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| ObamaCare / BaucusCare |
Since President Obama signed the Obama, Baucus, Reid, Lincoln, Pryor,
et al,
massive, unpopular health care overhaul into law earlier this year,
there has been a steady stream of news reports showing that it will not
be able to live up to the promises made by Democrats as they were
pushing the bill. Americans have heard now that the bill
won’t slow the growth of health care costs,
won’t strengthen Medicare,
won’t help small business owners,
increases the size of government,
increases premiums, and
will cost thousands of jobs,
despite numerous Democrat assertions to the contrary. And today, we get
yet another broken health care promise. Over and over,
President Obama assured Americans, “If you like your current [health care] plan, you will be able to keep it.”
But today,
the AP
reports, “A plan by Medicare to try to make it simpler for consumers to
pick drug coverage could force 3 million seniors to switch plans next
year whether they like it or not, says an independent analysis.” The
AP even points out, “That risks undercutting President Barack Obama's
promise that people can keep their health plans if they like them. And
it could be an unwelcome surprise for many seniors who hadn't intended
to make a change during Medicare's open enrollment season this fall.”
As the article explains, “Medicare has already notified insurers they
will no longer be able to offer more than one ‘basic’ drug plan in any
given location. Several major prescription plans, including
CVS-Caremark and AARP, offered two basic options throughout the country
this year, Washington said. Eliminating that particular form of
duplication among the top plans would force 2.75 million beneficiaries
to find new coverage . . . .” In fact, the AP notes, “When other
changes are taken into account, as many as 3.7 million Medicare
recipients may have to switch, the analysis concluded. That amounts to
about 20 percent of the 17.5 million enrolled in stand-alone drug
plans.”
But that’s not the only story showcasing how the administration’s
health care plans are likely to break their “if you like your plan, you
can keep your plan” promise. Yesterday,
Kaiser Health News
reported, “Colleges and universities say that some rules in the new
health law could keep them from offering low-cost, limited-benefit
student insurance policies, and they're seeking federal authority to
continue offering them. . . . Without a number of changes, it may be
impossible to continue to offer student health plans, says a letter
that the American Council on Education sent Aug. 12 to Health and Human
Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, signed by 12 other trade
associations that represent colleges.”
And this isn’t the only broken health care promise highlighted by a news story this month. A few weeks ago,
the AP reported,
“the new health care law doesn't improve Medicare’s solvency by much,”
even though Obama claimed, “This law doesn't weaken Medicare; it
strengthens it and extends its life almost by a decade.” And
Politico
noted that when it came to the “agencies, boards and commissions
created under the new health care law, “Estimating the number is
‘impossible,’ a recent Congressional Research Service report says, and
a true count ‘unknowable.’” That’s despite
a claim from Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) that “this bill does not increase government.”
Max Baucus was one of the Democrats’ point men on their unpopular health care bill. Yesterday in Montana he responded to his constituent:
“I don’t think you want me to waste my time to read every page of the healthcare bill." The Hill has the story picked up from the Flathead Beacon in Montana:
Speaking at a forum in his home state, Baucus and Health
and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius were asked by an
audience member if they had read the whole bill and "if not, that is
the most despicable, irresponsible thing.” “I don’t think you want
me to waste my time to read every page of the healthcare bill," Baucus
said, according to the Flathead Beacon. "You know why? It’s statutory language ... We hire experts." . . .
At the town hall event, Baucus defended the sweeping law. “It’s not perfect, nothing’s perfect, but I’m telling you, ma’am, it’s a good start,” Baucus said. “Mark my words, several years from now you’re going to look back and say, ‘eh, maybe it isn’t so bad.’”
Baucus
response to the lady's question sounded more like the reply of a
deranged assailant speaking to his distraught victim saying "several
years from now you’re going to look back and say, ‘eh, maybe it isn’t
so bad."
This is
the same Senator Max Baucus who in 1979 failed to
get the facts and sided with unions to call for the United States Air
Force to investigate an Air Force contracting officer's contracting
decisions on a multimillion dollar housing renovation contract at
Malmstrom AFB. MT. The Air Force Inspector General did investigate with
a team headed by an Air Force Brigadier General. The Air Force IG
investigation identified that the officer had acted properly. Baucus
still pandering to his union constituents refused to accept the
findings of the Air Force IG and called for the General Accounting
Office (GAO) to investigate. The GAO did investigate and found that the
Air Force officer's decisions were fair and reasonable and in
accordance with the required rules, regulations and procedures. These
investigations affected numerous lives and increased cost to the
government. But, Max Baucus achieved his objective of securing
constituent support for his future elections.
Baucus seems to have the dysfunctional pattern of trying to get by
without completely reviewing and reading required information. Now it
is the massive take over of health care. But his habit began over 30
years ago when he failed then to make an unbiased inquiry into the
situation which would have prevented the unnecessary investigations,
when he brought political pressure on military officers in Montana,
when he refused to accept (probably didn't read that either) the Air
Force Inspector General investigation report and when he called for
further investigations thereby wasting even more government money.
Baucus actions 30 years ago only cost the taxpayers money and
threatened a few peoples careers. But today, his behavior has escalated
to the point of having devastating affects on all Americans. We could
just as well have called the health care bill
BaucusCare verses ObamaCare.
Baucus and other liberal Democrats were continually warned that the
health care bill would not do what Democrats were claiming, and in fact
would often do the opposite: raise taxes, increase premiums, grow
government, increase health care costs, cut Medicare, reduce benefits,
and force many Americans off the health care plans they currently like.
This is exactly what is happening and the American people don't like
it.
Regardless of what you call the bill - ObamaCare / BaucusCare / LincolnCare / ReidCare / PelosiCare -
it should be repealed!
And for Montana voters, it is time to Repeal Max Baucus! Neither you nor America can afford his ineptitude any longer.
