myerstownherald.com

The supposed health-care compromise before the Senate is nothing more than a disguised government option. President Obama and liberals pushing for some type of health-care reform may say this new plan is not the same as a government-run health-care plan, but there is little difference. This compromise plan should be rejected by conservative Democratic senators, whose support is necessary to pass a health-care bill, because it likely would dramatically increase the deficit and the role that the government plays in making every day health-care decisions.
Under the supposed compromise, Medicare would be expanded to cover people between the ages of 55 and 64. Medicare already covers people age 65 and older, and the people covered under the new expansion plan would pay higher premiums than the people currently on Medicare. Additionally, nationwide private plans would be created and would be under the oversight of a government agency.
Despite the label of compromise, this plan is a bunch of gimmickry and word games trying to obscure the fact that if this bill passes, it would mean a large expansion of government’s role in health care and increased government involvement in people’s health-care decisions.
By expanding Medicare, which essentially is a government run health insurance plan, the government would be funding an enlarged public option, although it would be one for workers in the upper tier of middle age. Despite the age limit, this expansion of the health-care system could be a large fiscal expenditure. At a time when the deficit is out of control and threatens to harm the economy, taking on such a large increase in spending does not make sense, particularly if sustainable job growth is the goal.
The creation of new private plans under government oversight also is problematic. If the plans must adhere to government dictates, they do not seem like private plans to begin with. Additionally, government oversight could lead to increased government decision making in people’s health-care decisions. It cannot be denied that if government has the power to make insurance companies follow their directives, then government will have power over the treatment that people receive.
The increased cost and additional federal control that people feared in a government run health-care plan have not gone away with this compromise being considered in the Senate. These concerns have remained, but the federal health plan has been repackaged and renamed. People who want Congress to exercise fiscal discipline and who do not want government making health-care decisions should oppose this compromise. Conservative Democratic senators should oppose it as well, if they want to maintain credibility as fiscal conservatives.