Curmudgeon's Corner

The White House, Health Care & Old Folks

Posted by Al Campbell on Feb. 27, 2012

U.S., Political, Quality of Life, Healthcare, Economy

There is little secret that this White House wants to control virtually everything about our lives.  Health care, of course, has been the big target since PPACA (a/k/a ObamaCare) was passed in the dead of night.

Recently another of the 'plans' for this take-over has become public, and that involves the White House's desire to add a fifteen percent (15%) tax on top of the premiums seniors pay for Medicare Supplement insurance coverage.  If you pay a monthly premium of $200 for a Medicare Supplement policy, that would become $230.

A Medicare Supplement policy is exactly what the name suggests; it provides additional coverage for things not covered by Medicare.  It typically covers the deductibles and co-pays that exist, lengthens the hospital stay coverage, closes the 'doughnut hole' for prescription drugs, etc.  These policies have been around for years and are used by many people as a means of eliminating unexpected expenses should their health take a turn for the worse.

Health care is about as personal as anything gets in this life.  There are numerous laws that assure our health care will remain a private thing between us and our physicians and yet the new rules in ObamaCare infringe on those assurances of privacy.

Now, the White House wants to add further costs to those who use Medicare Supplements.  The obvious reason would be that this will bring in more private sector money for Uncle Sam to spend.  More money taken from the haves that can be given to the have nots...maybe to add more security to the knowledge that those votes are secure.  It also will make insurance companies even more a demon than is now the case.

Another thing this would do is make Medicare Supplement policies unaffordable for many people who would then be completely at the mercy of the governmment for that most private of things in our lives.  People would no longer live with the knowledge that they were protected no matter the condition of their health.

Many of these people would not be able to avail themselves of the amount of health care they might desire. They would lose the freedom to seek cures and better control of medical conditions to make their remaining time more comfortable.   They would be at the mercy of the faceless, nameless 'system'.

Perversely, this tax would end some lives sooner and that would save tax money that has to be pumped into the Medicare system to keep it afloat.  This would accomplish things the disavowed 'death panels' would also accomplish.  People who were deemed to have no remaining worth of life, would simply die sooner and without visible government intervention.  Sound too horrible to be possible for this government?

We can only hope, but I doubt it is too horrible for this government.  We old people suck up a lot of health care and we know that we don't contribute to society any more even though many of us served in our military and many gave their lives far too soon.  We just sort of hang around not contributing anything; a lot like the nearly 50% of all Americans who pay no income tax! 

Come to think of it, is there any connection between the continuing 'payroll tax' amnesty and the fact that it is used to financially support Medicare and Social Security?  Over one hundred billion dollars have already been lost to those programs so that our President can tell people he is making a difference in their lives.  He is making a difference but not one that appeals to me.

Is this the making of a new set of have nots, but a set that won't be rewarded like the other have nots?