B.O.H.I.C.A. Pt. II

Keith Hennessy at his eponymously-named blog has a .pdf link to the Obamacare bill that was leaked over the weekend. KH provides the breakdown, here. No real surprises… everything we’ve come to expect from government-managed health care is in full effect, it’s just that now it is all a terrifyingly real legislative possibility.

The first thing that struck us is the breadth and scope of power the Treasury Dept. and HHS have assumed for themselves in administering Obamacare which, incredibly, includes establishing a tax that one would pay if one is not enrolled in a “qualified” health insurance program. And to think that we were under this Constitutionally-induced delusion that only Congress could levy taxes.

Here’s another point that defies logic:

4. Health insurance plans could not charge higher premiums for risky behaviors: “Such rate shall not vary by health status-related factors, … or any other factor not described in paragraph (1).” Smokers, drinkers, drug users, and those in terrible physical shape would all have their premiums subsidized by the healthy.

The very thing that sets at the heart of our own health care reform, the ability to customize your health care plan (choosing what you do/do not want covered) coupled with the insurer having the freedom to assess risk on an individual basis, is completely neutered.

And no big government plan would be complete without the following - an aspect of the program that will, of course, be completely free of political influence-peddling, favor-seeking and graft:

15. The bill would create a new pot of money for state gateways to pay “navigators” to educate people about the new bill, distribute information about health plans, and help people enroll. Navigators receiving federal funds “may include … unions, …”

Good to see that “community organizers” and the like will be getting in on the action.

Forgetting for a moment the issue of the enormous outlay of tax dollars just to cover everybody that Obamacare desires to bring in under this big tent, what is left out of the bill is who is going to foot the bill for the massive bureaucracy that will be required to administer Obamacare. But we think we all know who that will be.

Please check out the link - it's a good read.