printIn “Heeere’s Health-Scare” I posited an absolutely revolutionary concept (NOT): that it was a mathematical improbability to expect “an expansion of government through an enormous entitlement program to drastically reduce the deficit and debt.”
Apparently that no-brainer has been recognized by an aide to the ruling Solons. Chief Medicare actuary Richard S. Foster grew a brain or got some courage, or both.
“In signing the measure last month,” writes the NYT, “President Obama said it would ‘bring down health care costs for families and businesses and governments.”
But Mr. Foster said, “Overall national health expenditures under the health reform act would increase by a total of $311 billion,” or nine-tenths of 1 percent, compared with the amounts that would otherwise be spent from 2010 to 2019.
In his report … Mr. Foster said that some provisions of the law, including cutbacks in Medicare payments to health care providers and a tax on high-cost employer-sponsored coverage, would slow the growth of health costs. But he said the savings “would be more than offset through 2019 by the higher health expenditures resulting from the coverage expansions.”
AMAZING. Why did I not think of that!? It takes an actuary to convince the country that when you cut expenses, expenses go down. And that when you steal from Peter to lavish on Paul, Paul’s expenses diminish.
Unbloody believable.
Oh, the actuary’s report also stated what I reported in another column, on August 7, 2009, where I contended that BHO was “Destroying Healthcare For The Few Uninsured.” For less than ten percent of the population, to be precise.
Mr. Foster’s report said that “34 million uninsured people will gain coverage under the law, but that 23 million people, including 5 million illegal immigrants, will still be uninsured in 2019.”
But illegals use ER facilities liberally for free. Going by statism’s logic (read lies) there has to be some savings in there somewhere.
UPDATED (Aug. 11): Via NewsMax:
“A published report saying the Obama administration knew that its healthcare proposal would increase costs instead of reducing them is “troubling,” according to a senior House Republican leader.
Administration officials from the president downward used claims that the legislation would reduce healthcare costs to get the votes of wavering members of Congress.
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius knew about a report from Medicare’s Office of the Actuary prior to the House’s March 22 vote, indicating the bill would increase healthcare costs, according to an April 26 report appearing in The American Spectator’s Washington Prowler blog.
The bill passed by a 219-212 margin with several self-proclaimed fiscally conservative Democrats voting in favor, believing it would reduce costs.”
Chief Medicare actuary Richard S. Foster grew a brain or got some courage, or both.”
That completes it – life imitates art – we, like Dorothy, are in Oz. From the book:
The Wizard (Professor Marvel) played by Obama:
“I AM OZ…. the Great and Powerful! Who are you?”
“Oh, but I’m a very GOOD man. I’m just a very bad wizard.”
“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain! The Great Oz has spoken!”
the Emerald City (green) – capitol of Oz – where everyone’s made to wear green glasses to promote the illusion.
the Evil Witch – Nancy Pelosi,
Nikko, leader of the winged monkeys – Hairy… errrr… Harry Reid.
Also of note:
Frank Baum, author of the Oz series, moved to Chicago (Obama also); was captivated by the Columbian Exposition (Obama – Columbia U).
And this political allegory is neither farfetched or original.
Another example: Erisman, Fred. L. – Frank Baum and the Progressive Dilemma, American Quarterly, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Autumn 1968), pg. 618
Those who control the politics and the media will make sure that the health care will be PROCLAIMED A SUCCESS. Furthermore, any deficiencies can be overcome with another 2000 page bill and another 100,000 bureaucrats. Hallelujah!
Legal, illegal, insured, uninsured, yadda yadda yadda. Anybody with half a brain knows the folowing: 1) It’s going to cost a ton. How much of a ton? Who knows. How do I know? Government programs ALWAYS cost a LOT more than we are told on the front end. 2) It won’t work. The government is unable to perform even the most basic functions because they have no business judgement, picking workers on ideological grounds rather than who’s the best for the job. The hopeless liars in government have actually claimed this program will cut the deficit. What a crock. Any voter that believes this plate load of kudu dung deserves what they get. What is disheartening is we get a plate load of said dung along with the idiots.
Why was a free-market solution never, ever, even tried? This article was great, I thought: http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig11/boyapati1.1.1.html detailing one individual’s experience with the system, and distilled from that, his views on how to solve the problem.
But we don’t really want “solutions,” now, do we? The point is overarching control. I look at elderly family members whose (private) health insurance provides for their care when ill; when I reach that age (God willing) I’ll probably just be “euthanized” under a government-funded mandate. Heck, when my late father was dying, on the last night of his life, I was sitting in the waiting room next to the critical care facility in a private hospital. Some a**hole, also waiting for a critical care patient, had the nerve to vociferously state that when people reach age 70, they should just be terminated (Dad was 73.) Not a pretty picture; but likely to become more common when government health care becomes the law of the land.
Big Government is very, very good at expanding its reach and power.
It sucks at everything else.