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Monday, December 01, 2008
Healthcare, Obama, and big government
James Pethokoukis of U.S. News and World Report, and Michael F. Cannon of Cato-At-Liberty both argue that if the left pushes its government take over and socialization of medicine, the days of small government fiscal conservatism is over. Both are in fact, absolutely correct, and Obama's team of Rahm Emmanuel and Tom Daschle - two experts and Hill veterans - will not make the same mistakes as Bill Clinton in '94. With 58-59 Senators, a huge house majority, and a much more progressive democratic caucus, this is most prime time for Democrats to push government-run socialized medicine in decades.
Pethokoukis writes:
The GOP strategist had been joking about the upcoming presidential election and giving his humorous assessments of the candidates. Then he suddenly cut out the schtick and got scary serious. "Let me tell you something, if Democrats take the White House and pass a big-government healthcare plan, that's it. Game over. Government will dominate the economy like it does in Europe. Conservatives will spend the rest of their lives trying to turn things around and they will fail."...
Daschle and the Obamacrats certainly have the momentum: a near-landslide presidential election victory, at least 58 Democratic votes in the Senate, and a nasty recession that will make many Americans yearn for economic security. Already the health insurance companies seem set back on their heels. The industry's trade organization now says it would accept new rules requiring them to cover pre-existing conditions as long as there was a universal mandate for all Americans to have health insurance. On top of all that, Obama clearly wants to make healthcare reform a priority in his first term, as evidenced by the selection of a heavy hitter like Daschle. And even if he wasn't interested, Congress sure is, with Max Baucus and Ted Kennedy readying a plan in the Senate.
Cannon writes:
Norman Markowitz, a contributing editor at PoliticalAffairs.net (motto: “Marxist Thought Online”), makes an interesting point about how making citizens dependent on the government for their medical care can change the fates of political parties:
A “single payer” national health system – known as “socialized medicine” in the rest of the developed world – should be an essential part of the change that the core constituencies which elected Obama desperately need. Britain serves as an important political lesson for strategists. After the Labor Party established the National Health Service after World War II, supposedly conservative workers and low-income people under religious and other influences who tended to support the Conservatives were much more likely to vote for the Labor Party…
I’m no student of British history, but that sounds about right. Markowitz continues:
The best way to win over the the portion of the working class in the South or the West that supported McCain and the Republicans is to create important new public programs and improve the social safety net. National health care [and other measures] will bring reluctant voters into the Obama coalition. That is how progress works.
Both are completely right. We simply can't afford so-called "universal health care" anyway. We are trillions of dollars in debt trying to fund the Welfare State of social security, medicaid, and medicare - and the Warfare State of Afghanistan, Iraq, and co. Moreover, 90% of the budget is not subject to cuts because the vast majority of government spending comes from entitlement programs. Passing universal health care will permanently have the government's hand in the economy, and like all other Welfare State programs - it will never be repealed.
However, the outlook is not all that pessimistic. The GOP will probably have 42 seats in the next Senate, thus even despite Senators Collins or Snowe of Maine who are centrist Republicans, it would be possible for the GOP to filibuster socialized medicine. Moreover, with the economy the way it has been going, Obama will not want to add any new spending at least until his second, if not third year. Thus, this program would have to be pushed through after the 2010 midterms, which if history is any guide, will have the Democrats lose at least a few seats.
The best time for Obama to pass such a health care plan would probably be in 2012, if he gets reelected. If the Democratic majority remains solvent, which it probably won't, Obama could pass it.
Posted by Omar Abu Hatem on December 1, 2008 in U.S. politics | Permalink
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Comments
Calm down Chicken Little, the sky is not falling.
Be aware that the insurance industry spends a large chunk of our health care dollars on "PR" to spread just such fears. The reality is very different than what the insurance companies would like for you to believe.
We have all heard about our freedom of choices being limited if we pursue a National Health Care system. Try to apply a bit of logic here before running for cover. Are we to believe that a Single Payer system will have a list with less doctors on it than the ones the insurance companies offer? Come on! The simple fact is that we would be able to go to any doctor. Simply put. That's more options not less.
We have also heard about how terrible the bureaucracy in a government-run system would be. Honestly now. It's ridiculous to think that there would be more paperwork involved with one payer than there is with the thousands of insurance companies all having different requirements. Again, the reality is the opposite of what you have been told.
It's not free, but you will pay far less in taxes to pay for care than we pay for insurance right now. Over $500k of your health care dollars went to a Senator Max Baucus(D-MO) last election cycle. You remember Max don't you? He proposed the universal mandate plan. Funny how that works isn't it.
I understand that this is a political issue as much as a logical one for many of your readers here. I myself am an independent, which means I think for myself. The momentum is there for reform, and it will happen, but how it will go down is a different matter. Right now your arch enemies are collaborating with their new corporate insurance buddies about a mandate.
When a bunch of companies get together and say: "sure we'll allow you to pass this law, as long as you force everyone to pay us" That's extortion. When Congress agrees to it, that's corruption.
The GOP is looking to improve their platform, I see a lot of opportunity here. I am conservative when it comes to spending, as well as being against big government. Now we all know that the world is a lot cooler when it's spun the right direction. I see the insurance companies as being an extremely wasteful part of our Health Care system. Furthermore, when we are talking about the advantage of free market competition the hospitals and doctors are where all of the advancements come from, not insurance. Those advancements are being held back because a good chunk of the money isn't being spent in an area where the advancements occur. Present a more intelligent case to support what the people want and know is best. The insurance companies are not your friend. Lets talk about big government vs big government, because that is the issue at hand with the Democrats in control. A mandate will require a mass amount of regulations, a huge pile of paper work and other unpleasant aspects resulting in an even bigger government. As it is, the involvement of the insurance companies already require mass regulation bloating our government. What the GOP needs in order to rise again is a new outlook that retains old values.
Step up to the plate and be the ones who beat corruption in our Health Care system. Make the tough decisions that the Democrats are to weak to make themselves. Single Payer Health Care fits the conservative agenda, by strengthening the real goals of free market competition, being fiscally conservative, and reducing the amount of government bureaucracy we already have. As long as the Democrats are dragging their feet and pandering to the insurance companies, the GOP has a huge opportunity to steel the spot light. Everyone knows that you're "soul searching", but nobody has a clue what you might find.
Posted by: James Hovland | 2008-12-02 4:13:16 PM
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