Single payer/government-run health care (Rep. John Campbell)

Wednesday, Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) publicly announced that he will switch his vote on the Health care bill from “no” last time to “yes” this time. With Kucinich’s vote, now all of the most liberal Democrats in Congress are supporting the bill. 87 Democrats co-sponsored a bill to immediately have full blown socialized medicine like Canada or Britain. It appears now that all of those Democrats are supporting this bill that the President and Democratic leadership say is not government-run health care.

Hmmm. So if it’s not government run health care, how did you get 100% of the votes of those who publicly support government run health care and you are having trouble only with the moderates who oppose it?

Because, this bill is designed to get to European style government health care with rationing and so forth. Here’s how it does it: There will be a government agency that will determine the minimum benefits that must be included in all health insurance plans. It will mandate much more coverage which almost no insurance plan has today, which in turn will drive up the cost of insurance. However, the bill also allows the federal government to set the maximum rates that can be charged for health insurance. It is important to note that a “Cadillac plan” is defined in the bill not by what it covers, but by what the plan costs.

So, the government can set rates that will make providing health insurance unprofitable and tax it as well, thereby completely burying the private market. Then, when no one can get insurance at all, the government will 'come to the rescue' of the problem it created and provide a government health plan which will then be the only one around.

This strategy may result in something more like Britain’s system where if you are very wealthy you can buy your own private health care, but only for a high price and with high taxes, or you can leave the country and get good care elsewhere. But most people will be stuck with government health care and the “Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research” (I’m not making that up – it’s in the bill) decides whether you get pulled off the waiting list to get that cancer treatment or not.

Don’t let the Obama/Pelosi rhetoric fool you. They have all the votes of the far left because this plan appeals to the far left and will accomplish their goals, albeit over time.

There will be bipartisanship this week. There will be strong bipartisan opposition to this monstrosity. Hopefully, it will be enough.

Cross-posted from Green Eyeshade Blog