Health Wars (9/28/09)

That's the one good thing about BarryCare - it's the conservative's public relations gift that keeps on giving:

Democrats want to use Medicaid to cover everyone up to at least 133% of the federal poverty level, or about $30,000 for a family of four. Starting in 2014, Mr. Baucus plans to spend $287 billion through 2019—or about one-third of ObamaCare’s total spending—to add some eleven million new people to the Medicaid rolls.

About fifty-nine million people are on Medicaid today—which means that a decade from now about a quarter of the total population would be on a program originally sold as help for low-income women, children and the disabled. State budgets would explode—by $37 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office—because they would no longer be allowed to set eligibility in line with their own decisions about taxes and spending. This is the mother—and father and crazy uncle—of unfunded mandates.

This burden would arrive on the heels of an unprecedented state fiscal crisis. As of this month, some forty-eight states had shortfalls in their 2010 budgets totaling $168 billion—or 24% of total state budgets. The left-wing Center for Budget and Policy Priorities expects total state deficits in 2011 to rise to $180 billion. And this is counting the $87 billion Medicaid bailout in this year’s stimulus bill.

While falling revenues are in part to blame, Medicaid is a main culprit, even before caseloads began to surge as joblessness rose. The National Association of State Budget Officers notes that Medicaid spending is on average the second largest component in state budgets at 20.7%—exceeded only slightly by K-12 education (20.9%) and blowing out state universities (10.3%), transportation (8.1%) and prisons (3.4%).

So let's add this up: the Democrat Financial Logic Bomb's detonation on the U.S. economy that had heretofore been booming thanks to the Bush tax cuts brought that growth to a screeching halt, decimating state tax revenues and boosting Medicaid spending at the same time.  Max Baucus' version of BarryCare would add ANOTHER sixteen million Medicaid enrollees INVOLUNTARILY, many of whom are not, by official definition, "poor".  And before that newest fiscal daisycutter hits its target, every state in the country except two are already drowning in red ink.

That sounds like another "opportunity" for the White House - to nationalize, or "de-federalize," the states and bring them all directly under the Obama regime's control.  And, sho 'nuff....:

Mr. Baucus hopes to use his printing press to bribe the governors, at least for a time. Currently, the federal government pays about fifty-seven cents out of every dollar the states spend on Medicaid, though the “matching rate” ranges as high as 76% in some states. That would rise to 95%—but only for five years. After that, who knows? It all depends on which budget Congress ends up ruining. Either the states will be slammed, or Washington will extend these extra payments into perpetuity—despite the fact that CBO expects purely federal spending on Medicaid to consume 5% of GDP by 2035 under current law.

Eventually, in other words, it's all going to end up on Barry's books.  One more gigantic burden within BarryCare, which itself is the biggest burden of all ON TOP OF Medicare, which will go bankrupt in 2017 OR SOONER, and Social Security, which is scheduled to start hemmorhaging red ink NEXT YEAR.

If you look up "fiscal insanity" in the dictionary, the immediately preceding 'graph should be the definition of it.  For political insanity, try Michael Honda:

Fearful that they’re losing ground on immigration and health care, a group of House Democrats is pushing back and arguing that any health care bill should extend to all legal immigrants and allow illegal immigrants some access.

The Democrats, trying to stiffen their party’s spines on the contentious issue, say it’s unfair to bar illegal immigrants from paying their own way in a government-sponsored exchange. Legal immigrants, they say, regardless of how long they’ve been in the United States, should be able to get government-subsidized health care if they meet the other eligibility requirements.

“Legal permanent residents should be able to purchase their plans, and they should also be eligible for subsidies if they need it. Undocumented, if they can afford it, should be able to buy their own private plans. It keeps them out of the emergency room,” said Rep. Michael M. Honda, California Democrat and chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

The problems? 

1) Immigrants regardless of legal status can already by private health insurance in the current system.  So there's no more need to herd them into a government-controlled collective than any of the rest of us.

2) Honda wants to do away with the five year welfare waiting period for legal immigrants, which was created to discourage LEGAL immigration for the primary purpose of getting on the dole.  The effect, of course, is to encourage immigrants to come here ILLEGALLY, which Honda's proposal would do nothing to mitigate because, as has been known for months, there are no enforcement mechanisms in the House versions of BarryCare, and the ones inserted into the Senate versions could and doubtless would be axed in the conference committee.

If you think the public reaction against this atrocity was sulfuric up to now, just wait.  It'll reverse global cooling all by itself.

The RNC has fielded its entry next to the word "taxes," since B.O. punted:

Do the Democrats even realize they're committing political suicide by continuing to mindlessly flog this beast?  I'll guarantee you the Blue Dogs in both houses do, and that is BarryCare's biggest obstacle:

Just 41% of voters nationwide now favor the health care reform proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. That’s down two points from a week ago and the lowest level of support yet measured.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 56% are opposed to the plan.

Senior citizens are less supportive of the plan than younger voters. In the latest survey, just 33% of seniors favor the plan while 59% are opposed. The intensity gap among seniors is significant. Only 16% of the over-65 crowd Strongly Favors the legislation while 46% are Strongly Opposed.

For the first time ever, a slight plurality of voters now express doubt that the legislation will become law this year. Forty-six percent (46%) say passage is likely while 47% say it is not. Those figures include 18% who say passage is Very Likely and 15% who say it is Not at All Likely. Sixty percent (60%) are less certain....

The health care debate has produced a difficult political environment for Democrats. Several incumbent Democratic senators currently are behind in their reelection bids including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Nevada, Chris Dodd in Connecticut and Michael Bennet in Colorado. Republicans appear to have a better shot than expected at hanging on to the New Hampshire Senate seat, and GOP incumbents lead in both North Carolina and Iowa. The races for soon-to-be-vacant Senate seats in Missouri and Ohio are neck-and-neck, and longtime incumbent Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer polls under 50% against two potential 2010 challengers in California. Appointed Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand holds a very narrow lead over former Governor George Pataki in a hypothetical match-up for New York State’s 2010 Senate race.

The Dems have actively alienated geezers, independents, and even the 18-29 demographic that was so into the Obama fad a year ago, but which has moved on to other things now that their "god" has revealed himself to be a dirty, lying filthbag.  At the rate they're going, they stand to lose the House and ALL the Senate gains they made in 2008 and since, as many as nine seats.

But the non-BDs who do not represent districts carried by Bush in '04 and/or McCain last year - which includes all the Donk leadership and committee chairs - simply do not care.  In their minds they've been waiting seventy years to take over health care, and dammit, they're going to do it no matter what it takes.

Except that they can't do it by themselves.  They need SOME Azure Mutts.  And the harder and more stidently and more authoritarianly they push, the less likely they'll get the non-liberal votes they have to have to shove this monstrosity down the throats of an already aroused, angry public that most definitely do NOT vote for anything like this.

Guess that's one on most of those sixty-eight million numbnuts - if enough BDs are feeling lucky enough to toss their careers to the four winds.