Bedrock of Freedom At Risk With Health Care Reform

2009 July 22
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by Kelly Estes

Would you sign a trillion dollar contract if you hadn’t read it completely? Of course not. No regular American would. But some Democrats in Congress seem to think it’s no big deal to vote for and sign away not only $1 trillion of taxpayer’s money for nationalized health care over the next 10 years, but also sign away the freedom of every American.

Americans are starting to hear some of what is in the 1000+page Health Care Reform bill, and they’re getting scared. Understandably so.

“The Health Care Bill…is going to destroy the small business sector….and is the single greatest threat to freedom and liberty,” said Stephen Moore of the Wall Street Journal at last week’s ALEC convention in Atlanta, Ga.

Moore noted that Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel has proposed an 8% increase in taxes on small businesses which do not provide health care insurance. A recent Wall Street Journal article underlined the difficulties small businesses will face as taxes sharply increase in a difficult recessionary environment. Payroll taxes and capital gains taxes will also be increased under Rangel’s proposal. The top tier of taxpayers will see a 58% combined federal and state tax rate, Moore noted.

“Another implication of the Rangel plan is that America’s successful small businesses would pay higher tax rates than the Fortune 500, and for that matter than most companies around the world.”

The bottom line is that Rangel’s proposal has a very ugly outlook for small businesses.

How will health care affect the regular, working American?

Heritage Foundation: “Yearly premiums for the typical American with private coverage could go up by as much as $460 per privately-insured person, as a result of increased cost-shifting stemming from a public plan modeled on Medicare.”

Would you and your older family members be happy being ‘covered’ by the public, government-run health care plan? What, you say? I have private health insurance. Yes, but if the Health Care Reform bill is passed, it is very likely you will not keep your private health insurance for long.

  • The U.S. government will make it very difficult, if not impossible, for people to keep their private health insurance. See page 16 of the Health Care Reform bill here. As the Heritage Foundation points out, the government has dictated stringent new rules for the private health care insurance industry which, once implemented, will push the cost of private health care so high that very few, if any businesses will be able to pay the expensive premiums. The result? Many people will be dumped into the public health care plan, which some cynics, including myself, believe is the ultimate goal of Mr. Obama and those in Congress supporting the Health Care “Reform” bill. Even if your employer pays the higher price for private health insurance, if you get a new job with a different employer, you are no longer eligible for private health insurance, even if your new employer offers it. Doesn’t seem fair or very American, does it?
  • Government representatives will be authorized to come to your home once you reach a certain age to discuss quality of life options; see Sec. 1236 of the Health Care Reform bill. This sounds like an easy path to euthanasia, doesn’t it? Think about it. If the government decides older people are too expensive to treat, what do you think they’ll do? One has only to look across the pond to the U.K., where that government recently decided not to treat breast cancer patients because….wait for it….these women were too expensive to treat.
  • Medicare payments are going to be cut if the Health Care Reform bill passes. Again, this puts the older population of America at risk. Already, doctors limit the number of Medicare and Medicaid patients because of the very low payment for service they receive from the government. What do you think will happen when Medicare payments to doctors and hospitals are slashed further? Well, it seems to point to doctors either further limiting the number of Medicare patients they see, or getting out of the business altogether. And we already have a problem of too few general practitioners across America due to their relatively low pay compared to doctors in medical specialties.

    • My friends, this is not all the Health Care Reform bill will do. The 1000+ page bill also dictates to young children, and that is an issue I will cover in a later post.

    I urge you to stand up for freedom and for all Americans. As radio talk show host Herman Cain pointed out recently at the ALEC convention, “People aren’t just concerned anymore, they’re fearful.”

    People are fearful of all the things that are being passed in Washington, D.C. No one has read the bills, but they’re passed anyway. Mr. Obama even said recently that he hasn’t read the Health Care Reform bill, but is out campaigning and lobbying hard to get it passed. Let me say that again. Mr. Obama has not even read the Health Care Reform bill, and he has said he is not ‘familiar’ with the bill. Yet he is very sure that it’s a great idea and he wants it passed ASAP. Does that make sense to you?

    Remember the mess that resulted from people not reading their sub-prime mortgage contracts? The chickens from that debacle have already come home to roost. God help our nation if Health Care Reform passes. Health Care Reform will take away the liberties and freedom that Americans have always considered the bedrock of our culture. Only now, that bedrock is about to be cut into and disfigured by the machines of socialism.

    If that isn’t what you want, it’s time to make your voice heard. My friends, we must not be discouraged from action. Listen to Mr. Cain’s words of wisdom: “We are the people in charge of this country. Our vote counts, and our voice counts.” Make sure, my friends, that your voice is heard in Washington, D.C. After seeing only a small part of what is in the Health Care Reform bill, don’t you think that we are in a legislative fight for our freedom?

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    One Response leave one →
    1. clarebet permalink
      July 22, 2009

      The President is frantically trying to push through his health care reforms at break-neck speed. However, a number of vital questions need answered:-

      (1) The 1,000 + page proposals are undoubtedly complex. Does anyone really believe that a government-run system will reduce costs and not result in rationing of care, like in the U.K and Canada?

      (2) Tax increases are inevitable. Is this the right time to impose a massive small business tax and crippling penalties that will force small businesses to shed jobs or close their doors?

      (3) The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the cost at more than $1 trillion. Can we afford it when we are already running a trillion-dollar deficit this year alone?

      (4) The CBO also estimates that roughly 23 million Americans would lose their private coverage. To make matters worse, USA Today says that “15 million to 20 million would remain uninsured”. Is this not even more proof that a government takeover of health care is not the answer?

      (5) Every American will be forced into a health plan that includes abortion coverage. Should we be forced to provide for a procedure which many find morally reprehensible and should
      honorable medical providers be forced to violate their consciences to perform abortions?

      The simple answer is “No”

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