Friday, February 08, 2008

Uncle Joe is Smiling

Today, we have look at Senator Clinton's Health Plan.

Although short on specifics, I see enough here to be convinced that it would be, like Barack Obama's plan, turning us into the People's Republic of America.

Some items of note from her website:
Americans can keep their existing coverage or access the same menu of quality private insurance options that their Members of Congress receive through a new Health Choices Menu, established without any new bureaucracy as part of the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program (FEHBP). In addition to the broad array of private options that Americans can choose from, they will be offered the choice of a public plan option similar to Medicare.
Translation: Expansion of Medicare to the general public.
By removing hidden taxes, stressing prevention and a focus on efficiency and modernization, the plan will improve quality and lower costs.
Translation: We are planning on some imaginary savings to make this work.
By creating a level-playing field of insurance rules across states and markets, the plan ensures that no American is denied coverage, refused renewal, unfairly priced out of the market, or forced to pay excessive insurance company premiums.
Translation: We are going to regulate the insurance industry from top to bottom, including price fixing.
The refundable tax credit will be designed to prevent premiums from exceeding a percentage of family income, while maintaining consumer price consciousness in choosing health plans.
Translation: We will use income redistribution to give preferential treatment to our special interest groups.
The Plan will fix the holes in the safety net to ensure that the most vulnerable populations receive affordable, quality care.
Translation: We will expand the role of government in controlling your life.
A new tax credit for qualifying private and public retiree health plans will offset a significant portion of catastrophic expenditures, so long as savings are dedicated to workers and competitiveness.
Translation: A little something for the retiree vote. Question: How do you dedicate saving to the "workers" in a retiree health plan? Their spin is not in sync with itself here.
Over half the savings come from the public savings generated from Senator Clinton's broader agenda to modernize the heath systems and reduce wasteful health spending.
Translation: Hillary thinks she knows how to run your hospital better than the doctors do. My guess is this will include fee and income caps on health care providers.
The plan protects the current exclusion from taxes of employer-provided health premiums, but limits the exclusion for the high-end portion of very generous plans for those making over $250,000.
Translation: We will punish success and call that "fairness".

There are no deatils that I could find on what happens to you if you don't pay for your coverage, other than some references to a tax credit (income redistribution).

Here's an indication of how Hillary looks at America:

"How Hillary's plan affects:


Look who is missing from that group. White males, of course.

When you read through those sections, the class envy and special interest group pandering is enough to make you sick. These people see the country as a combination of special interest groups, all of whom are dependent upon handouts from Big Brother.

Somewhere, Joe Stalin is smiling.

No comments: