"CADILLAC CARE VS. CLUNKER
CARE"-PART I
September
1, 2009
This is an epic clash about
the radical lefts' health-care "reform"
package that President Obama and his "fellow
travelers" in Congress are trying to steamroll
through the House and Senate by September. This
legislation could cost as much as $1.5 trillion
depending on whether the House or Senate version
is passed. But, we believe these projections are
worthless. When Medicare was passed in 1965, benefits
were limited and retirees paid a substantial percentage
of the costs of their own care. Even with these
limitations, Congressional actuaries expected
Medicare to cost $3.1 billion by 1970- it actually
came in at $6.8 billion. These same experts predicted
that Medicare would cost ONLY $9 billion a year
in 1990. The actual cost was $66.6 billion. In
2008, Medicare costs were over $430 billion. Medicaid
was supposed to be a last resort for the poor
but now it covers more than 1/3 of all long-term
care expenses in the United States. Its'
annual bill is $227 billion and so far this fiscal
year is rising by 17%.
We believe, and we are sure
you believe, too, that any new federal or state
health-care plan will inevitably follow the same
trajectory, no matter what claims and guaranties
are made. "Universal Health Care" sounds
wonderful- but what does it really mean? Nothing
can be universal without it being mandatory- in
other words we are talking about forcing people
to belong to whatever programs politicians and
bureaucrats come up with regardless of what the
people themselves prefer. We believe that Universal
Health Care will become universal waiting lists
and universal cuts in diagnostic equipment, access
to specialists and availability of new drugs.
We also believe that there will be universal rationing.
What we really want and need is universal freedom
and personal choice. Many of our citizens do not
remember that America had by far the best health
care system in the world until the federal government
moved into the field in 1965. Medical care cost
a fraction of today's prices, health insurance
was significantly less expensive and doctors were
a lot more accessible- some still came to your
home.
President Obama has the art
of dissembling down to a science. For example,
"If you like your current health-care plan,
you can keep it." Many White-House spokesmen
have said that the President's oft-repeated
pledge that you can keep your current insurance
wasn't meant to be taken literally. We believe
that millions of Americans-perhaps most Americans-if
Reid and Pelosi get their way- will be forced
to change insurance plans. First, the President
wants an individual mandate- a requirement that
every American buy health insurance-and he wants
everyone to have the benefits government thinks
you should have. This insurance could be more
expensive or include benefits that people don't
want or are morally opposed to such as abortion
services. The bills now before Congress say that
while you won't be "immediately"
forced to switch from your current insurance to
a government-specified plan, you will have to
switch to satisfy the government's requirement
if you lose your current insurance or want to
change plans. Also the President wants to create
a government insurance program that would compete
with private insurance. But because this ultimately
would be subsidized by American taxpayers, the
government plan would keep its' premiums
artificially low and offer greater benefits.
In the end, millions and millions
of Americans will be forced out of the insurance
they are using today and be driven into the public
plan. The actuarial firm, The Lewin Group, estimates
that as many as 118 million people, roughly 2/3's
of those with insurance today, would be shifted
from private to public coverage. We believe that
number could go even higher.
Let your legislators know in
advance that if they vote for this legislation
they will pay a heavy price when they are up for
re-election! Please pass this action call on to
your employees and let us know of any suppliers
or business entities you want us to contact and
as usual send us a copy of your correspondence
to your legislators.
Malcolm Lunn
Chairman of the Board
United Small Business of America
United Small
Business
Proclaming Liberty to America's Small Business
P O Box 3132 St. Charles, IL 60174 - unitedsmallbus1@aol.com
Phone - 877/ 535-4 USB Fax - 877/ 722-4USB
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