Obama brings politics of fraud to health care

Michael Tanner:

IN making his case for a gov ernment takeover of the US health-care system, President Obama is going far beyond the usual Washington truth-stretching.

Take a look at just a few of the most common claims:

"If you like your current health-care plan, you can keep it." Even White House spokesmen have said that Obama's oft-repeated pledge that you can keep your current insurance isn't meant to be taken literally. The reality is that millions of Americans -- perhaps most Americans -- will be forced to change insurance plans.

First, the president supports an individual mandate -- a requirement that every American buy health insurance. And not just any insurance but insurance that includes all the benefits government thinks you should have. That insurance could be more expensive or include benefits that people don't want or are morally opposed to, such as abortion services.

And that doesn't just affect those without insurance today. The bills now before Congress say that while you won't be im mediately forced to switch from your current insurance to a government-specified plan, you'll have to switch to satisfy the government's requirements if you lose your current insurance or want to change plans.

Plus, the president supports the creation of a government insurance program that would compete with private insurance. But because this ultimately would be subsidized by American taxpayers, the government plan could keep its premiums artificially low or offer extra benefit.

In the end, millions of Americans would be forced out of the insurance they have today and into the government plan....

"You will pay less." The Congressional Budget Office has made it clear that the reform plans now being debated will in crease overall health-care costs, yet President Obama on Friday repeatedly said that his reform would reduce costs and save Americans money.

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"Quality will improve." Anyone who thinks a government takeover of the health-care system will improve quality of care has only to look at the health-care programs the government already runs: The Veterans Administration is overwhelmed with problems, Medicaid is notorious for providing poor quality at a high cost -- and Medicare has huge gaps in coverage.

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In attempts to contain costs they will ration the care provided and some will have to wait until it is too late to get it. The other cost issue is the increased taxes that will be paid on top of the premiums paid for the insurance. The 80 percent or more with coverage now will be paying more for less to cover the uninsured.