There You Go Again, Congress!

My prediction is that the Health Care Reform Bill about to negotiated between the US House and Senate to put before President Obama will be to health care what the Community Reinvestment Act was to the housing and financial markets – a disaster filled with unintended consequences.  Rather than people losing their homes and facing financial ruin, this time it will be people’s lives and health at stake.  The sub-prime crisis will pale in comparison.

The very engines of wealth creation and free enterprise are being eroded by these proposed policies.  The Community Reinvestment Act fiddled with market economics to qualify previously unqualified borrowers by providing a government backing.  The Health Care Reform Bill is yet another round of government policy rigging the health care system, playing politics and power rather than reforming.  Look no further than the massive fraud in the Medicare and Medicaid systems to see what we have coming our way.  Now multiply this by tens of millions of new people who think insurance is a blank check entitlement to cover their poor choices and unhealthy lifestyle.  

Insurance is a business concept based on actuarial science of share risks. Insurance is not health care.  The very concept of risk-reward and personal responsibility has been lost in the health care reform debate.  We’ve also lost sight of the important role of community hospitals for indigent care.  The Hippocratic Oath remains a prevailing approach to caring for our fellow humans.   Government mandates to universal coverage are yet another falling domino in the Great Society that would undermine greatness and society.  When government steps in as a “brother’s keeper,” then society steps back from helping. 

Please review the track record of greater government direct involvement in non-defense services.  The Declaration and US Constitution speak to the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness, not as the reason for government to be the public option.  Government is to regulate, not run industry.  The current trend is alarmingly off-purpose.

I welcome your opinions.

PS – I found this clip on YouTube about Health Care in the 1980 Presidential Debates with Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.  Reagan’s comeback to Carter inspired the title of this posting.  Enjoy!