The Massachusetts health-care experiment foreshadows the almost inevitable results under ObamaCare: rising health costs, insurers struggling to stay in business (with the government poised to take over), increased wait-times to see doctors, and a shrinking numbers of doctors willing to accept new patients — except that, under ObamaCare, relying on the federal bailout money that has kept the Massachusetts program afloat won’t be an option.
In its “taxpayer-funded propaganda” fliers that it mailed to Medicare recipients to try to sell them on ObamaCare, the Obama administration neglected to mention that — according to the government’s own projections — ObamaCare would cut Medicare by more than $500 billion, would cause 7 million seniors to lose their Medicare Advantage benefits, would increase seniors’ Medicare Part D prescription drug premiums, and (because of cuts in provider payments) would possibly jeopardize seniors’ access to care.
The assurances given to hesitant Democratic lawmakers that ObamaCare would gain popularity over time seem to have been wishful thinking, as a solid majority of Americans have registered their discontent toward the overhaul in the two months since its passage, and as it’s becoming increasingly apparent that Americans aren’t too eager to follow in Europe’s social-democratic footsteps.
Despite efforts to roll out “popular” provisions ahead of schedule, polls show that ObamaCare is getting less popular all the time — as independents now favor repeal by a margin of 50 points (72 to 22 percent), less than half of all Democrats oppose repeal, and younger voters are jumping ship. And once ObamaCare is gone, there will be no shortage of ideas that can replace it.
Though the Medicare Chief Actuary for the Obama administration reports that ObamaCare would cut $130 billion from Medicare Advantage, and that Medicare cuts would jeopardize seniors’ access to hospitals, these facts are blatantly misrepresented in a taxpayer-financed brochure that the Obama administration recently mailed out to millions of seniors.
With private websites like eHealth.com already offering services to assist those looking to purchase health insurance, ObamaCare’s Health Benefit Exchanges would simply be a waste of taxpayer dollars.
By nominating Dr. Donald Berwick to head Medicare and Medicaid under ObamaCare, President Obama telegraphs that — in Dr. Berwick’s words — he intends to lead us out of “the darkness of private enterprise” and into the ‘light’ of government control and third-world medicine.
As a doctor writes, government-run health care means less freedom for doctors and fewer procedures approved for patients — and it makes even insurance-based private care seem comparatively patient-centered, generous, and flexible.
For the third time this year, Democrats are attempting to pass a temporary “doc fix” to avoid cuts to Medicare reimbursements for doctors. They are currently debating a 6 month fix that will be paid for with a gimmick that raises revenue in the next 10 years and lowers it afterwards, outside the budgeting range.
The Obama Administration has made big promises about lowering premium costs for families and businesses, so they are making a variety of arguments to pretend ObamaCare will save money. But claims that the law will produce large reductions in the “hidden tax” Americans pay for uncompensated care for the uninsured are significantly overblown.