ReaganSauce

written by Joseph Winberry

There is what has been called a healthcare “crisis” in this country. The left calls it the defining issue of Obama’s presidency. The Right calls it his “Waterloo”. I call it just another battlefield for the Left and Right to fight on in the war for America’s heart and soul. Feeling passionate yet?

It is true. We face a dilemma in this country. According to a 2007 census report, 47 million people living in America do not have health insurance (however this number includes those who do not seek coverage, as well as illegal aliens and some who are on faulty plans).

So what does Congress do whenever they see a need? They roll up their sleeves and get to meddling. And meddle they have. The results of nine months worth of investigations, inquiries, studies and polling? Two monstrous healthcare bills ranging from the House’s 1990 page bill to the Senate’s 2074 pages.

The House bill, passed by a meager 220-215 majority, broke many of the promises made in the president’s historic healthcare speech to Congress. The speech, made famous by South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson’s blurt of “You lie!” stated that there would not be any federal funding of abortion, healthcare for illegals and called for tort reform. Now that the bill has passed the House and has moved on to the Senate before being reviewed and combined in the conference committee, many of the president’s promises seem to be moot (not to mention the picture of Nancy Pelosi going at great lengths to look insulted).

The Stupak amendment stated that no federal funding for abortion would be allowed under the new healthcare bill. This amendment was the key to getting enough votes for the bill. However, on page 118 and 120 of the Senate bill, it states that Congress would enact an abortion premium as part of the new healthcare system. Additionally, several liberal Democrats in the Senate have stated that they will not support a bill that does not cover abortion. It remains to be seen what the final language will be in conference bill and what affect this will have on the final vote.

The president has stated that we need to legalize illegal immigrants in order to give them health care. According to the Census Bureau, nearly forty-four percent of illegal immigrants do not receive healthcare compared to the fifty-six percent who do. Immigration, probably the next major issue that the president will target, has been a source of anger among grassroots conservatives. Some believe that language in the bill about illegal immigrants will lead to mass amnesty. All without a por favor or gracias!

Also not only does the House healthcare bill not cover tort reform, it actually promises to take away benefits from states that allow tort reform! Section 2531 of H.R. 3962 says “To the extent and in the amounts made available in advance in appropriations Acts, the Secretary shall make an incentive payment, in an amount determined by the Secretary, to each State that has an alternative medical liability law in compliance with this section.”

The bill goes on to say, “The contents of an alternative liability law are in accordance with this paragraph if—

(A) the litigation alternatives contained in the law consist of certificate of merit, early offer, or both; and (B) the law does not limit attorneys’ fees or impose caps on damages.”

Interestingly, one of the top lobbying groups on the left is the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA). I wonder which party will get a fat check from them in November.

My opposition to the anti-tort reform laws is not just about the legislation itself but about the hypocrisy of the current leadership on Capitol Hill. Watch what they do and not what they say.

If these listed provisions do end in the final bill, then Congressman Wilson will be vindicated in his claim and will probably launch a presidential campaign (hey if Mike Gravel can who can’t?).

But for me, the scariest part of this bill is its costs and its capture of a fifth of the nation’s economy.

According to the Wall Street Journal, healthcare counts for thirteen million jobs or one in ten. It also makes up a fifth of the national economy and is a major field for jobs and research in the future. What will become of this sector once it is owned by our government? What private sector organization has ever been better run under the public sector than the private sector? Mail: How fast do you get a package from the UPS of FedEx when compared to the Postal Service (which, by the way, is up for a bailout some Democrats feel)? How about this; recently, the Senate voted to privatize its own restaurant because it was failing. The federal government can’t even microwave cold pizza properly and they want to be in charge of our healthcare system?!

The Cato Institute has released alarming statistics when comparing America’s current free market-based system with the single payer healthcare systems of two socialistic countries. Eight of the ten most recent and transforming medical innovations, including MRIs and hip replacements, have been born out of the United States Healthcare system. When comparing America to a government-run healthcare country such as Canada or Britain, Americans can get three times as many CT scans than those living in Canada and four as many as citizens of Britain. British women face an eighty-eight percent greater risk of dying from breast cancer than American women and British men have a 604 (that is not a typo) percent chance of death from prostate cancer than American men.

We all agree that something must be done about our healthcare system. However, a government overhaul is not the right course of action. The Cato Institute has several different reforms and solutions to fix our current free market system. I encourage that you view and join the discussion at Healthcare.Cato.Org. The Democrats are moving quickly to cram a government run program down our throats. Let’s be ready with a viable, reliable, free market counter solution. Capiche?