statism watch

Thanks to the cheerleading of individuals like Michael Moore, the US is well on its way to getting a socialized healthcare system. But it’s not what people think. It’s not even social healthcare in the way that the Canadian and British systems work (or, often fail to). Because this bill was written by the insurance companies. It’s a healthcare industry bailout. As Dennis Kucinich, one of the Democratic congressmen that voted against the bill points out, “It is a $70 billion giveaway to private insurance companies and locks in this system that’s the problem, not the solution.” But it gets worse – Americans will now be forced to purchase private health insurance or face steep fines, $250,000 and up to 5 years in jail. This explains why so many of the lobbyists beating a path to Obama’s door in the first days of his presidency were from the health care industry. See here and here.

Flashback: Obama tries to save health-care overhaul on primetime broadcast | Canadian defends anti-medicare ad | ABC Turns Programming Over To Government to Promote State Healthcare Agenda

Adam Gabbat, The Guardian
November 8, 2009

Vote marks significant step towards administration’s goal of extending health coverage to millions of people lacking it

Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare legislation was narrowly passed by the US House of Representatives late last night.

The vote marks a significant step towards the Obama administration’s goal of extending health coverage to millions of people lacking it.

The House voted 220-215 in favour of the bill, which will impose tougher regulations on the health insurance industry and provide cover for around 36 million more Americans.

In a statement, Obama praised the Representatives and said he was “absolutely confident” that the Senate would pass its version of the legislation. “I look forward to signing it into law by the end of the year,” the US president said.

The focus will now switch to the Senate, which is working on its own healthcare bill. Progress has stalled as the Democratic leader, Harry Reid, searches for a way to win the 60 votes required to ensure the passage of the legislation.

The two bills must then be reconciled by lawmakers from both chambers before being put forward for final approval.

Yesterday, Reid issued a statement that said: “We are energised that we stand closer than ever to reforming our broken health insurance system.”

But on Friday the progress of the bill had looked to be in jeopardy after the legislation exposed deep rifts among Democrat representatives.

A total of 40 anti-abortion Democrats threatened to oppose the legislation unless changes were made to ensure federal subsidies in the bill for insurance purchases were not used on terminations. Speaker Nancy Pelosi allowed the House to vote on an amendment to the bill, proposing tighter restrictions on using government money for the procedure. The House approved the amendment by 240-194 before voting on the bill as a whole.

Pro-abortion Democrats were said to be dismayed at the addition of the abortion controls, but the majority voted in favour of the bill in the hope the amendment can be toned down or removed later in the legislative process.

The final vote late yesterday evening saw almost unanimous opposition to the bill from Republican representatives, with only one, Joseph Cao, voting for it along with 219 Democrats. Figures showed that 176 Republicans were in opposition, with 39 Democrats voting against.

John Dingell, a Democrat representative who has introduced national health insurance in every Congress since succeeding his father in 1955, said the bill would offer “peace of mind” to Americans. “It offers everyone, regardless of health or income, the peace of mind that comes from knowing they will have access to affordable health care when they need it,” he said.

But Republican representative Candice Miller claimed Democrats were intent on passing “a jobs-killing, tax-hiking, deficit-exploding” bill. “We are going to have a complete government takeover of our healthcare system faster than you can say ‘this is making me sick’,” she said.

The legislation, unveiled last month, would extend healthcare coverage to 96% of Americans. Democrats put the cost of the plan at under $900bn (£543bn) over 10 years, although some estimates now put that figure at $1.2tn.

The bill would require most Americans to carry insurance and provide federal subsidies to those who otherwise could not afford it. Large companies would have to offer coverage to their employees, and consumers and companies would be penalised if they defied government mandates.

The principal mechanism of the bill is the creation of a government-regulated insurance “exchange” under which private companies could sell policies in competition with the government.

The US government provides coverage for the poor, elderly and military veterans, but most Americans rely on private insurance, which is usually provided through their employers. However, according to the US census bureau, the number of uninsured people in America jumped from 45.7 million in 2007 to 46.3 million last year, as unemployment and the recession forced people to end insurance payments.

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