Democrats' Plan is Not Free Healthcare, It's Taxes for Everyone
By Peter Roff, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
The instant analysis of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's healthcare bill shows that not much has changed since Congress broke for the August recess.
The plan Pelosi unveiled Thursday, if passed into law, would generate higher taxes, higher premiums, Medicare cuts, and a decline in the quality of the American healthcare system. According to the pro-taxpayer group Americans for Tax Reform, a simple word search of the Pelosi bill uncovered the word "tax" 87 times, "taxable" 62 times, and found 10 instances of the phrase "excise tax." What she and her fellow Democrats are offering is not "free healthcare"—it is an illusion.
What does the bill really do and to whom does it do it? In a speech Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell mapped out how the Democrats' bill would shatter President Obama's promise not to raise taxes on American families making less than $250,000 per year.
The bottom line, McConnell said, is that "If you have insurance, you get taxed. If you don't have insurance, you get taxed. If you're a struggling business owner who can't afford insurance for your employees, you get taxed. If you use medical devices, you get taxed. If you buy over-the-counter medicine, you get taxed. In other words, Americans get taxed going and coming under the trillion-dollar plan that's making its way through Congress."
What the Democrats have proposed is not reform, if reform is defined as a plan to make things better. And to market it as such is a near criminal attempt to deceive the American people—the Justice Department might call it "honest services fraud" were they inclined to investigate.
Coming in at more than 2,000 pages—if you include the separate bill to slash Medicare reimbursements to doctors and hospitals to make the make-believe numbers balance—the Pelosi bill includes new regulations that touch on aspects of everyday American life that even many ardent supporters of healthcare reform never contemplated. What Pelosi has brought forward is not just the "big government" approach to problem-solving; it's the "all government" approach. And it's not what a self-governing nation like ours needs.
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Tags: healthcare | taxes
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Reader Comments
Not a video for Democrat. Republians wanting regulations ???
Jacob of AZ
In late 2004 Republicans warned of economic disaster. Our recession could have been avoided. Republicans asked for Regulation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=CA&hl=en&v=_MGT_cSi7Rs
Bush and McCain warned to.
…..
Check out what all was subsidies back then. Example, what % of nuclear plant and alternative energy.
How long subsidies existed ??? You will find long before Bush. But learn on your own. Am sure you will question your beliefs. As I do.
Anyone who can not doubt their political views, has none. They have unrelenting stubbornness. Unwillingness to change shows house built of cards
A cry for help
Jacob of AZ
"This is the same argument Bush used to subsidize the oil companies who were making a killing off obscene gas prices that helped trigger our economic collapse last year."
I don't have time to answer your comment completely. So, where did you get this. I thought I heard it all, but this is a new one on me.
You can't put blame where blame belongs can you ??? Democrats.
You sleep through Bill Clinton signing law and funding for homes to people unqualified to buy homes. This does go back to Carter.
You sleep through government requiring the loans and Fanny and Freddy buying the paper.
You sleep through sub-prime
You sleep through government bailing out the financial institutions.
I won't attempt to explain oil to you. Be like talking rational about Rush with you. Impossible I bet.
Continued Opposition to Reducing HealthCare Costs brings out the Ridiculous
If I didn't know better, this comic misrepresentation of the facts of health insurance company scams almost sounds like the best argument for single payer as the only reasonable solution to solve the explosion of healthcare costs that's bankrupting the country.
Finally Roff in his idiotic reverse psychology is advocating for single payer healthcare plan for everyone and he seems to be taunting democrats why they aren't offering us the cost savings of such a single payer plan.
The opposition to reforming America's healthcare has gotten so extreme that they will concoct any kook argument to rile the wingnuts and scare grandmas. Its to the point they have undermined their own credibility so much that you have to believe the opposite of whatever they say - clearly demonstrated here.
Roff has the gall to think Americans pay taxes to support welfare for the rich and shameless, but he obviously thinks regular folk shouldn't expect anything in return for their paying taxes. Funny how Roff is so much in favor of the Corporate Socialism that provides for the 'Golden Safety Net' and 'Golden Parachutes' for Wealthy Fat Cats - of course all paid for by the taxpayers. But when it comes to average Americans asking for reasonable healthcare at reasonable cost, the clown is lockstep with the party of No.
By god Roff is sure we need to continue to subsidize the enormously profitable health insurance monopolies who are bleeding Americans dry. This is the same argument Bush used to subsidize the oil companies who were making a killing off obscene gas prices that helped trigger our economic collapse last year.
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