Healthcare Issues
Our scary insurance/healthcare dilemma
“According to the new ABC News poll on healthcare, Americans are eager to have the government force employers to provide health insurance:
Nearly 8 in 10 favor a federal requirement that all employers offer insurance to their full-time workers.
"Why?!…Do our employers pay for our food, clothing or shelter? If they did, why would that be good? Having my healthcare tied to my boss invites him to snoop into my private health issues, and if I change jobs, I lose coverage. Employer-paid health insurance isn’t free. It just means we get insurance instead of higher salaries…
Insurance invites waste. That’s a reason healthcare costs so much, and is often so consumer-unfriendly. In the few areas where there are free markets in healthcare—such as cosmetic medicine and LASIK eye surgery—customer service is great, and prices continue to drop…But many people still want a free lunch: Consumer-driven care looks less popular if it’s accompanied by the risk of higher out-of-pocket expenses.
“Somehow people seem to believe “insured” means free." —John Stossel
Betrayed by Arnold’s flip-flop
Most readers of Reality Alert voted for Governor Arnold because he promised no new taxes.
In fact, he slammed his opponent Phil Angelides for his massive tax proposals, including a $12-billion socialized health plan that would have increased taxes and crippled our healthcare system.
Arnold made a firm pledge not to raise taxes. Unfortunately, he's changed his position. Now what he wants is the second largest tax in California history.
Of course, like all politicians, he isn’t calling it a tax. It’s a revenue generator (or a “fee,” or a “loan”—all kinds of nonsense words).
Don't believe it. It's a tax.
If the governor admitted it was a tax, he’d have two problems:
| 1. |
A tax increase must have a 2/3 vote from the state legislature. And state Republicans will vote no on this tax increase. |
| 2. |
He would be admitting he was a hypocrite and lied to us. |
Here are some of the outrageous taxes
the governor is asking for:
- A 4% payroll tax increase on businesses with 10 or more employees (even Angelides' horrible plan was a lot better—companies with 200 or more employees).
- A 4% tax on hospitals (many of which are already going out of business).
- A 2% tax on healthcare professionals like doctors and nurses.
These tax increases will drive out existing businesses and stop new businesses from forming. And the governor’s “Hillarycare” plan will only make healthcare worse.
Yes, 6.5 million uninsured (including illegal aliens) will be getting healthcare. But the governor's plan will also dramatically lower our quality of care.
Instead of using free-market alternatives to improve healthcare, he chose the failed road of socialized medicine. Concerned? Tell the government you’re disappointed.
Get ready for your healthcare to turn into the DMV. Want to register your opposition? Call the governor's office at (916) 445-2841 or email him today by going to www.govmail.ca.gov.
Bad economics hurts us all—and victimizes seniors
The Prescription Drug bill recently passed by the House and Senate is supposed to make medications more affordable for seniors.
The truth is, it will have just the opposite effect.
This antifamily, antisenior, antibusiness bill allows the government to negotiate with drug companies for Medicare. If the company doesn’t agree to the government-dictated price, Medicare won’t pay for the drug at all.
Here is what will happen in the short and long run:
| 1. |
The pharmaceutical companies won’t make a profit. |
| 2. |
They won’t do the research and development for new life-saving
drugs. |
| 3. |
New drugs that ease pain and help improve life won’t be introduced. |
| 4. |
There will be less competition, less innovation and less hope for the sick. |
The short-term impact can be seen in the prescription drug program for U.S. veterans. 81% of the drugs aren’t available to our vets because of government “negotiations.”
You can’t suspend economic realities—and that’s just what liberals are trying to do. President Bush says he will veto the bill. Let’s pray that he does.
Healthcare crisis?
“There’s a cure for our healthcare problems. That cure is not to demand more government but less government. I challenge anyone to identify a problem with healthcare in America that is not caused or aggravated by federal, state, and local governments.
“And, I challenge anyone to show me people dying on the streets because they don’t have health insurance.”
—Walter Williams, The Washington Times, February 14, 2007
We hope you found this article to be informative. To visit more articles and for additional information regarding the upcoming elections, please visit www.ElectionForum.org.
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