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Get Over Nobel Prize, Focus on Health Care or He’ll Win That Too

nobel prizeWhile I do try to focus on the facts, this is a rant. A plain and simple, jumping up-and-down, pounding and screaming rant. The Nobel prize? Really? Let him have it.  Move on.  Who gives a crap?  That trophy has been a joke for decades.  If you are weak, accomplish nothing, and endanger your own country… you will win a Nobel Peace prize and a million bucks (give or take $400k).

Health care reform is set to become law while we focus on Pelosi snubbing Reid’s reach-around on T.V.  Wake-up!!  We are being fed the usual tail-wagging the dog crap and we’re swallowing it wholesale.  The economy is in the crapper, we have quadrupled the deficit in a single year, the dollar is being supported more from foreign governments than our own and we think that somehow, the government can manage our health care.  Seriously, ignore the crap on television and grow an opinion.

I’ve started to realize that we’re all fighting an apparition.  It’s not about health care or taking care of the poor.  It’s about the most-serious affront to State and individual rights since the civil war.  The Government cannot force us to buy insurance if we do not choose.  The government cannot accomplish much of what they are pushing and stay within the confines of the Constitution.  That is where we should be concentrating.  This administration and Congress have no respect for the Constitution.

The left-wing is saying that conservatives are just fighting against reform regardless of what’s in it.  They are fashioning the anti-government-run health care crowd as lacking compassion, greedy, and mentally disturbed.  Liberals would have everyone believe that there is consensus for the President’s plan and that Republicans in Congress are out-of-touch, have no ideas on health care, and are the “party of no”.

There is actually consensus out there.  We all believe some things can be done to improve health care and that some things should be done.  Conservatives simply want to do it within the guidelines of the Constitution.  Why do we need sweeping changes to make a difference?  The Congressional Budget Office said we can reduce the deficit by $54 billion simply by instituting tort reform (reduce frivolous lawsuits).  Wait, we can save 54 billion health care dollars and it would cost us nothing?  Measure that against the $81 billion that the Democrat bill in the Senate will reduce the deficit by over the next ten years – it costs $892 billion.  Tort reform will require no new taxes, it’s a spending and deficit reduction.  The Senate bill is an almost $900 billion spending increase that only reduces the deficit because of the over $900 billion in new tax dollars that have to come from somewhere – us.

Secondly, we all agree that competition is needed in health care.  Many Americans won’t tolerate true market reform in health care.  That would require exposing the consumer to the total cost of their care so that cost and quality influenced their decisions.  The $20 co-pay insulates us all from the actual cost of the office visit.  Every doctor costs the same as far as the consumer is concerned.  How do you control costs without competition?  You can’t and the government knows that.  So what can we do?  We use insurance companies to create downward pressure on provider’s (doctors and hospitals) fees.  This forces them to do whatever they can to control costs.  Because current regulations are state-by-state, competition between insurance companies is limited.  Allowing insurance companies to compete between states is something we can all get behind, costs nothing, and could lower premiums.

Everyone would like to see insurance become more portable.  The fact that our health care is tied to our employment is not because the “evil” insurance companies want it to be so.  The Federal government only gives tax incentives for health care plans purchased through employer groups.  This is a gift to the unions and makes employer-provided health insurance much cheaper than individually-purchased plans.  One of two things should happen.  Either we drop the tax-incentive for employers to provide health insurance or extend those same tax benefits to individuals.  I would push for giving tax breaks to individuals which would enable them to buy whatever insurance they want, keep it even if they lose their jobs (and the tax benefit), and keeps premiums affordable with the tax-break.

Lastly, we should all be able to come-to-agreement on the fact that everyone should have access to health insurance.  That is different that requiring everyone to have it.  It is actually illegal for the government to require that we purchase health care insurance.  Many would point at auto insurance as if to show that there is precedent for this kind of mandate.  The government does not require that we purchase auto insurance.  We can choose to not drive.  Where is the choice in the government-mandated health insurance?  That being said, we should make health care available to everyone including those with pre-existing conditions.  If you’re already sick let’s use high-risk plans that pool together those with similar needs.  Insurance plans should also not be able to drop your coverage if you get sick.  What we have to realize is that by accepting that these things should be done, our costs will go up.  It simply costs more to keep high-cost patients insured.

Health care reform is coming.  We need to shape it or we’ll end-up with something costs more than our economy can support, doesn’t improve anything, and will put conditions in-place that will cause you to change from the insurance that you already have and like.  So don’t get upset because the Nobel panel thinks Obama is cool.  Don’t get guilted into supporting the unconstitutional, costly, ineffective reforms the Democrats are ramming down our throats.  Tax-and-spend does not work (it’s bankrupting California at this very moment).  Support tort reform, tax-breaks for individually-owned insurance plans, and increasing competition – the things that make sense.

Call your Senators and Representatives – right now.

www.senate.gov

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Rich Mitchell

Rich Mitchell is the editor-in-chief of Conservative Daily News and the president of Bald Eagle Media, LLC. His posts may contain opinions that are his own and are not necessarily shared by Bald Eagle Media, CDN, staff or .. much of anyone else. Find him on twitter, facebook and

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