Government Health Care

Socialism is a system based on government ownership of the means of production and distribution of goods. The question is not does it matter but does it matter to you?

America is changing and we must ask ourselves to what, why and how?

One method is through the government's insistence on the complete restructuring of the American health care system. On the surface this is appealing as the costs to our system are astronomical, it's not available to everyone and seems to have a mystical format by which services are granted. It is a prime arena for an advantageous politician bang a fist and cry for change.

And bang their fists they have. Claiming the system is broken beyond repair our elected officials triumphantly deposited their intricate solution to an issue which has lain dormant for several administrations. On October 29, 2009 on the Capitol steps in Washington DC house democrats under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi unveiled a 1,990 page bill which they feel will bring about the change Americans so willingly embraced during the recent presidential campaign.

It heralds change, that is unmistaken. But is this the change we asked for? If this bill is examined with a critical eye the answer is, at best, a highly suspicious one. The one thousand, nine hundred ninety pages are misleading to begin with; there are only 25 lines of script per page so even on its face the government is guilty of a significant waste of paper. And it is written in the legalese format of "...provisions of paragraph (2), (5) and (7) of subsection (a) of section 702 of the Social Security act of..."

Language used to confuse the layman and distance responsibility of the author.

But I read it. Most of it anyway. Enough to make an educated, intelligent, informed and reasonable judgement of it. It's not what we asked for, that much is apparent. And it's not going to solve our health care debate, that much is certain. What it will do is change this country to one which our founding fathers would be unable to recognize.

And again the question is not does it matter but does it matter to you?

Political rhetoric is a dangerous beast and one which must be carefully screened for content. And the easiest way to form a political view is to follow the money. Where does it come from and whose money is it? Anytime the government speaks of money they are speaking of your money. Without taxation there is no money so alarm should be raised when on page 33 a confusing sleight of hand is revealed by the obscure statement of:

"...Part 7 of subtitle B of title 1 of the Employee Retirement Act of 1974 is amended by inserting after section 703 the following new section..."

This illuminates how Social Security money will be reassigned to pay for a portion of the bill. 'One who robs Peter to pay Paul will always have the support of Paul' said George Orwell.

Peter just got mugged.

Remember, this is a government which alters political language to achieve their goals. For generations Americans have paid into Social Security in the belief that once they reach retirement they will receive their purchased 'benefits'. That term has been replaced by the word 'entitlements'. Is it more readily swallowed to eliminate entitlements than benefits?

Medicare is also targeted for assault in this bill. Anyone who wishes for government control of health care need look no further than this example of precision and iron tight regulation. The bill outlines a new approach to ensure prompt payment of services for those eligible under this program by establishing "...a code to to represent such services..." and to "...establish procedures to provide Medicare beneficiaries..." There's some very murky financing within those lines.

Continuing along the money trail we are informed on page 651 that financing will be raised through the existing Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund within the Social Security account. This landfall of additional resources is acquired by harvesting "...such funds as are necessary for the costs of carrying out the program..." Apparently it is not enough to empty Peter's pockets we must also take his shoes.

But the reaping of finances from the over 55 population will not begin to cover the costs of this landmark proposal. Rest assured there are contingencies for this. The Public Health Investment Fund will be established in the Treasury as a separate account receiving deposits from mysteriously labeled "general revenues." Thankfully this section is fiscally conservative in that it has been allocated a meager 4.6 billion dollars for the year 2011 but the The Fund, as it known within the bill, grows over the years to 9 billion dollars in fiscal year 2014.

I was under the impression the bill was designed to lower costs not raise them.

Deeper examination of The Fund unveils on page 1,250 that it is to be used for the creation of the Public Health Workforce Corps which "...ensures an adequate supply of Public Health Professionals throughout the nation..." The Workforce is to consist of recent medical and dental school graduates who will "...enter upon an agreement with the Secretary (of Health and Human Resources) to serve a period of not less than 2 years..." to pay off their student loans.

At least now we know who will be providing our health care.

But beyond the costs what does the health care bill provide? Who gets government health care? Page 19 states an eligible individual is one who "...is a resident of one of the 50 states..." No mention of citizenship, simply residency, the legality of which remains unmentioned.

Health Care is right guaranteed to all under this government. That alone is debatable but will be left alone for the time being. The government wants health care to be provided for everyone and they use language to claim a Public Option is only there to create an even field of play among health insurance providers. A small business will be required to to provide health insurance but for that health insurance to be a government certified wellness program it must provide a "...health literacy component to provide special assistance to employees with low literacy skills, limited English and from under served populations..."

Your America changes right there on page 66.

What else will we pay for? How about 50 million dollars a year to reduce teen pregnancy? Want to kill yourself yet? Too bad, the bill will not promote suicide, assisted or otherwise.

It's happening. The promised change is occurring before our very eyes. But again the question is not does it matter but does it matter to you? Should you care about a government run health care system? Should you be confident in a government run health provider? Does it matter now?

Or does it matter when your child doesn't qualify for a Swine Flu vaccine?