Ten Best Reasons to Oppose Health Care Reform

Most of us are not opposed to health care reform (See this Washington Post link for an excellent primer on health insurnace in the US.) and most of us agree on objectives. My concern is that the leaders driving the reform bus (President Obama and Congressional Democrats) are not genuine in their real purpose. Accordingly, their legislative prosposals seem inconsistent with their goals.

For example, there is little in the bills to reduce or control costs. The current Senate Finance plan does not have any limitations on medical malpractice lawsuits. Too many Americans will remain uncovered (25 million). And, two essential elements of reform i.) tax equalization, and ii.) interstate competition of insurance companies are nowhere in sight. For those that prefer shorthand, here are the ten best reasons to oppose the current health care reform proposals:

1. Key and critical provisions are missing. a) Malpractice reform, b) tax equalization and c) interstate competition of health care insurance companies.
2. Costs are excessive. CBO estimates are based on many flawed assumptions. If medicare savings could be easily realized, why hasn't Washington done it before now.
3. Massive implicit tax increases. The Finance Committee proposal has $400 billion in tax increases. While proposed to be levied on insurance companies, if enacted at all as described, they will be pass throughs to beneficiaries.
   
   
4. Too few benefits. Current estimates show that 25 million Americans will remain without health insurance even if proposals are enacted. (President Obama said they were 30 million Americans without health insurance.)
5. The proposed plans have provisions that will encourage employers and employees to drop private health care plan placing more pressure on public costs.
6. Most supporters of health care reform have stated support for a public option or a single payer systems and therefore may be using the reform efforts to move towards those systems.
7. The plans are complex and unnecessary. Less significant changes that would address major current flaws could be enacted without risking disruption to the entire system.
8. Many of the alleged problems with the current health care system are disengenuous and unsupported by the facts. In fact, most Americans are content with the current system and believe that minor adjustments could address the actual flaws.
9. Any major government initiative is doomed to failure based on all observable factual evidence. All major government programs costs are grossly underestimated, and results benefits are overstated. Examples include US Postal Service, Social Security, Medicare and Amtrak.
10. There are not suffucient means to avoid providing a new and expensive entitlement program to illegal immigrants and other Americans that avoid self-responsibility for health care and personal finances.

I know I said Ten Best Reasons - but - we must also recognize that these massive realignment proposals have the effect of freezing economic activity in place. Employers, investors and consumers look at these grandiose plans as a source of significant uncertainty about economic growth, taxes and health insurance coverage.

For alternatives see my prior post on the Health Care Reform on One Page.