Stanley Feld M.D.,FACP,MACE
Articles about the virtues of Obamacare are appearing almost daily. It is pretty clear that the information is being fed to the media by the Obama administration.
The problem is the sound bites are not truthful. The best sound bites are in the Obama administration has to offer are in play. All the virtues expressed about Obamacare are expensive and un-executable by the Obama administration.
On June 16th Timothy Egan was called on to spin the Obamacare tale in the New York Times.
He lauded the virtues of Obamacare while executing the blame game once again. He starts by describing an under 26 year old with Hodgkin’s lymphoma who was treated to remission using his parents’ employer provided healthcare insurance.
The parents’ employer’s healthcare insurance premiums increased the past few years since it is the law under Obamacare to cover children until they are 26 years old. The coverage pre Obamacare covered only up to 18 years old.
Here is the blame game.
“But he’s (the under 26 year old) still a pariah in the eyes of the insurance industry, which means they can deny him a policy that might save his life.
Not for long. In six months’ time, the heartless practice of refusing to let sick people buy affordable health insurance — private-sector death panels, the most odious kind of American exceptionalism — will be illegal from shore to shore.”
Timothy Eagan’s example is true. However, Obamacare’s most disturbing feature is the Independent Payment Advisory Board. The IPAB, sometimes called a "death panel," threatens to nullify Mr. Eagan’s euphoria for Obamacare.
Maybe this person will not get approved for retreatment if the determination for retreatment is not cost effective according to the IPAB
A vivid example of government’s control over an individual’s personal life and death decisions is the rules that bared access by 10-year old Sarah Murnaghan to the adult lung-transplant list.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sibelius refused to waive rules made by bureaucrats to permit this 10 year old a lung transplant.
Who knows what can happen when the power to make rules and enforce them is in the hands of a bureaucracy? Bureaucracies have a tendency to create rules in which no one has to take responsibility for decisions that affect others’ lives and personal freedoms.
It is obvious that the grip of the bureaucracy will clamp down much harder once the Independent Payment Advisory Board gets going in the next two years. There will be no going back.
The Obamacare’s IPAB is not answerable to any one.
Cost will be an issue in the bureaucratic IPAB’s decision-making process and not the patient’s vested interests.
Timothy Eagan goes on to say,
“The early indications are that most Americans will be pleasantly surprised. Millions of people, shopping and comparing prices on the exchanges set up by the states, are likely to get far better coverage for the same — or less — money than they pay now.
There is no data for this statement except the misinformation and number fudging done by California Covered. The costs in California will be outrageous.
The state of Washington also published disinformation about the cost of care under their health insurance exchange.The law, as honest conservatives predicted, before they orphaned their own idea, is injecting competition into a market dominated by a few big names.
Washington only has one insurance company signed up.
The real number prediction for Washington's health insurance exchange is that even in over-regulated Washington State, Obamacare will increase individual health insurance premiums by 34-80%
What will happen if, in the end, Obamacare really works?”
The early indications from the State of California and Paul Krugman are misleading and dead wrong. I have pointed out that in an earlier article. Obamacare is going to be a train wreck both financially and medical care wise.
In additional, the Obama administration has to build 34 of its own health insurance exchanges. It couldn’t suck 34 states into the Obamacare overspending mud hole.
Auditors at the Government Accountability Office released the results of two investigations. It optimistically concluded that it "cannot yet be determined" if Obamacare will be ready for enrollment a mere four months from now.
The health insurance exchanges are supposed to open October 1. The administration insists that it will.
HHS will run 34 federal versions in whole or part as Governors continue their Obamacare resistance.
Some of the health insurance exchange preparations have barely begun. The Obama administration has already blamed it on conservatives and Republicans.
Mr. Eagan then criticizes Republicans.
“They have good reason to fear it: if Obamacare works, the game will be over for those who oppose the most significant change in American life in a generation’s time.”
The chance that Obamacare will work is minimal. In either case it will be the most significant change in American life in a generation’s time.
Ben Carson M.D. has a very practical comment about the health insurance exchanges.
Obamacare will be a disastrous change and the Democrats will try to blame its failure on Republicans. It has nothing to do with Republicans. It is simply a law that is destined to be a train wreck.
Obamacare cannot be executed and America cannot afford the cost of Obamacare.
Young people will not buy individual insurance from the health insurance exchanges.
The traditional media is getting nervous as they see President Obama using them to promote Obamacare and convince young healthy people to join with a campaign of disinformation.
The media have lately emphasized the real challenge of enticing healthy young adults to sign up for Obamacare. Obamacare needs these young people to sign up and buy the insurance.
The states that have signed on to the health insurance exchanges and the federal government are counting on young people who are healthy to make Obamacare work.
Obamacare will not work even if they sign up. President Obama will have to impose more and more taxes as hiddden taxes and means tested taxes as there are more and more shortfalls.
This has been the destiny of all entitlement states and countries. These higher taxes will have a devastating effect on the economy and economic growth.
The opinions expressed in the blog “Repairing The Healthcare System” are, mine and mine alone
Please have a friend subscribe
The problem is that as the Obama administration and its media surrogates tell lies they start believing these lies until the devastation hits.
Devastation of the healthcare system, the economy and the financial structure is closer than they think.
Everything is very open with a clear clarification of the challenges. It was definitely informative. Your site is very helpful. Many thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Eugene Charter Service | October 14, 2013 at 04:07 AM