We Have Ways of Making You Insured

One provision in HR3200 that has kind of gone under the radar has been the compulsory coverage that everyone will have to have- with everyone carrying a card that identifies everyone and describes their amount of coverage. This was pushed by the insurance carriers, since approximitely one third of the people who are not covered are young people, a group that thinks it is invulnerable, or chooses to use their money for other things, like bills, and the insurance companies want their business to offset the reductions in monies they see coming down the pike.

But left nearly unexplored by angry activists was a measure of sweeping consequence that is almost guaranteed to become law if Democrats pass even a scaled-back version of health care reform: a requirement that every American carry an approved form of health insurance by 2013 or pay a penalty to the IRS.

Committees in both the House and Senate have voted in favor of the proposal, known as an individual mandate, and the Senate Finance Committee will likely support the measure when it meets again in the fall. Although President Obama opposed mandates during the 2008 campaign, he says he now supports them because of exemptions for people living near the poverty line, along with subsidies for other Americans who still can’t afford coverage. 

Conservative critics contend that such a mandate would be a federal power grab exponentially larger than the concept of a public option, which will drive health care costs up under the guise of cost containment. The issue itself lies at the Republican fault lines of individual responsibility and individual freedom, pitting pro-business pragmatists against movement activists.

politicsdaily.com

Such a shame, even Republicans signing on to a governmental power play- I am very disappointed here. While it might be smart to get insurance, the LAST thing we need is an IRS with more powers to punish. In a just world, the IRS would be abolished, or at least greatly diminished, with a flat tax, but that is for another post. What concerns me now is this compulsory mandate.

Dennis Smith, of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, calls the individual mandate “an earth-shaking” issue. “My objections are the unprecedented power of the federal government over the individual,” he said. “They’re basically saying, ‘No matter what else is going on in your life, we’re here from the government and you are going to do this.’ ”

Michael Cannon, of the libertarian Cato Institute, calls the mandate “the most sweeping provision of the Obama health plan” and argues that giving the government the power to mandate coverage would effectively nationalize private health coverage. “When the government requires everybody to buy health insurance, it has the power to dictate every heath insurance policy in the country,” he said “That then gives the government power over every aspect of health insurance and every aspect of care.”

politicsdaily.com

This is seen as a sop to the insurance companies, but, yes- it would put the government squarely in your doctor’s office, as well as bank account, living room and everywhere else you would be- a tremendous blow to privacy rights. Where is the ACLU during all of this?

I guess that if Hussein does it, it can’t be bad, according to the ACLU- but I wonder about one thing.

If everyone will be required to carry a card, where are all the objections liberals had when the issue was a card for voting, or a national ID card. Isn’t  this an infringement on their rights, or putting them under undue stress, or whatever the heck the argument was? 

Come on- squeal like it hurts- just like you squealed about the other proposals for ID cards- we are waiting.

Because this is a real threat.
Blake
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