…or Obfuscation? OK, I love that word since I heard it first on X-Files 
But whom are they kidding? What has been "transparent" so far? Closed door discussions, arm-twisting in the Oval Office, health care takeover snuck into a stimulus bill in the middle of the night, more and more underhanded treatment from people who supposedly work for us!
Transparency — or Hidden Agenda of Governmental Control
A closer review of The two-part Obama Health Care Plan shows that the first part of his Plan was buried in the stimulus bill, and the second part is currently being debated in Congress. Unfortunately, the foundation of ObamaCare does not make health care more affordable and available, but rather promotes inefficient government control, long lines, rationing, and denial of health care – backed and enforced by penalties, punishments and taxation.
The first part of Obama’s Plan, already passed into law in the stimulus bill, dictates that doctors and hospitals will be overseen and reviewed by the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology. This “Coordinator,” an anointed bureaucrat, will “guide medical decisions at the time and place of care,” and will be responsible for monitoring treatments to make sure doctors and hospitals are strictly following the government’s pre-determined mandates (Stimulus Bill, p. 116; see also pp. 442, 446). This sounds suspiciously like practicing medicine without a license, a crime in almost every state.
What happened to doctor/patient confidentiality? What happened to H.I.P.P.A.’s mandate and philosophy that no one outside the doctor’s office should be able to access, to see or to monitor your patient records? Big Brother will definitely be watching you, and will also tell you what treatments you can and cannot have.
The stimulus bill goes on to say that hospitals and doctors that are NOT “meaningful users” of the new electronic systems will face penalties. The Secretary of Health and Human Services will be empowered to impose “more stringent measures of meaningful use over time.” (Stimulus Bill pp. 366, 478, 511, 518, 540, 541.) According to those in Congress, penalties could include large six figure financial fines and possible imprisonment for NOT following government protocols. It is one way to fund the new system, but a self-defeating one. According to the Obama Plan, if your doctor saves your life but breaks government protocol, you might have to go to the prison to see your doctor for follow-up! It is therefore NOT surprising that a recent Investor’s Business Daily Survey revealed 45% of physicians currently in practice reported they would leave the field of medicine it this legislation is implemented. This potential reduction in health care providers does not bode well for the ability of Obama’s Plan to make health care available to everyone, or at least everyone the government deems “worthy.”
“No Additional Taxes” = Mandates and Escalating Penalties
As outrageous and over-the-top as this seems, the penalties and punishments are NOT limited to providers. Every American becomes a target with this plan. If an individual declines to buy insurance (at a price to be determined by the government), he/she will be fined $1900 for not buying the insurance. The penalties for this “non-tax” escalate. Politico.com has reported on the explanation of additional penalties on individuals by The Joint Congressional Committee on Taxation:
“Sen. John Ensign received a handwritten note Thursday from Joint Committee on Taxation Chief of Staff Tom Barthold confirming the penalty for failing to pay the up to $1,900 fee for not buying health insurance.
Violators could be charged with a misdemeanor and could face up to a year in jail or a $25,000 penalty, Barthold wrote on JCT letterhead. He signed it ‘Sincerely, Thomas A. Barthold.’ “
If any American chooses NOT to have coverage, as millions currently do, then they will be fined. If they do NOT pay the fine then they will penalized $25,000 or ‘Go To Jail’…..Go directly to jail without passing Go.
But the penalties, taxes and punishments do not stop there. In fact, President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid do NOT want you to consider the taxes really to be taxes. On page 203 of the health care bill (the one that is currently available to the public) it is stated, “The tax imposed under this section shall NOT be treated as a tax imposed.” I kid you not…..how dumb do they think we are?
While out of one side of his mouth President Obama claims there will not be an increase in “taxes,” it has also been reported that a provision to tax medical appliances has been proposed to partially fund the health care plan.
The Senate recently exempted medical items that cost under $100 — such as tampons and condoms. But the tax, expected to raise about $40 billion over the next decade, is still in the bill and includes items like:
- Pacemakers
- Hip joint replacements
- Gastrointestinal tubes
- Artificial hearts
- Hearing aids
- Porcelain teeth
- Heart defibrillators
- Prosthetic heart valve rotators
- Powered wheelchairs
- Ventilators
The Medical Device Manufacturer’s Association said that the tax would hurt them, as well as those who need medical devices.
