"You will keep your current plan!"

The promise was that you can keep your current health care plan if you like it. Well that is highly unlikely since to be grandfathered as a plan which does not change you must meet all of the added Government mandates and that means that almost all plans will be changed, namely there will be mandated additions, you pay even if you do not want it.

This is akin to auto insurance where you pay the same fee as if you had a Bentley and you drove drunk all the time.

The NPR reporter states:

Republicans, however, were quick to point out that by the department's own estimates, many insurance plans would not qualify to remain unchanged.

Despite repeated promises by President Obama to the contrary, said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. R - Ky., "the government is about to change the plans most Americans have. Here's one more promise the administration has broken on health care and one more warning Republicans issued on this bill that's been vindicated."

What Republicans don't say is that plans that do have to change will have to offer more, rather than fewer, benefits and consumer protections. That includes things such as free preventive services and guaranteed direct access to obstetrician/gynecologists for women.

The problem that this reporter fails to understand, and I believe she truly does not have a clue, is that adding new mandates will cost more and people who take care of themselves will be paying for those who do not.

My favorite issue is obesity and Type 2 Diabetes and its sequellae but the same applies for drug users, cigarette smokers, heavy drinkers and the lot. The philosophy is to remove any and all personal responsibility and have each person pay equally. It is akin to the George Bernard Shaw view of socialism where everyone gets the same pay no matter what! Except now we have everyone pay the same. Perhaps we could apply this to taxes! Just a thought.