The Winkest Link

By Cessna

Are insurance companies worried about the health care bill?

(Hint: Their stock prices are rising)

Under the Senate plan, millions of Americans will be forced into private insurance company plans, which will be subsidized by taxpayers. This will do little to reform health care but will be a windfall for insurance companies.

The point of creating a government option is to bring prices down. Naturally, the Senate version of this bill does not provide a ‘government option.’ Instead, we will subsidize the private insurance market.

You have heard the line about making laws and making sausage. The difference is that quality sausage can be very satisfying to the consumer. Major legislation, on the other hand, is almost always directed at benefiting the very wealthy first and foremost. If there are secondary benefits to the consumer, well, that’s nice too.

We expect this when Republicans control Congress. In practice, the result is the same when the Dems are in charge. Money dictates what goes into each and every bill.

Democrats are as beholden to the almighty dollar as are the Republicans, they are just less obvious about it.

To illustrate the difference, let us look at the major (non-war) concerns of the parties:

Republicans: Insist on elimination of the estate tax (also known as the inheritance tax). The standard scare tactic of the GOP is to call this a ‘death tax’ because stupid people will believe it applies to all those who die. They sell it as though YOU will lose dollars when a loved one dies.

Nope, this tax only effects the VERY wealthy, with giant estates. There is a credit which eliminates any tax on the first $3,500,000 of the estate.

Regardless of estate size. if an asset is left to a spouse or a charitable organization, the tax usually does not apply.

When it does apply, amounts over $3,500,000 are effectively subject to a flat tax of 45%.

To repeat, the estate is not taxed if the money (1) goes to a spouse, or (2) to a charity, or (3) if the estate is less than $3,500,000.

But Republicans keep screaming ‘death tax’!

Who are they fighting for? Only the mega-wealthy. Not me. Not you (probably).

Democrats: Insist on providing “health care for all Americans”!

Nope. The Senate bill does NOT provide health care for all Americans. It provides an opportunity for all Americans to BUY health care from already wealthy insurance companies, sometimes at higher prices than they could have bought it before.

The new, higher prices will discourage even those who can afford it from buying it.

For those that can’t afford it, they will be subsidized to make it more affordable but, either way, the insurance companies garner millions more customers.

There will be no competition from a public option, so insurance companies will have no motivation to moderate premiums.

Are you under the impression that Senate Democrats wrote this law? Nope. Insurance lobbyists wrote it, the same way drug companies wrote the Medicare drug law (under Republican rule) which forbid Congress from negotiating the purchase price of the drugs.

The “Golden Rule” is: Those with the gold make the rules.

It is and ever shall be.
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