Health Care Reform Can Be Fully Funded by Euphemisms

Jacob Sullum | July 15, 2009

House Democrats have found a way to provide medical coverage to the uninsured without new borrowing, spending cuts, or tax hikes. The New York Times reports that "Democrats said the cost would be fully offset by proposed savings in Medicare and other health programs and by revenue-raising changes in federal tax laws."

Comments

Tomcat1066|7.15.09 @ 10:31AM|#

Translation: We don't know what the fuck we're actually doing, but we're going to throw out a lot of language that basically says "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain".

|7.15.09 @ 10:31AM|#

But health care is a right, you understand? Just like a college education. And food, clothing, and shelter.

Xeones|7.15.09 @ 10:35AM|#

revenue-raising changes in federal tax laws

Fuck you, House Democrats.

Peter|7.15.09 @ 10:42AM|#

revenue-raising changes in federal tax laws

You mean...tax hikes?

|7.15.09 @ 10:45AM|#

"Democrats said the cost would be fully offset by proposed savings in Medicare"

Can you say "ration"?

Xeones|7.15.09 @ 10:50AM|#

It's better than that, bookworm. It's rationing AND tax hikes.

Timmy|7.15.09 @ 10:52AM|#

Just you wait till granny hears about this. The only thing that scares the Dems more than the UAW is AARP.

stuartl|7.15.09 @ 10:55AM|#

... and by revenue-raising changes in federal tax laws."

Don't worry, the taxes will only be on the very rich. Nobody really needs more than [insert your income here] a year.

Deja Vu|7.15.09 @ 10:57AM|#

And Amtrak will be profitable in three years. And Medicare will be self-sustaining within a decade.

Mike in PA|7.15.09 @ 11:00AM|#

You will soon see me out there with my "WILL WORK FOR EUPHEMISMS" sign.

More valuable than food!

|7.15.09 @ 11:01AM|#

Thankfully, lots of groups have vested interests in health care. Doctors, patients, companies... and as Timmy (Tiiiiimmmmmmy) notes, the AARP.

And they all have disparate and conflicting interests. This makes crafting a satisfactory bill nearly impossible.

Hopefully.

|7.15.09 @ 11:03AM|#

They can just tax cigarettes and booze more. That should do the trick, right?

stuartl|7.15.09 @ 11:06AM|#

And they all have disparate and conflicting interests. This makes crafting a satisfactory bill nearly impossible.

It makes crafting a clusterf@ck a certainty. Everyone will get something to sweeten the pot, which will screw things up even more than the current system.

ed|7.15.09 @ 11:08AM|#

Once, just once, I'd like to hear a reporter with just a modicum of honor ask a politician: "Sir, with all due respect, you're pulling these economic forecasts right out of your ass, aren't you?"

|7.15.09 @ 11:08AM|#

Stuartl.

Well, yeah, that's a possible outcome as well. Of course, just about anything the guvmint crafts qualifies as that, so I was just taking that as an assumed.

LarryA|7.15.09 @ 11:21AM|#

I'd blog something profound, but my cousin just got home from her appointment at the VA medical center and she's going off on how they screwed up her treatment again.

Timmy|7.15.09 @ 11:24AM|#

Old people already have universal (aka single-payer) healthcare through medicare. They have aboslutely nothing to gain from "reform" that will divert funding away from the existing medicare program.

I am truly shocked that AARP spokes-critters haven't been all over the TV bitching about the House bill.

|7.15.09 @ 11:32AM|#

I am truly shocked that AARP spokes-critters haven't been all over the TV bitching about the House bill.

Because for all their talk about helping a given class of people, when the needs of that class conflict with the needs of govt, govt wins out. The people they presumably speak for are just a means to an end and that end is govt.

|7.15.09 @ 11:36AM|#

I am truly shocked that AARP spokes-critters haven't been all over the TV bitching about the House bill.

Because as the NYT reports, they're being forced to play ball or else get really screwed in the bill, just like everyone else. I'm sure that they're criticizing in private and in negotiations, as they try to shift the burden on others, but public criticism of our Government would lead to being screwed over.

"It's kind of a give-and-take, quid pro quo kind of environment," said Tom Daschle, President Obama's first choice for health secretary, who remains in touch with the White House on health care issues. "I think that the stakeholders wouldn't do this if they didn't think there was something in it for them."

...Over the past year, Mr. Baucus, Democrat of Montana, has strong-armed industry groups, warning them not to publicly criticize the process if they want to stay in negotiations.

Mr. Baucus, in turn, has said little about his talks with industry players. On Tuesday, he said only that he was "heartened" by how many groups were supporting the health care overhaul.

These are the consequences of a filibuster proof majority and an Administration determined to pass a bill that they can claim as a victory regardless of the details. This was entirely predictable after the elections. Anyone who didn't foresee exactly this occurring on both health care and cap-and-trade wasn't paying attention to our politicians and how they acted and voted (as opposed to spoke) at all.

|7.15.09 @ 11:36AM|#

I am truly shocked that AARP spokes-critters haven't been all over the TV bitching about the House bill.

Don't be. AARP is being bought off with the promise of being one of the vendors under the new Obamacare plan. AARP, Inc. will make out like bandits, financially. And, when the rationing starts to bite, they can "lead the fight to protect the elderly" that they just sold out.

|7.15.09 @ 11:45AM|#

Misread the headline - "Health Care Reform Can Be Fully Funded by Euthanasia"

Timmy|7.15.09 @ 11:49AM|#

AARP is being bought off with the promise of being one of the vendors under the new Obamacare plan.

Figures 8-(

|7.15.09 @ 12:01PM|#

Saying they'll pay for health care reform by cutting back on Medicare is like a drunk saying he'll pay for his new heroin habit by cutting back on booze.

|7.15.09 @ 1:06PM|#

I'm not worried, my doctor is a wise latina.

JB|7.15.09 @ 1:27PM|#

By waving the magic Obama-wand we solve all problems. Delusional retards.

Michael|7.15.09 @ 1:36PM|#

I think they could do a lot better in funding it with double entendres.

|7.15.09 @ 2:14PM|#

On the plus side, this plan may be an efficient and effective way to rid the productive people of the burden of supporting the greedy, demanding old AARPers.