How Does The Health Care Bill Cut My Costs?

You're currently paying more than $1000/year for other peoples' health care. Part of it is in higher prices as busineses - some health-related, some not - recoup losses incurred when people file bankruptcy. Part of it is in higher prices as hospitals recoup losses when people refuse to pay for health care delivered in the emergency room. Part of it is in higher taxes, as people deduct health care expenses as itemized expenses.

If everyone is insured, you'll save most of those costs.

Additionally, because people are insured, they will get health care when they need it. A stitch in time saves nine is especially true in health care, where untreated symptoms lead to more severe illnesses.

Why Should I Be Forced To Buy Insurance I Don't Want Or Need?

For the same reason you have to buy insurance to drive a car. You don't know whether you're going to need the care.

If someone is unconscious, how do you determine whether he can pay for health treatment? We ought not let someone die because they don't have a wallet (with an insurance card) in their pocket, or to delay treatment until a credit check can be run.

This Is A Government Takeover Of Health Care!

No, it's not. It's a mandate that you buy health insurance if you don't get it from your employer. There are also carrot (for small employers) and stick (for large employers) provisions to encourage getting coverage through your work.

I Don't Want My Tax Money To Pay For Abortions

I don't want my tax money to pay for war, but I've got to live with that.

The answer, though, is that in countries where they have universal health care, such as the UK where abortions are free, the abortion rate is lower than it is here. You might think that making abortions free would make them more popular, but the fact is, making health care for children free makes keeping a baby more workable.

"Deem And Pass" Is Patently Undemocratic

Voting on two things at once, as a package deal, is ordering suit pants and coat at once; if the store wants to deliver blue serge pants and a black pinstripe coat, you wouldn't be happy.

The Democrats Are Cutting Off Debate

The debate has been going on for more than a year. Is there anything that hasn't been addressed yet? Most bills get passed within a matter of weeks. There's been no undue haste here.

They're Trying To Ram This Down Our Throats

That's how a democracy works. There is a vote, and the majority gets its way.

The Republicans Had A Better Plan

They did? What were the bill numbers? I'd like to go to the Library of Congress website, and read their proposed plan.

A Single-Payer Plan Would Be Better

I certainly think so. A bill to allow people to "buy in" to Medicare at a lower age would provide the proposed "public option" and could be added incrementally.

A High-Deductible Plan With A Health Savings Plan Would Make More Sense

There's no reason a company couldn't offer a plan like that.

For instance, you could pay your premiums and make a $5000 deposit with your insurance company; it pays the first $5000 of expenses out of your deposit and returns any remaining funds of the $5000 at the end of the year. That would meet the requirements of the first-dollar coverage, and you'd be paying a low premium for catastrophic coverage.

This Plan Is Socialistic

Actually, it's not. It's exactly the opposite. Instead of shedding your responsibilities, you are required to be responsible for your own health care. Personal responsibility is one of the core values of a conservative.

It's Unconstitutional. Government Has No Right To Get Involved In Health Care

The Supreme Court decided that a long time ago. We have all sorts of government health care plans, ranging from the Veterans Administration, to CHAMPUS, to the WIC child nutrition program, to MediCare, to MedicAID, to tax deductions for health care expenses, and the Supreme Court says they are all constitutional.

They're Cutting MediCare

They're cutting Medicare Advantage, which pays for things like recreational facilities. They're also cutting payments for things like treating infections that the hospital causes.

They're also cutting payments across the board. Originally, MediCare paid 50% of the cost of procedure; it was later hiked to 80%. They'll probably be passing a "doctor fix" later on, to add back some of the money for services by physicians in small practices.

It's important to note that if Medicare pays less, monthly Part B premiums will fall.

It's 2000 Pages Long. Nobody Knows What's In It

A Harry Potter novel is longer, and many 4th-graders can plow through that in less than 24 hours. It was available in final form for days online before it was voted on, and any congresscritter who hadn't read it ought to be ashamed of himself.

Not that there aren't a lot of congresscritters who ought to be ashamed of themselves. Why would anyone trust someone whose face was orange?

This Is The Biggest Tax Increase In History

Depending on how you figure it, yes or no. However, normally taxes are new expenses. In this case, it's basically money going to the government instead of someone else. For instance, if banks lose less money to bankruptcies, they can - and competition assures they will - charge you less in interest and fees. The price of everything will become a little cheaper.

Rush Limbaugh Said He Was Going To Leave The Country If This Passed

Unfortunately, he didn't specify how long he would be gone. Maybe he'll fly to Montreal to watch a ball game. Or maybe he was just using hyperbole for comedic effect. You realize, of course, that Rush Limbaugh claims to be an entertainer, not a news source?

Glenn Beck Said....

In Peggy Noonan's latest column in the Wall Street Journal, she points out that the WSJ is owned by News Corp, the owner of Fox News, and so she should "take pains to demonstrate that one is attempting to speak with disinterest and impartiality, in pursuit of which let me note that Glenn Beck has long appeared to be insane."

Peggy Noonan is a conservative of impeccible credentials. She was a masterful speechwriter for president Reagan, and wrote the "Thousand Points of Light" speech for President GHW Bush.

How Do I Get A Job On The Death Panels?

This information is impossible to find anywhere, leading many to conclude that there are no death panels, and consequently, the cushy, high-prestige, nicely-compensated positions serving on the Death Panels do not exist.

Because nobody else has information on how to get these jobs, I won't tell you any more for free. However, if you Paypal $5000 to my address - harl-at-canthook.com - I will tell you absolutely everything you need to know about serving on the death panels. What's more, I can guarantee that your chances are as good as anyone's to get one of those jobs.

A lot of people have been telling carefully crafted lies about the Health Care Reform. There are three ways to lie. One is to simply tell an untruth. Another is to tell an incomplete truth. The third (and most devastating) technique is to tell the truth, but do so unconvincingly. You should arm yourself with that knowledge and read carefully.

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answers - death panels - deem and pass - Glenn Beck - health care reform - MediCare - Peggy Noonan - Rush Limbaugh - single-payer - socialism - unconstitutional