Fruit of the poisoned tree

That’s what ObamaCare is in its present form.

Conceived in secrecy, nursed by special interests, and birthed prematurely, what did anyone expect?  When someone says that you have to pass a bill to learn what’s in it, shouldn’t that be a clear signal that something is desperately wrong?

I cringe when supporters say “it’s the law of the land” and held to be Constitutional by the Supreme Court.  Well, the Dred Scott decision – which essentially held that slaves were property with no rights – was also made by the Supreme Court.  And bad laws get made and repealed all the time. 

So just because a bad law gets jammed through by a majority party, and survives scrutiny by the Supreme Court on a technicality, doesn’t mean it’s up there with the Ten Commandments. 

Sooner or later, bad laws get overturned.  The Supreme Court usually gets another bite at the apple, too.  Common sense prevails and mischief is undone.  Unfortunately, this can take a lot of time and bad things can happen in the meantime. 

Right now, the media and the Obama Administration are trying to convince the public that there’s so much more good about ObamaCare than bad.  In short, they tend to highlight three things:

      People with pre-existing conditions can now get covered …

      There’s no cap on coverage …

      There are subsidies to help the poor pay for insurance. 

Well, that’s certainly looking on the bright side.  Kind of like saying that the bright side of WWII was that it pulled the country out of the Great Depression. 

So now there are lots of stories about Joe and Flo Blow somewhere who are just thrilled that they can now get coverage after being turned down by insurance companies for years.  There are tales about people who needed an organ transplant but didn’t get one because they couldn’t afford it.  And let’s not forget those who think they’ll be able to get good insurance essentially for free. 

You’d think that until ObamaCare people were dying in the streets for lack of medical care and only the rich had health insurance.     

Mind you, an overwhelming number of people already had insurance through their employers before ObamaCare.  Most of the people who had no insurance either didn’t think they needed it, couldn’t afford to pay for it, or perhaps were “undocumented.”  

If something happened to someone without insurance they just went to the local emergency room and were treated, because … wait for it … there’s a Federal law that requires emergency rooms to treat everyone, regardless of whether they have insurance or can afford to pay. 

Nobody in this country – here legally or illegally – has been denied medical care for lack of insurance or ability to pay for many years.  Long before ObamaCare. 

ObamaCare does nothing to change that.  People without insurance and with no money can still use emergency rooms as their family doctor as they do now.

But won’t everyone now have insurance?  Well that’s the plan but it’s not going to happen.    

Several things will rip it asunder. 

You see, the Affordable Care Act isn’t that affordable.  As with a lot of other big-government ideas many people aren’t going to do what government idealists think they will – or should – do. 

If you aren’t paying anything for something right now, what’s going to make you start paying for it?  The goodness of your heart?  Your innate altruism?  The request by your government that you do? 

Does anyone actually believe that the estimated 10-15 million uninsured who pay nothing for insurance now and get medical care free through their local emergency room are willingly going to start paying for care?  Seriously? 

And the young healthy people the plan is depending on to enroll – the people who won’t need any medical care for years – are they suddenly going to be thrilled to pay hundreds of dollars a year for something they don’t think they need?  Hell, they already bitch and moan about paying back their student loans – good luck with squeezing them for more bucks. 

Now, the counter argument is that people won’t have a choice – everyone is compelled by law to have insurance or pay a tax.  Also, generous subsidies will help people afford this insurance. 

Unless the subsidy brings the cost to zero, or pays people to take it, don’t hold your breath. 

Next, the Affordable Care Act does allow people with existing conditions to get insurance, and there are no caps on coverage.  Which is a good thing for those who couldn’t get insurance before because they had cancer, a heart condition, or some other serious ailment that could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars over their lifetime to treat.    

You may be wondering – or if you’re a Democrat, probably not – how can insurance companies afford to take on these open-ended risks now when they couldn’t before.

