Democrats' health care reform a delusional fantasy

On April 30, 2009, Hernando Today published a piece "Is Anyone Paying Attention?" which posited that "the most compelling macro economic issue facing Americans today is whether Democrats will complete the entitlement trifecta with socialized health care."

It went on to remind readers that filibuster proof Democratic majorities allowed FDR and Lyndon Johnson to put the New Deal and Great Society into law and now we have Barack Obama's third leg of the trifecta being enacted by "an equally unstoppable Democratic Senate that will change the balance of power and our national debt in ways we haven't seen before."

I haven't changed my mind.

It is impossible to wrap your mind around this massive Congressional undertaking to reform 16 percent of our economic output. Nobody has digested the thousands of pages of legislative legerdemain (certainly nobody in Congress), which represent all sorts of political shenanigans to get all 60 Democratic Senators on board.

This monstrosity will be a bureaucratic and lawyers delight for decades to come and will promote an endless number administrative rulings and litigation - and the employment of even more government employees.

And we have the British National Health Service (NHS) the third largest employer on the globe, to thank for this inspirational legislation, which according to their own official government finding, reported in the Times online UK, "is facing the biggest financial crisis in its history requiring tax rises or large cuts to other government departments just to maintain its budget."

The NHS is the granddaddy of modern government-run health care, and the Brits have been at it since 1948. It is nirvana for the Democratic leadership, and their ultimate goal. Democrats are about to put into law the legislative and bureaucratic framework for complete takeover of health care. We have a lot to look forward to. We're already bankrupt, and now this. Many experts think we should tackle health care reform incrementally, including this writer. It is simply too much to digest at one time.

This is what happens when one party has all the power. Penny Skillman of the San Francisco Chronicle said it best in 1988: "The most delusional fantasies can be made to masquerade as sanity if you've got the political power to reinforce them."

And they've got the power.

Democrats insist this is not a government-run program, but as Majority Leader Harry Reid said on Dec. 24, "This is only the beginning ...The work goes on. The cause endures." Once government controls are in place they will never go away. They will only multiply in pages and cost, just like the tax code. Democrats refer to this as a "historic event. So was the Great Depression.

Oliver Wyman Inc., a well-known consulting firm experienced in actuarial analysis and health insurance, reports that premiums for individuals will rise by $1,576, and $3,341 for families under this bill. And, once again, young people get the shaft. But they don't read newspapers.

Premiums for the youngest third of the population will rise 35 percent. This is in line with the judgment of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which confirmed that the Senate health care reform bill would make coverage more expensive for millions of Americans. It stands to reason, given that insurers cannot deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions; and rates can't be raised on sick people.

The CBO did not take into account the previously uninsured will drive up premiums 20 percent, according to an analysis of actual claims by Wyman Inc. Furthermore, logic would dictate that many - particularly the young - will simply pay the cheaper $750 annual penalty until they get older, or sick - or both, and then get insurance.

Karen Ignagni, president and CEO OF America's Health Insurance Plans, testified that "between 2010 and 2019 the cumulative increases in the cost of a typical family policy under this reform proposal will be approximately $20,700 more than it would be under the current system.

But do not be concerned, because President Barack Obama pledged on June 15, "No matter how we reform health care ... if you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period." Sure. The only people who will be able to afford health care will be government employees and members of Congress. And reform was supposed to make health insurance more affordable!

It will be interesting to see how many opt out of "compulsory" health insurance and simply pay the cheaper $750 fine. Since the penalty is treated like a tax, the IRS will be the enforcer. And similar to 1099 reporting, those who provide health care coverage must file a return with the IRS who will cross check to determine if taxpayers have acceptable coverage. This will be a bureaucratic nightmare and require a more intrusive and expanded IRS.

Americans do not have a good compliance track record with government mandates. Forty-nine states have compulsory auto insurance to protect third parties. It's almost a joke, because insurers must also offer uninsured motorist coverage in compulsory auto insurance states, because so many drivers ignore the law. Sixteen percent of Americans refuse to buy auto insurance even though you can get fined, lose your license or go to jail! Regulation is only as good as enforcement and a citizen's attitude towards government mandates. And many believe it is unconstitutional to require a citizen to buy private health insurance - even with taxpayer-funded subsidies being offered.

There are many progressive liberals with good intentions, but they haven't been paying attention to where their leadership is taking them. As the iconic socialist poet-author Carl Sandburg so correctly observed about himself, "I am a idealist. I don't know where I'm going, but I'm on my way."