by Brett Roberts
Remember when we didn’t have dirty used car salesmen running Washington? No? Neither can I.
Customer: “I want to spend $100 billion per year on government health insurance.”
Salesman: “Well, let’s put you in this health care package right here. Just a trillion dollars the first 10 years.”
Customer: “That sounds perfect. I’ll take it.”
Salesman: “OK, you’ll get the yearly bill in the mail starting tomorrow.”
Customer: “OK, I just need the keys.”
Salesman: “You’ll get to drive this baby home in just 4 years.”
Customer: “Wait, what? I don’t get to use it for 4 years? But I’m starting my yearly payments tomorrow.”
Salesman: “Well, in order for it to cost just $100 billion per year you have to go 4 years without using it.”
Customer: “Wait, so you said it was going to cost $1 trillion the first ten years. What will it cost the second ten years?”
Salesman: “Oh, that’s a long time away. Let’s focus on the near future. It’s going to cost us hardly anything these first 4 years.”
Customer: “No duh. How much is it going to cost in the 10th year? I’m not buying unless you tell me.”
Salesman: “It’ll cost about $250 billion that year, but that’s just a CBO estimate, and they’re always WAY off.”
Customer: “Yeah, it always costs WAY more than they say. Even their lowball estimate is two-and-a-half times more than I told you I wanted to spend! I’m outta here.”
Salesman: “Well, you really don’t have a say.”
The Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) health care cost graph showing the increase in cost year to year over this first ten years looks like a climb up Mt. Everest. To justify this bill’s cost based on the first 10 years is like pretending a teenager working at a fast food restaurant can afford a 5,000 sq. ft. house just because the loan payments on his variable rate mortgage loan start out at just $300/mo. We all know what’s going to happen in 2 years when he owes $2,300/mo. Oh, and let’s make this a better comparison to our current situation. The teenager has a credit card debt of $120,000.
To make things worse, the CBO has to project their numbers based on all the fancy claims that Congress tells them is going to happen… like claiming they’re going to cut Medicare by $500 billion. HA! Doctors are already losing money on Medicare patients, and that would require another 21% cut in their fees, and would have to remain at that level indefinitely. Yeah, and Congress has a totally sweet bridge to sell you as well.
They’re also telling the CBO to factor in billions of dollars in reducing a huge percentage of fraud. Wow, the way Congress talks about this, let’s go ahead and throw in some flying cars and houses on the moon.
Other savings? Reducing pay to hospitals, facilities, services, doctors… Wow, that doesn’t sound like it’s going to have any effect on quality of care at all… or the number of people willing to become doctors. Did I mention that 49% of doctors say they’ll quit if this bill passes? I think they’re probably bluffing. Does all this make YOU want to be a doctor? How about your kids?
Well, the future looks bright.
