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The Real Threat of
Rationing in ObamaCare Part Two of Three By Dave Andrusko
In Part One, I wrote about a new poll that is getting a lot of attention. It offers a narrative that suggests voters' unhappiness is so intense that Republicans at least have a chance of taking control of the Senate. A second thread in that story talked about how Democrats are running from their "achievements," which include ObamaCare. In Politico today, there is a piece by Sarah Kliff titled, "Obama's health care hard sell." The nub of the piece is Kliff channeling the complaint of pro-abortion Democrats that seniors are not giving Democrats credit for the wonderfulness of ObamaCare. They attribute the widespread suspicion to "misinformation" about cuts to Medicare Advantage and Medicare. In other words, Democrats may have to distance themselves from the "crown jewel" of Obama's first two years, not because (promotion of abortion aside) it poses enormous dangers of rationing, but because the public is too dumb to understand the benefits of ObamaCare and/or because opponents have "distorted" what it entails. But seniors' resistance is rooted in reality. Part Four is a comprehensive overview of the major rationing components of ObamaCare put together by NRLC's Robert Powell Center for Bioethics. For our summary purposes here, seniors have it right. Obamacare cuts $529 billion dollars from the Medicare program. Moreover, seniors may be barred from making up the difference from their own funds. The right of older Americans to add their own money, if they chose, on top of the governmental payment, in order to get insurance plans that is less likely to ration –the very popular "Medicare Advantage" private-fee-for-service plans--is now subject to elimination by the Department of Health and Human Services. If/when Democrats do summon up the courage to talk about health care "reform," be sure to remember that. Please send all of your comments to daveandrusko@gmail.com. If you like, join those who are now following me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/daveha. |