The answer is simple.  They can’t.  Not at the rates they’ve been charging. 

ObamaCare didn’t change reality.  It just distorts it to make it appear different. 

Insurance companies are still for-profit enterprises.  That means they have to take in more money than they pay out, unlike the government.  That also means they have to change the way coverage is written to account for their overall increased risks.  They also have to raise rates for everyone to account for stuff they’re ordered to provide “for free” like birth control, preventive care, etc. 

That’s why everyone’s premiums have gone up, despite what Obama promised.  You can order insurance companies to provide services and absorb more risk, and in turn those companies will do what they need to do to still turn a profit.  Otherwise, they won’t stay in business. 

So they raise rates and increase deductibles.  This is going to be a big shock for those who haven’t had insurance before, and especially for the deluded who think ObamaCare means great insurance coverage at an affordable cost.   

They are in for an unpleasant surprise. 

If your out-of-pocket deductibles before your insurance kicks in are thousands of dollars – as they will be on the over-hyped Exchange products – the deal is not so sweet.  Imagine paying several hundred dollars a month for insurance for the first time, going to the hospital, and discovering that you have to spend $5000 or more of your own money before your insurance starts paying.  Or finding that you have to spend thousands of dollars of your own money before your family’s prescriptions are covered. 

I’m not making this up.   This is how it’s going to work for a lot of people.  Yes, they’ll be able to get insurance, but aside from limited preventive care, it’s not going to be particularly useful once you factor in high deductibles. 

Even Obama cannot change the basic economics of health insurance.  It’s all about risk – insurance companies need to shave the odds and potential payouts wherever they can. They want to put some limits on what could turn into an “all-you-can-eat” buffet for some people. 

Unfortunately, the prevailing belief among some groups is that through ObamaCare they will have access to the vast buffet of services, docs, specialists and brand-name prescription drugs.  I’ve heard it from people who should know better – they think ObamaCare will prevent insurance companies from making decisions about what they’ll cover and how much they’ll pay.  In essence, there will be an all-you-can-eat buffet and there’s nothing insurance companies can do to stop it.   

Nothing could be further from the truth. 

By making you spend your own money before they start to pay, they’re betting you’ll be a bit more judicious in consuming services and prescription drugs.   And they’re probably right.  You’re less likely to run to your doc for the latest TV-advertised wonder drug if it’s coming out of your pocket.  You’re more likely to opt for lower cost generics when you do need a prescription, and treat a sprained ankle with hot and cold compresses at home before demanding an MRI.   

ObamaCare also reduces payouts to doctors and hospitals for treating Medicare and Medicaid patients.  Again, idealists in government are wrong: they believe docs and hospitals will work for less because they feel morally compelled to help Medicare and Medicaid patients.  As if docs and hospitals are powerless to resist.  Well docs are like a lot of us – they have to make a living too and if you cut their payments they’ll simply stop accepting Medicare and Medicaid patients.  If hospitals get jammed the same way, they’ll change their working model or close. 

Apply that to insurance reimbursements as well and you’ll see a lot of practices  and providers that won’t accept insurance any more, either. 

Now Obama’s spokespuppets say none of this can happen. With enough young people in the pool, the risks go down so insurance rates will go down.  And people won’t have a choice – everyone will be required by law to have health insurance.  Doctors and hospitals will learn to adjust. 

They are whistling past the proverbial graveyard.  This is a disaster that’s only getting worse.  The more the public learns about it, the less they like it.   It’s an ugly piece of legislation. 

If ObamaCare was so great, why aren’t all government employees on it?  Why isn’t Congress?  Hell, why isn’t Obama and his cabinet?

And why have so many vocal supporters at the beginning requested waivers later on? 

I don’t fault Republicans for trying to stop it. But they are going about it the wrong way. 

Don't repeal it; let it go through.  Just strip out all the waivers and exemptions. 

Let Obama and the Democrats own it 100%.  Then see what happens.