Socialized Medicine-Pelosi Announces Plan To Take US A Step Closer

By Bill ~ March 26th, 2009 @ 5:55 pm

Nancy Pelosi has announced that she plans for the House of Representatives to consider an option for a government run health care program. She feels that for any health care plan to be substantial, it should include an option for the government to run it. Republicans and health insurers oppose the plan, with Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, calling the public option a deal-breaker. However, Pelosi thinks a government role in health care will make U.S. companies more competitive. I would love to hear a reasonable explanation for that. It would have to go beyond her statement of leveling the playing field for competing against foreign health insurance companies whose governments subsidize or pay for health care.

The Obama-Pelosi health care plan only needs $650 billion or so in funding. With all of the bail-outs and stimulus plans we’re paying for, one can only wonder where these funds are going to come from. The Federal Reserve better be performing adequate preventive maintenance on the presses they use to print money because those machines are going to be busy.

The Democrats plan to use a legislative trick called “reconciliation procedures” to fast-track the plan and to get around the potential for a Republican filibuster. Under reconciliation procedures, the Senate can pass the plan with a simple majority vote. We can only hope that enough responsible thinking Senate Democrats will join with Republicans in an effort to protect our health care system. I will freely admit that our health care system could benefit from some well chosen tweaks, but I don’t believe it’s broken to the point of needing such a drastic overhaul that includes an option for government control.