H.R. 3962: Rationing and Bureaucratic Control

The healthcare bill (H.R. 3962) that barely passed the House of Representatives Nov. 7 contains a clause that should concern all Americans—especially the elderly. On pages 25-26, Title 1, Section 101, subsection (h)(2) the bill clearly states: “If the Secretary estimates for any fiscal year that the aggregate amounts available for payment of expenses of the high-risk pool will be less than the amount of the expenses, the Secretary shall make such adjustments as are necessary to eliminate such deficit, including reducing benefits, increasing premiums, or establishing waiting lists.”

If you examine this you know all you need to know about what the current administration wants to do about your healthcare:

The law would direct the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to do one of three things if the healthcare program goes over budget, which it certainly will because government spending always does. The secretary’s first option is to reduce your benefits. The government routinely does this now with its other well managed medical care programs, Medicaid and Medicare. Goodbye routine exams. The second option is to increase your premiums. Goodbye promise of affordable healthcare. The last option is the most ghastly: establishing waiting lists. This is political speak for the R-word: rationing. Goodbye, kidney transplant.

There are two things that should scare the hell out of all Americans in this one section of the Bill. First, that the government will be the sole arbiter of whether you get less care, more expensive care or rationed care. Remember the liberals who claimed that talk of rationing was “scaremongering?” It’s in the bill. We didn’t put it there; the House of Representatives did.

Second, the decision of whether your care gets reduced, costs more or is rationed is the decision of one non-elected bureaucrat: the secretary of DHHS. Not your elected officials. Not your doctor. Not you. Rationing and government bureaucratic control of healthcare have been the two biggest fears of Americans throughout this process. And now that fear is present in black and white in this bill.

The time for debate is over. As Americans we have a decision to make. Do we surrender more control over our lives to the government or do we do what Americans have always done, which is to find innovative, creative, independent solutions that improve the lives of all Americans, not make them worse?

Just thought you might like to know.