A comprehensive health care reform bill may be a long ways off because there is simply no money for it. However with this Congress, Health Care is not a matter of getting it right it’s a matter of getting it passed before dear old Teddy (Senator Ted Kennedy) dies. The Senate doesn’t really care about the “people” and what they will have to put up with this bill as long as dear old Teddy has a legacy to take with him to where ever he is going.  I have my own thoughts on that.

Our V.P. Biden recently said that he and the Health Care Providers reach a deal that will pay for it by saving $168 billion over a ten year period. That may be a start but if you remember Congressional Budget Office (CBO) came up with a price tag of $1.7 Trillion over the same ten year period. The CBO also said that the plan submitted by dear old Teddy only produced a “Net Zero” plan, meaning that it only covered the same amount of people that are covered on the various other Government plans, namely Medicaid and SCHIP. So I think the floundering Vice President has a way to go. 

I recently received copy of the Aug. issue of the AARP Magazine, which I get for what reason I don’t know.

The AARP Health Report, this month, was tiled “8 Myths about Health Care Reform”. Naturally AARP has no idea what plan the Democrats will come up with, but to them it makes little or no difference, so in my opinion the whole thing is a smoke and mirror Myth.

Let’s start with the introduction prior going to the 8 Myths. The article starts with the Democrat talking point we’ve heard since the start on the Obama campaign that we Americans spend more on health care then we spend on such things as education, building roads, and even feeding ourselves. They cite we will spend an estimated $2.6 trillion health care dollars in 2009 or $8,300 dollars per person. Then comes the coup de grace that is suppose to scare us into signing on the bottom line on any stupid Government Run Health Plan:

There are supposedly 45million Amigos without any form of health care. These staggering figures are the heart of the current debate. First of all, that number is BOGUS. According to the Census Bureau 9.7 million of the uninsured are not citizens of the United States, but does that matter to the Democrats, it does to Teddy, because they are “in the shadows and should be covered.” What happen to the other 1.3 Million? The Democrats have been using a figure of 11 million “in the Shadows”. At any rate the 9.7 million will get care if the have to visit an U.S. Emergency Room.

14 million more of the Amigos are eligible for Government programs such as Medicaid or SCHIP. These Amigos would be automatically signed up for these programs if they visited an Emergency Room.

What about the ones who can afford Health Insurance, but make enough money they have decided to go it alone. This segment amounts to roughly 26.7 million.

Since the above total adds up to 49.1 million people either don’t want Health Care insurance, or who are not eligible because they are Teddy’s “in the shadows Amigos” and the ones who are eligible but can get it free buy going to the Emergency Room the Obama reasoning is truly BOGUS.

The last paragraph in the introduction which was put out by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation which, I guess funds the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), says “There is enough evidence that it is now time to do something and do the right thing.” The key is to focus on the fact and dispel, once and for all, the myths that block our progress.

I say the emphasis should be doing it RIGHT but if you are looking for justification, first get all the facts right.

The Bipartisan Policy Center leaders Howard Baker Tom Dashle and Bob Dole have talked to hundreds of people associated with the health care sector came out with this brilliant statement. These are the guys who set the ground work for what was being worked on in the Senate.  

 Promoting a Bipartisan Process:

The Leaders believe strongly in the importance of finding a real, bipartisan solution to thenation’s health care crisis right now. This requires members of both parties to engage in acollaborative, constructive debate with the goalof achieving true compromise. The Leadersencourage truly bipartisan efforts in Congress, and support inclusiveness and transparencyacross all stages of the process – from policydevelopment to final passage. Addressing anissue as complex and personal as health reformthrough the budget reconciliation process mayimpede the ability of lawmakers to passlegislation that is durable, lasting, and meaningful to all Americans. In similar regard, because timing is so critical, bipartisan legislation should be considered without extended floor debate.

You and I both know, because anything Teddy has to do with will be so large, there won’t be any bipartisan debate just like the Cap and Tax bill, and nobody will read it before the vote. Is that fast enough for these three “has-beens”? If you are like me, we go through the task, every year of selecting the best insurance plan for our families regardless of who the providers are. SO WHY SHOULDN’T WE HAVE THE SAME RIGHT WITH “THE PLAN” THE GOVERNMENT IS FORCING ON US? The key word is PLAN, meaning the one and only.

My opinion is that after the bill is finalized but before being voted on, there should be a 30 day cooling off period so that our congressmen and the public can read and digest it. Comments, opinions, and questions should also be made known to our legislators for their debate prior to voting. 

I like the saying “back in the day” because it can mean anytime. It’s a perfect statement for the older people like me. Between you and I we have always thought that those of us who worked for non Government employers and were getting health care, that the Government was not meddling around with it.

Well back in the day the IRS said, to the effect, that if an employer provided health care for their employees they, the workers, would not have to pay taxes on the benefits. This became a recruitment benefit to draw in the best employees as well as a UNION perk. The companies also were in competition with one another that company provided health care became a major factor for prospective employees, including me, so much so that now over 60% of all the people covered are covered under employer plans. This is what McCain was talking about during his campaign and Obama spent 17% of the total cost of his campaign besmirching McCain for saying he would tax benefits provided by the employers.  

The majority of the small business owners were left to purchase their own Health Care insurance and their employees, if they could afford it and get taxed for using the benefits. 

Now we don’t know what the health plan is that just past in the Senate Committee today (07/15/2009), and I bet you the most of the Democrats and none of the Republicans read it because they weren’t allowed to see the bill until the 15^th . I can almost guarantee it will make these small business owners provide benefits for their employees, except for union shops, have to pay for part of the cost of the Government plan. I will, again almost guarantee that with this “Plan” one of the ways it is going to be paid for is by taxing the employer provided Health Care benefits used by their employees. Today there is about 6% of the population who pays for their own insurance who don’t get the tax advantages of the employer provided ones. We all should.

AARP Myth #1: Health reform won’t benefit people who have insurance today.

The premise here is that you may have it know but maybe not tomorrow and states that nearly 266,000 companies dropped their employee Health Care coverage from 2000 to 2005, not mentioned is why:

“The Devil is in details”

Why did, employer provided, health care get so costly? The big reason employer provided plans have risen, some as much as 50% , is when they get a special tax exemption from the Government they have to include, in the offerings, what ever mandates they tell you. Mandates vary by State, because of state regulations, but currently the Governments have imposed some 2,000 mandates and regulations nationwide, this is also the avenue by which Unions thought they would gain control small businesses.

Hopefully you can see how a Government provided health care plan can and will take over the employer provided plans. In fact the Government has been governing our health care for a long time. I think all this is part of the grand plan of supporting a case for Socialized Health Care. Ask your elected officials if they will drop their plan and join the one they are forcing on us??  Obama already said no.

                                                MY OPINION

I sort of think it would be easier, less costly, and portable if everybody obtained their own Health Care solution. Get the employers and Government out of the business of managing Health Care altogether, so that each individuals and families can pick the plan, with the coverage, they require.

Since the cost of most insurance plans average around $5,000 for families and half that for individuals, I think it a deduction covering the cost of our plan up to $5,000 for families and $2,500 for individuals and with no tax on benefits would work just find. People who do not pay taxes would get, if they file a 1040, a refund of the same amount after the insurance companies file a claim. Most of these people are already getting some sort of Government assistance.

I was going disclaim all of the AARP myths but I was saved by this:

I just received this today. I saw the chart on TV last night.

You must go to this link. It will boggle your mind:

Facts You Need to Know about the Health Care Bill

Posted By Bobby Eberle On July 17, 2009 at 7:25 am

http://www.gopusa.com/theloft/wp-print.php?p=1736