ObamaCare ~ The Death of Health Care Liberty

ObamaCare - what is it?  Friends, I will not lie to you.  I don't know what all it entails, mainly because I DON'T CARE!  I don't need to know everything about, or for that matter, anything about it, to know that it is unconstitutional, and needs to immediately be defunded, until it can be repealed.  The fact of the matter is that the federal government has no business at all telling the states what they must force their citizens to buy.

We all know this, of course.  You know it, and I know it.  So what is the answer?

Too often, Republicans want to offer "better" plans to a bad Democrat bill, and call it their answer.  So, what is the "answer" to this one?  WE DON'T NEED ONE!  There is no better answer than "federal government, get out of our lives!"

So what do we do about bludgeoning healthcare costs; nothing?  Well, no, that's not the answer.  We'll first state that the ridiculous awards in tort cases, and the insurance costs therefore necessary by doctors, are a major issue that I'll not cover here (but I do in other pages.)  So, let's start by asking some simple questions.  Why would an insurance company from Ohio want to refuse to sell insurance to someone in Tennessee?  Answer:  They wouldn't.  That would be like Ford deciding they would only sell their automobiles to residents of Michigan.  That would be a stupid business decision.  So why don't insurance companies sell policies across state lines?  Federal regulations. 

Next question:  How much would auto insurance cost if you paid a $5 co-pay for wiper blade changes and a $25 co-pay for new spark plugs?  How about if you paid a $100 maximum for any auto problem, to include engine or transmission replacement?  Answer:  I don't know, but VERY expensive!

Next question:  If you had this insurance, and you needed new tires on your 2009 Ford Mustang GT, which ones would you get; the $15 co-pay Hercules, ($74.35 regular price) or the $35 co-pay Continentals? ($189.60 regular price)  Answer:  I think we all know.

Next question:  How much would an auto repair shop charge for average services if they had to, by force of law, work on your car, regardless as to whether or not you had the co-pay or insurance?  (Do you think they would elevate their prices to offset the costs of non-pays...but I digress.)

You see, these hypothetical scenarios spell out why our healthcare costs are so high.  Federal regulations restrict interstate sales of insurance.  I won't even go into the idiocies of why it's been restricted, we'll just focus on the fact that the federal government is supposed to regulate interstate commerce, not prohibit it.  Stopping this practice is, in my mind, clearly unconstitutional. 

Healthcare costs are also high because of the co-pay mentality that has taken over, replacing personal involvement in the actual cost.  When you buy groceries, you look at the price of the meat.  You may want the filet mignon or the New York strip, but the Sirloin is more in your budget (I know the feeling).  Companies need to start encouraging policies with catastrophic coverage only, zero co-pays, and much cheaper; in conjunction with the HSA's (Health Savings Accounts). 

We need to return to personal responsibility in our personal and financial lives.  So where can the federal government get involved?  We can lead the way by encouraging personal responsibility through the repeal of all these entitlement programs.  We MUST repeal all these federal entitlements.  We can remove the restrictions on the sale of interstate insurance policies.  We can look into true and meaningful tort reform (within our limited confines of the Constitution).  We could make healthcare costs inadmissible in bankruptcies, or only 50% inadmissible, so the hospitals and doctors know they'll be reimbursed for their expenses.

There are many answers to the healthcare cost explosion, but ObamaCare is not the answer, and further and deeper federal regulations are absolutely not the answer!  We need more personal responsibility, less federal regulation, more free trade, tort reform, and more personal involvement in people actually paying for their health.  This is, of course, only a start.  It will take time, but we can do it.  Healthcare freedom is not dead; it's only sick.