The realities of health care reform are becoming apparent sooner rather than later

Somewhere in these pages, you will find predictions to the effect that the Obama version of health care reform will not control costs, but rather increase them.  You will find reports that the CBO says much the same for most people.  You will also find predictions that to control costs there will have to be some form of health care rationing (not all bad mind you).  There are warnings of tinkering by Congress shortly after enactment of the legislation (although even I thought it would take more than a month), and there are references to the unworkable Massachusetts model. I talk about the risk of subsidies and tax credits tied to uncontrolled cost of health care resulting in higher and higher costs for these subsidies and credits.  More recently, I mention the dangers of demonizing insurance companies and seducing people into believing that the problems with health care costs are high premiums caused by CEO pay, insurance company profits and the lack of “competition.” 

I explain that the money being “saved” was simply the federal government moving money around and shifting costs like a Ponzi scheme.  There are also predictions somewhere in the pages that because costs will not be controlled and premiums will continue to rise at well more than inflation (driven by basic trends in health care services), politicians will have to again blame insurance companies for these results.

Finally, I point out that many of the assumptions used in the legislation are not only unrealistic, but also outright skulduggery. 

Have you read the papers lately?

Hold onto your wallet and put money aside to give you more flexibility in receiving health care, you may need it. I guess forty-eight years managing health benefits, lobbying Congress and working with insurers and health care organizations wasn’t a waste after all.

Join the FACEBOOK group, “What the heck are they doing with my employee benefits?”

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