I had made a prediction several weeks ago when the U.S. Senate voted to begin healthcare debate that they would vote on party line to pass this 2,0000 page healthcare bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had made a promise that he would pass this healthcare bill before Christmas. Sadly, Reid kept his word. On the early morning of Christmas Eve, the Senate voted on party lines 60-39 to pass sweeping changes in the healthcare industry. Only Democrats voted for the bill. No Republicans voted for the bill. Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) was the only absent senator in this meeting. Vice-president Joe Biden presided over the Senate vote in case there was a possibility of a tie. This was the first Christmas Eve vote since 1895 on a bill. When roll call votes were called Sen. Reid accidently voted "no", which resulted in the whole Senate erupting in laughter. Reid has been working round-the-clock the last four weeks on the Senate debates in this healthcare bill. Reid also had been involved in bribing so-called Democrat moderates such as Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Ben Nelson (D-NE) for example to vote for this healthcare bill. I read a Reuter's news story where Reid had offered deals to bribe senators such as to promise $100 million for a hospital in Connecticut as well as $100 million to provide medical care for the poor in Louisiana.
Also voting on this healthcare bill is the ailing Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) who made the statement "This is for my friend Ted Kennedy" who died in August of brain cancer. Kennedy has pushed for national health care the last few decades. Byrd was wheeled in to make this historic vote. Following the vote President Obama called Kennedy's widow Vicki Kennedy to congratulate her and Obama personally thanked all the Senators who voted for the bill for their vote. The last attempt to pass national healthcare was in 1994 when Bill Clinton was president. Clinton's efforts were thrwarted and it failed. Following the Senate vote the S&P Managed Healthcare index of large U.S. health insurers closed at 0.3 percent lower. The Health insurers stocks have soared since the start of October.
This bill is supposed to overhaul the $2.5 trillion Medicare system already in place. The bill would require all Americans to purchase health insurance. If any American refuses to purchase health insurance they would be subject to a penalty. It's supposed to provide coverage for 30 million uninsured Americans. It would supposedly cover 94% of all Americans. The House and Senate versions are different. Both the House and Senate will have negotiations to come up with a single bill. After a single bill is worked out each chamber must approve it again before it's sent to Obama to be signed. I predict that Obama will sign the final version. Both the House and Senate versions are different. The House passed theirs on November 7. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said, "This fight is long from over," "My colleagues and I will work to stop this bill from becoming law." I wish that were possible but I don't think McConnell or any of the Republicans will have any success. The Democrats and President Obama can't wait to sign this bill into law. Once this bill is signed into law, the U.S. government will take control over 1/6th of the American economy. Taxes could rise around 13% and benefits won't take effect until 2014. That's a terrible deal!
The House and Senate versions are different. The House bill calls for a surtax on individuals earning more than $500,00 or couples making $1 million dollars and there will be a 2.5% excise tax on medical devices. The Senate calls for a $40% excise tax on high-cost health insurance plans. It will raise the payroll taxes for Medicare, which is the government health insurance for the elderly. The House has a public option which is the government will be in competition with private insurance. The Senate bill doesn't include one. There will be special fees on insurers, drug companies, and medical device makers.
The whole purpose for the Democrats desiring to pass health care is because they desire to take control of the nation's economy. In doing so, they can seize control over the American people. Every other aspect of American life has some effect on healthcare. The elected elite that's in power today are socialists to the core. They believe government-run healthcare is the solution to the high healthcare costs. They want to dictate to the American people on what they can eat and drink as well as to say what temperature to set on your household thermometer. They'll try to dictate our lifestyle choices. The Democrats will next be trying to push for healthcare coverage for illegal aliens. Then you'll see the push for amnesty for illegals. With so many Americans being unemployed, it will be very expensive to fund. There's not a sufficient tax base to cover the costs of national healthcare. This healthcare bill will be a further drain on the economy. It will drive up costs even further when it comes to private insurers. It will make it more costly for businesses to operate. I also predict that there will be a provision for abortion coverage as well. The Democrats are heavily supported by the pro-abortion groups and I guarantee they will come up with some plan to allow for abortion coverage. This new healthcare overhaul will definitely change America. America will no longer be the same.
No comments:
Post a Comment