Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Obama"Care" Update

Ever since the Obamacrats produced their health care bill, I’ve been trying to get my hands on it. They won’t release it, because they’re afraid of you. Indeed, despite demands that the bill be available for viewing before it is voted upon, Sen. Baucus (D-Marx) has held this bill tighter to his chest than photos of himself sodomizing a poodle. But details have slipped out. . . this poodle talked.

Here are some of the recent nuggets of which you should be aware. First, my little Obama supporters, don’t expect to get coverage. Secondly, the amount of pain you and your state experience will depend on who your Senator is:

Coverage? You Don’t Get No Stinking Coverage

Most of Obama’s supporters are in for a shock on health care. Like greedy children staring at the big box under the (non-denominational) Christmas tree, they think that with the stroke of a pen, their Lord and Master Obama will provide them with government provided health insurance. Suddenly, keeping that second SUV doesn’t seem like such a hardship!

But guess what children, the box is empty. The Baucus bill provides government coverage by expanding Medicaid. But it doesn’t expand it very far. Under the Baucus bill, anyone making 133% or less of the poverty level will become eligible for free coverage. That’s anyone making $14,440 or less per year. The rest of you have to buy your own.

Yes, you read that right. If you make $14,441 or more, you don’t get coverage! What? That's not what you were promised? Just wait. . . there’s more. You will be required to buy your own coverage. Yep. No more skipping that cost just because you think you’re healthy. If you don’t buy insurance, you will be fined up to $1,900. And if you continue to refuse, you will be sent to jail and fined $25,000. You dirty, disloyal criminal.

But don’t worry, the Democrats feel your pain. They understand this could be a hardship: “For some people it's going to be a heavy lift,” said Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del. They just don’t care. Now that’s tough love!

By the way, ever wonder who will turn you in for not having insurance? Doctors. Isn’t it interesting that the Democrats don’t want doctors turning in illegal aliens because they don’t want to discourage them from getting needed medical treatment. . . but, somehow, that concern goes away when it comes to you?

So how will this play out? Let’s assume you make $15,000 a year. If you can find health insurance at the current private sector rates, you will now need to cough up $4,700 just for the insurance (on average, people spend another $2,500 out of pocket if they actually use it -- so we’ll just assume you can’t afford to use it. . . though you still need to buy it). Sounds like a great deal huh? Oh, it doesn’t? Well, fortunately, you have an out. Just pay the fine rich boy.

So what will Obamacare mean for you? It means that you will get to pay $1,900 of your $15,000 income to Obama so that others can have insurance. Aren’t you glad you voted for this clown? Make sure you write “Yes We Can” on your check. :-)

But don’t worry, at least you’ll get plenty of schadenfreude out of it. The Obamacrats are promising 15 new taxes on health care providers -- because nothing controls costs and encourages innovation better than tax hikes. The insurance industry now is also claiming that the cost of private insurance will go up 49% within 10 years -- that’s another $6,000 a year for a family of four.

Oh, and if your employer does decide to provide health insurance, as unlikely as that may seem, you will be required to enroll in that plan no matter what the cost. At least, you’ll get a tax credit to the extent the cost of the insurance exceeds 13% of your income. . . up to that, you’re on your own.

That's Democratic solutions for you. . .

(Not)Spreading The Pain: Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others

And there is one more really fascinating detail about which you should be aware (thanks to Cheryl for pointing this out). According to the Wall Street Journal, some groups are being exempted from the pain. . .

As mentioned above, ObamaCare works by expanding Medicaid (and by forcing the rest of you to help yourselves). Medicaid is paid for largely by state government, though they do receive some blockgrants from the feds.

According to the Journal, four states will have the federal government pick up the tag: Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island and Michigan. According to Harry Reid (D- NEVADA), these are the states that “are suffering the most.” Did I mention that Harry Reid, who is losing his re-election campaign in a big way in Nevada, represents Nevada? Perhaps that’s just a coincidence? Perhaps it’s also just a coincidence that Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) and Ron Wyde (D-Oregon) sit on the Finance Committee, which drafted this bill?

But wait, there are more coincidences:
• Debbie Stabenow (D-UAW) and John Kerry (D-Masshole) got $5 billion dollars included in the bill to defray the costs of medical insurance for union members. How nice.

• Chucky Cheese Schumer (D-Wall Street) got a higher threshold for New Yorkers and Massholes before the feds start taxing your insurance benefits. So if you live in Kentucky, you get taxed on any plan that costs more than $21,000 a year. Chuck’s friends don’t get taxed until their plans cost $25,000 a year. Strangely, this increased threshold (which applies to only 17 states) applies almost entirely to blue states.

• Bob Menendez (D-Pfizer) of New Jersey got $1 billion in tax credits for New Jersey drug makers, to offset the taxes that Baucus is imposing on. . . drug makers.
And there’s more to come when this sucker hits the floor of the house!

So the next time you hear some self-righteous leftist whine that they are finally going to get theirs or that the Democrats somehow represent the little guy or are somehow ethical, you laugh in their dirty little face and you assure them that they are indeed about to get theirs. . .


Finally, let me state officially that it's time to throw Sen. Olympia Snowe (RINO-Traitorville) out of the Republican Party. Despite the utter immorality, stupidity, and futility of this bill, Snowe decided to betray America because: "when history calls, history calls." Ah yes, the logic of serial killers, dictators, quislings, and RINOs.



24 comments:

DCAlleyKat said...

Now government can compel you to spend your money and if you don't you get fined and jailed...surely there's the smell of a lawsuit in there somewhere?!

LL said...

I thought union members received free healthcare - don't tell me that detail ended up on the cutting room floor? Go back and check. Union pensioners were to receive free healthcare for life, courtesy of non-union members (often called "scabs").

Anyway, I'm glad to see that the Democrats didn't change their spots. I didn't expect them to.

When the American taxpayers find out they've been raped (yet again) and that the rapist didn't even bother to toss them a towel to clean up - maybe they'll be ready for change they can believe in.

AndrewPrice said...

DCAlleyKat, I'm sure people will try. In my book, this should be illegal.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure how the court would say this violates the law. The government can already compel you to pay taxes, purchase car insurance, and maintain property. I suppose, a court might be able to say that this is different because you aren't doing anything to bring this on yourself (like buying a car or land, or earning income), but that will be a difficult argument.

AndrewPrice said...

LL, I sincerely hope so. This thing is incredibly intrusive and destructive. . . and it's for nothing!

And we aren't even talking about the effect on the state of medicine in general when people stop going to medical school and researchers find their budgets slashed. Of course, by that point, they'll have found someone else to blame -- because it can't be their stupid rules that created the problem, it must be someone greedy hidden within the sytem.

Writer X said...

What a bunch of nincompoops, with Snowe the biggest one of them all. The glad-handing and speechifying today by this group following the vote was the most nauseating that I've ever seen.

Andrew, do you think it will make it past the Senate? Any thoughts on whether Obama will be signing a health care bill by Thanksgiving?

AndrewPrice said...

Writer X, He will get something through the Senate, but it certainly won't happen this year.

What the final shape will be, I don't know. If I had to guess, he's going to get cuts to Medicare/Medicaid payments (which should all but collapse those programs -- as doctors refuse to participate). He'll get tax increases on health care companies and drug makers. He'll get an expansion of Medicaid. And he will probably get some sort of meaningless "public option" that no one really qualifies for.

Then he'll claim a tremendous victory.

But the real problem will be that this bill is backwards. The pain (Medicare/Medicaid cuts, taxes, fines) comes first and the goodies (expanded coverage) come ten years later. So people will hate this thing almost from day one.

If we're smart, our campaign slogan will be: "Save Our Health Care, Save Our Country, Repeal Pelosi/ObamaCare".

BevfromNYC said...

I for one am thrilled that I might be the first in my family to go to prison. By the way, don't inmates get free healthcare?

Anonymous said...

When you write it down like this, it seems so...bad.

