Healthcare Bill Caps Our Freedoms

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Obama Health Care Bill Sunday, March 21st with 119 yes votes, three more than what was needed. Over the past several months some strong arm politicking was done as well as some concessions to certain states in order to get the votes of their members of Congress. Actions such as these could prove to be unconstitutional those in the know say.

It is difficult to understand just what the current bill will provide or not provide, but there is much at stake including the fact that government can now fund abortions with our tax money. The bill contains disturbing sections that will allow government by law to control how citizens obtain healthcare, the relationship they have with their doctor, their hospital and their ability to purchase the insurance they choose.

Citizens will be confronted with compliance to new bureaucratic healthcare boards although some states have carved out sweetheart deals to avoid some of the bill’s requirements. There will be numerous fees and penalties and most of us will pay higher taxes for this grand President Obama Program for several years before there are many benefits, if some of the things included can be called benefits.

On the economic side of the issue, the bill is a governmental takeover of one sixth of our nation’s economy, threatens to bankrupt the private insurance companies and undermines the free market system. Our nation has prospered and become the envy of the world mostly due to our free enterprise system and the freedom of choices we enjoy every day of our lives.

There are some who praise the government programs such as Social Security and Medicare. These programs have been in financial trouble for many years. Some studies have projected that our children and grandchildren may never receive many benefits from what they have paid into Social Security. Those on Social Security surely noticed that no cost of living increases were awarded last year.

Presently, Medicare is in a financial strain and sometimes more claims are denied to those on the program than their health insurance provider denies. The healthcare bill will likely reduce services for Medicaid and Medicare.

Seniors and the less wealthy will be most affected. That is the government version of healthcare reform. Government has a long list of failures and has proven many times that it will not be able to run a vast healthcare system.

When voting to pass the bill it was obviously of little concern to those members of the U.S. Congress that an overwhelming majority of Americans had already stated their objections to Obama’s socialized medical care plan. This majority of Americans were not opposed to real healthcare reform that would actually reduce cost and provide them with high standards of care that would allow them to choose their own doctors and hospitals.

These Americans who opposed the plan as it was passed supported cost cutting practices such as eliminating taxes on healthcare that could reduce the cost by 25 percent or more immediately. They had no problem with tort reform that would end the practice of defensive medicine and the opportunity to shop health insurance across state lines. None of these common sense provisions were seriously considered because they would have allowed individuals, not government, to control their healthcare decisions.

The passage of the healthcare decisions written may be a feather in President Obama’s cap but for the American people it is a cap on the free enterprise system, the freedom of choice and the quality of life we now enjoy.