ObamaCare Exposed at Salisbury Forum

July 24, 2009 by Cato  
Filed under Fiscal Policy, Healthcare, Maryland, Maryland Politics, National, National Politics, Taxes

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. – George Santayana

Whether it is rationing of care, cost, or who will bear that cost in the form of taxes, history has much to teach us about the proposed Democrat takeover of our health care system.  This was but one important theme discussed in Thursday evening’s health care forum sponsored by Patients First, the Maryland chapter of Americans for Prosperity and its Lower Shore chapter.  Speakers at the forum included Dr. Michael Gloth of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Marc Kilmer of the Maryland Public Policy Institute, Richard Carey of Carey Distributors in Fruitland, Amy Menefee of Americans for Prosperity, Dr. John Bartkovich and Dr. Vladimir Ioffe.

While there were many items discussed at the forum, one theme that was part of Dr. Gloth’s and Mr. Kilmer’s presentations was the truly unknown cost ObamaCare.  As Gloth noted, the true cost of our health care began to be hidden from the majority of Americans with the implementation of the Stabilization Act in 1942.  Since then we have seen the true costs of health care obscured through private health insurance paid for by employers, Medicare and Medicaid.

As Kilmer noted, the true costs of federal health care programs NEVER cost less than what the government claims they will.  In fact, they cost MUCH, MUCH MORE.  As an example, we were told that Medicare would cost $9 billion in 1990.  The actual cost was $67 billion; 644% MORE than originally projected.  The Massachusetts plan – endorsed by people like Barack Obama and our own representative Frank Kratovil – was projected to cost $750 million this year.  The true cost is over $1 billion; over 33% MORE than the taxpayers were promised.  Yet, the likes of Obama, Nancy Pelosi and our own Frank Kratovil promise us a “deficit neutral” plan.  How can that be when they always underestimate the costs of such programs?

Since the government cannot get a true handle on costs, and cannot run multi-trillion dollar deficits forever, how will they provide “UNIVERSAL health care”?  They can’t; that is why we will see care rationed under any Democrat proposal.  In the abstract this doesn’t sound too horrible.  In fact, it sounds quite rational.  The problem comes when you take it out of the realm of the the abstract and start to put faces and names to these government statistics.

When it is YOUR grandfather, YOUR mother, or YOU who are denied access to care because of some government bureaucrat, is ObamaCare fair?  Is it rational?  What about YOUR child?

The desperation coming from the left is becoming quite shrill.  I have even begun to receive messages from statist acquaintances arguing that entitlements such as government run health care are equivalent to national defense.  Unfortunately, these well meaning folk fail to understand that one of the purposes of our federal government is to defend us.  They have always done so quite well.  Sadly, with the enactment of ObamaCare we will see the greatest health care system in the world reduced to rubble while our nation’s ability to defend itself diminished as the cost of left wing entitlements continues to bankrupt our great nation.

For coverage of the complete forum, I would suggest that you visit MonoBlogue.  Michael Swartz was good enough to Live Blog the complete event.