I'm a national panel devoted to researching and reporting Obamacare's
effects, and provide research and analysis to policymakers. I've
spent something between one and two thousand hours studying the law at
this point (I stopped keeping track). I started reading the text
before they voted on it. It's insanity. I've not only read, but
indexed and wrote a guide to the worst of it.
That it has no or very little impact on everyone who has insurance,
for one. 2/3rds will lose their plans, and everyone in America will
pay considerably more, either financially, socially, or both.
I didn't say it did. It makes it *available* to people who currently
can't get it! It still has to be paid for and there are provisions to
provide support for those who can't afford it.
The biggest problem with medical care in America is cost--if it were
cheaper, nearly everyone could afford it. Obamacare costs more,
considerably more.
Obama told Americans O/C would save $2,500 a year & reduce the
deficit.
What do you mean "overhead"? Where does the money go?
To the IRS.
There are *no* OC premiums yet because it isn't in effect until 2014.
There are mandatory features of Obamacare already in effect[*] that
are already increasing the cost of medical care, insurance, and, for
that reason, all other goods and services as well.
[*] e.g., the anti-religious strictures, and the 26-year-olds thing.
How does it remove competition?
In every possible way--setting prices, choosing who can and cannot
provide services
(e.g. the HHS Sec'y deciding who can sell insurance in the exchanges),
who can and cannot own hospitals, dictating what services must be
provided, and which must be consumed.
You mean the rules that aren't in effect yet?
No, that's not what I mean.
Likely you mean rules of
Medicare. There has been talk of cutting back on Medicare for some time
and right now it is a major sticking point of the Republicans to resolve
the current economic issues. You can blame OC for this, but it isn't
something put in place by the choice of Obama, it is a concession.
I never promised anything would be cheaper. I simply said the current
system isn't working for a large portion of the population. Right now
many are forced to suffer because they can't afford proper care. Is
that the type of force you are in favor of?
I did say the current system is run by doctors who have an interest in
maximizing their profit. Once the flaws in the economics of the current
system are made clear the system will change to deal with that. I
expect we will end up with a single payer system. But it might not come
to that. It might be that we have price controls. I don't think that
is so likely as price controls are not typically well received in this
country. But something will change. Medicine is just too expensive and
getting more expensive every year.
We agree that it's too expensive, more expensive than it needs to be.
Obamacare costs considerably more. Further, Obamacare removes the few
remaining incentives to improve cost.
They already do. We all pay taxes and we get back from the government
not according to what we have paid, but according to how we can make use
of what the government provides.
That's the basic problem mistake there--the government doesn't provide
ANYTHING. Anything the government gives you, it took from someone
else. As Washington put it, "Government is force."
That's necessary for any government--that's why we agree to create
governments and allow them certain powers--but the more it does, the
more it has to take from its people. That means its people have to
work harder and longer in servitude to their government. America
decided at its founding that the less we did of that, the better off
we'd all be.
Do you drive on all the highways in
the US? Yet you don't complain that "your" money is used to build them
all. Are you retired? Yet you don't complain that "your" money is
funding social security. Do you have children in school (I don't)? Yet
you don't complain that "your" money pays for teachers and schools.
This is a democracy. You get to vote on what we do as well as anyone
else.
This isn't a democracy. Democracy is mob rule, a deplorable,
dangerous, unstable form of government,and you can't point to one in
all of history that went well. We are a representative republic, very
deliberately chosen for a bunch of very important reasons. Democracy
was rejected.
I don't like that the government spends money on parties and
celebrations. But they do it without my consent because it's not my
money anymore. I hate going into DC to see the fireworks. But every
4th of July they spend the money for others to enjoy. Clearly
*everyone* who pays taxes can't be there to experience the show. But it
is paid for by all of us just the same.
Its not a lot different from Joerg thinking the government's money is
his. It stops being his the moment he sends the check. We all get to
vote and complain to our representatives. That is the limit of our
power in a democracy. In other words, we have to live with all the
other people here. Love it or leave it!
There's a basic misunderstanding of civics here--that's not our
government at all. Our government is not allowed to wantonly do
anything it wants, ever. That's why we have a Constitution--to
prevent that.
For example, suppose we all voted for all of your money...would that
be okay?
Or suppose the Democrats re-enacted slavery...would we be bound to
respect it? I sure wouldn't.
Suppose the government said it was okay to steal from your neighbor?
And then proceeded to do it for you?
Suppose the government said it needed to monitor every citizen in real
time? Obamacare does that.
The issues of what were (and were not) valid functions of government
were carefully thought out, explained, and debated when our country
was created. They're still valid today.
