Single Payer Is Coming—we’ve Ourselves To Blame

Promises to repeal and replace the A.C.A ( ObamaCare) is clearly in trouble and whatever emerges from this mess will be a far cry from the solemn pledges Republicans have made for the last 8 years. Stop the presses—politicians lying.  It is however a tad disingenuous to put it entirely on the backs of republicans who knew all along they were never going to take away another new entitlement that Congress gave millions back in 2009 when this monstrosity was passed. An honest assessment is in order so that we can begin to prepare ourselves for a Universal National Health Insurance plan, equally important  so as to clearly understand why it happened.

In 2003 when former President George W. Bush was promoting ( with Congresses complicity) the Medicare Part D prescription coverage , I was asked by a couple down in the Northern Neck what I thought about the pending legislation. I told them it was a horrible idea, adding 1 trillion in expected costs ( according at that time to C.B.O’s estimates) over the first 10 years to a program that the wheels were coming off of. Keep in mind that there was no new revenue source to speak of to cover this additional 1 trillion. Bush wanted a 2^nd term and knew Florida and Ohio were going to be critical to his chances. Not lost on those of us who follow these things was the growing elderly populations of both of these 2 states. The couple then went on to tell me that “ their prescription costs were going through the roof”….to which I replied with the following statement

“ you own a beautiful water front home worth around a million dollars, you have a 40ft Winnebago sitting in the driveway with a 36 ft. Cabin Crusier , several water ski-doo’s, a very healthy balance in your investment portfolio—–and you think someone else should pay for your prescriptions “ ? Obviously I haven’t been invited back since 2003.

Prior to the approval of the A.C.A the poor were already eligible/covered by Medicaid. It was the expansion of Medicaid after A.C.A’s passage that brought in ( among the states that took the Fed’s dough & expanded their Medicaid programs ) millions of able bodied Americans who once again demonstrated that they believed they were entitled to medical coverage , and equally important their fellow citizens should subsidize the costs. You can begin to see the “ entitlement mentality” here in play.

Republican Governors across the nation including Ohio’s John Kasich took the federal money , expanded his state’s Medicaid coverage and now is insisting the slow down in the growth rate of Medicaid ( which is what the Senate proposal does, it does not cut the program ) is unacceptable.  Some might say Kasich is just doing what politicians do ,he is afterall a career Pol.

Republicans never intended to take away a new federal entitlement no matter what they pledged. The bargaining going on in DC, let’s call it what it is BRIBES,  with 40 billion more for opioid addiction treatment, another 75 billion in insurance company subsidies ( to stabilize the exchanges) is just such evidence of how impossible it is to do what is right in the long term for the nation, which is to repeal this legislation all together and craft free market based solutions that are there, if only politicians would stand up for a principle.

That isn’t going to happen and we will stumble along with some political patchwork that won’t fix anything until a future Congressional majority caves and installs universal care.

I write however to bring as the late Jerry Lund used to say, some intellectual honesty, into the discussion. Saul Alinsky stated decades ago “you must co-opt more of the white middle class in order to collapse the system and bring about the change”.

I hope Jerry is playing on Heavens golf courses, I do know for certain Saul is quite satisfied these days that the co-opting he spoke of is almost complete.

Bob Shannon