One Last Time: ObamaCare Is Flawed

Forgetting the death panels, which are real, and the tax increases, which are real, and the cuts to Medicare, which are substantial--and the Constitutionality of 'forcing buys' of health insurance, which remains to be decided...

The Senate bill (like its House counterpart) still does not have a 'conscience' clause which allows medical practitioners to NOT participate in abortions, or NOT be involved in chemical-abortions such as the 'morning-after' pill.

And it remains to be seen if the bill's provision regarding abortion means what the WaPo SAYS it means.

A State-by-State opt-out? Huh? And "abortion-paid-separately"?

We'll see.

MUCH more here, from an expert on health policy at the AmSpecBlog. Inter alia:

The 10-year deficit projections include $72 billion in revenue from the Class Act, but that boost from the new government long-term care insurance program will be short lived, according to the CBO. “In the decade following 2029, the CLASS program would begin to increase budget deficits,” the CBO report says. The reason is that the program begins to collect premiums before it starts paying out benefits, so it achieves a surplus at first, but then runs into deficits down the road.

The report assumes that a 21 percent cut in doctors’ payments under Medicare will actually take affect next year, yet this very morning, the Senate passed the $636 billion defense spending bill that delayed the cuts until the end of February, and it’s all but assured that they’ll take action before that deadline to avoid the cuts again

...CBO estimates that between 8 million and 9 million people would lose their employer-based coverage under the bill.

And then there's the "Put One Foot In, Take One Foot Out" game which will be legal:

...insurance companies will no longer be allowed to consider my pre-existing conditions in giving me coverage. They won’t even be able to raise my premiums much because of my age. Even though I’m a couch potato, they will have to charge me no more than twice what they charge a 25-year old marathon runner!

But it gets even better. I will be able to drop my coverage completely and save myself almost $4,000 a year, knowing that if I ever get sick and need services, I can sign-up and get coverage immediately. Not only that, but I will be able to sign-up, get the service I need, and drop the coverage the next month.

Oh. sure, there will be a “penalty” for not being covered. But so what? The penalty is only $75 a year, going up to $750 eventually. Let’s see. On one hand I can keep paying $4,000 a year for my current coverage. On the other hand, I can pay the $75 fine for not having coverage and put $3,925 in the bank.

Oh, yah. Frankly, it looks good to me, too, especially if I'm among the 8 or 9 million who will lose coverage under the bill.

And at least one pro-life bunch doesn't like the Nelson-purchase language.

"Majority Leader Reid's amendment to the Senate health care bill absolutely fails to meet abortion and life protections that exist in current federal law and policy. It does not prevent federal funding of plans that include abortion coverage, it does not adequately protect health care providers who choose to exercise their rights of conscience, and it does not prevent government involvement in assisted suicide. --Charmaine Yoest, AUL

Given the proposed $500Bn cutback in Medicare coverage, suicide will no longer be an active verb anyway.