Just Drop Health Care Reform!

by Larry Greenley, Director of Marketing

But an additional step we can take to keep insurance companies honest is by making a not-for-profit public option available in the insurance exchange. Let me be clear — it would only be an option for those who don't have insurance. No one would be forced to choose it, and it would not impact those of you who already have insurance. In fact, based on Congressional Budget Office estimates, we believe that less than 5% of Americans would sign up.

Despite all this, the insurance companies and their allies don't like this idea. They argue that these private companies can't fairly compete with the government. And they'd be right if taxpayers were subsidizing this public insurance option. But they won't be. I have insisted that like any private insurance company, the public insurance option would have to be self-sufficient and rely on the premiums it collects. But by avoiding some of the overhead that gets eaten up at private companies by profits, excessive administrative costs and executive salaries, it could provide a good deal for consumers....

For example, some have suggested that the public option go into effect only in those markets where insurance companies are not providing affordable policies. Others propose a co-op or another non-profit entity to administer the plan. These are all constructive ideas worth exploring. But I will not back down on the basic principle that if Americans can't find affordable coverage, we will provide you with a choice.... 

— President Barack Obama, Health Care Speech to Congress, September 9, 2009

I purposely put off writing this column until the last possible moment this month in order to hear President Obama’s address to Congress regarding his health care plan on September 9. I wanted to be able to comment on his address because the health care reform issue has become the key to Obama’s legislative agenda this year. After his successes with getting the huge Omnibus bill and the trillion dollar stimulus package passed along with his unconstitutional takeovers of the financial and auto industry, the widespread opposition to his health care plan has slowed down his legislative juggernaut. And, of course, if a health care reform bill is passed, then we’ll be faced with Senate consideration of the economy-killing energy tax, known as “cap and trade,” along with a whole series of other costly bills.

So we have to be realistic. The Obama administration has already shown its propensity to go far beyond the substance and intent of congressional legislation. All they need for establishing an eventual completely government-run health care system is for Congress to pass a health care reform bill with the merest embryo of a government health care program. That’s why we’re hearing so much about the “public option.” This “public option” would be this embryonic government health care program. One of Obama’s advisors, Jacob Hacker, even invented the deceptive “public option” concept as part of a strategy to bring about a “single payer,” government health care system.

Just read closely the nearby excerpt of Obama’s speech to Congress. This fairy tale government-run “public option” would supposedly be able to offer lower-priced health care insurance than all private insurance companies and would be financed entirely by the premiums collected from those insured without any subsidies from taxpayers. However, since President Obama “will not back down on the basic principle that if Americans can’t find affordable coverage, we [the government] will provide you with a choice,” we can be sure that whatever form the “public option” takes,  it will provide a “good deal for consumers.” And, of course, guaranteeing this “good deal for consumers” will require government regulation and taxpayer subsidies.

In this environment of deception and power politics, voters must not encourage members of Congress to work on a compromise health care reform bill. What we need instead is for Congress to just drop health care reform!

This would provide the time to get many constitutionalists nominated and elected to Congress in 2010 and 2012. Once we have a majority of fiscally responsible constitutionalists in Congress, that would be the time to consider health care reform — in accordance with the Constitution, of course.

To send emails to your representative and senators to “just drop health care reform,” go to JBS.org and click on “Legislative Action” under the “Action” menu tab. Be sure also to keep the heat on your representative and senators with phone calls, personal visits, atte

Remember, there is absolutely no authorization in the Constitution for Congress to regulate and pay for health care. Let’s develop and maintain sufficient grassroots pressure to make Congress obey the Constitution by “just dropping health care reform”

Action Summary

Keep the pressure on your representative and senators to “Just drop health care reform!”