What happened to my free health care and who will pay the veterinary bills for my unicorn?

We're still getting the unicorns right?

BevfromNYC said...

Betty, not to worry. There's a bill in the House that will give you a tax deduction for the vet bills for your unicorn.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/pets-save-taxes-congress-debate-happy-act/story?id=8811927

Game Master Rob Adams said...

As a Christian I am not supposed to say that I hope Snowe burns in hell for being a traitor so I won't say it.

Anonymous said...

We've lost a battle, and an important one. The war isn't over. The insurance companies played footsie with the administration and found out how much their promises meant. So very late, the insurance companies are largely on our side. The current bill passed by the committee will not even faintly resemble any final version, and we may yet put this beast in the grave it richly deserved. Then we can talk about real reform.

StanH said...

Betty you haven’t gotten your unicorn yet? Ours was delivered just this week …cool!

Andrew, Washington politicians could screw up chewing gum. This is what I expected gibberish of the first magnitude. But, we must be careful with these leftist, “if you can’t dazzle them with brains baffle them with BS.” These senators have massive leftist staffs that can organize Barry’s liberal con at the click of your fingers. Though today we have a disjointed bill watch them attempt to coalesce, because if you’ll remember Barry was ready to sign the original healthcare bill before the August break, I look for that abomination to ooze back in, vigilance is required.

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, LOL1 I'm so proud! :-)


Betty, It's all in how you look at it. If you look at it honestly, then it looks bad. But if you squint and kind of hide your eyes from what's really going on, then it looks a lot better!

P.S. Make sure you pay your unicorn tax!

AndrewPrice said...

ACG, It took a lot of restrain not to say something very nasty. Trust me, I know how you feel.

I just have to wonder, what is she thinking? I honestly can't understand why she wants to vote for this?

AndrewPrice said...

Lawhawk, Did you see Obama on TV afterwards when he kept going on about this bill having "bipatrisan support, from both Democrats and RepublicanS." What a jerk.

Orin Hatch made a great statement tonight about this bill being written in secret and that we still have no idea what the real bill will look like. I was glad he said it.

Anonymous said...

I wonder what all those college students that cheer Obama like he is the second coming will be saying when they see what his taxes do to their paychecks.

"Stay in school, get a degree, get a high-paying job because DAMN have we got plans for about half of that money!"

AndrewPrice said...

Stan, I share you distaste for our "political masters". I think you're right about the need for vigilance. We need to watch this closely and not let anyone off the hook who pushes this thing along.

And when/if it does happen, we need to force the Republicans to take up the mantle of repealing this monster before it does any real harm.

AndrewPrice said...

Anon, I think they're going to be very upset when they realize that nothing has changed for the better and they are paying a huge tab for nothing. It will be like the look on kids faces when they first hear the words "FICA".

Also, if this thing passes, I think people will be stunned at how many new nasty debates suddenly appear, over things like doctor pay and who should get treatment -- things people couldn't imagine fighting about today.

patti said...

fuel to the fire, baby. they are strengthening their opposition. while it's a pain for us to have to fight on, by continuing to discount what americans are telling them they want, they are complicit in their own demise. (note to feds who are monitoring this site: by "demise" i merely mean politicians will be losing their jobs. nothing more.)

CrispyRice said...

You know, I didn't think my mouth could gape open any wider after the past few months. O.M.G.

AndrewPrice said...

CrispyRice, Just wait until the people who have blindly accepted that they were going to get health care realize they've been had!

Tennessee Jed said...

The blatent political chicanery associated with making different rules for different states is sickening. The other scary thing is these guys will make certain anything will not become effective until after re-election. I can only hope the people in a position to do so make this just as public as possible to remind any congressman who votes for this that their survival in office is dubious.

AndrewPrice said...

Jed, I agree. This needs to be made into an Albatross that they can't remove.

And don't think they'll change their behavior once this thing passes. Once Congress starts rationing who gets what, you know what will happen.

MegaTroll said...

Wow! This should be required reading for all of Obama's supporters. It might open their eyes.

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