Archive for August, 2009

“6 Simple Ways to Dramatically Cut Costs of Medical Care – at Zero Expense to Taxpayers”

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

by Michael Cloud

Imagine that the federal and state governments imposed laws, regulations, restrictions, and mandates on medical care that drastically increased the cost – without improving medical care.

What if it were possible to cut your medical care costs by 20% or 30% or even 50% now – while keeping current levels of quality and service – by repealing and removing these government-created burdens and barriers?

If this were possible, would you want it?

Would you want the U.S. Congress to repeal and remove these laws, regulations, restrictions, and mandates?

Would you want your state legislature to do the same?

Yes? Well, these government-imposed burdens and barriers DO exist – and your federal and state legislators CAN repeal and remove them.

Would you like to see a small sample? (more…)

Tags:
Posted in Center for Small Government | 6 Comments »

Beware the Surrender

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

Quotes of the Day:

“You could theoretically design a co-op plan that had the same attributes as a public plan.” — Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services

“Well, I think in theory you can imagine a co-operative meeting that definition.” — President Barack Obama

Subject: Beware the surrender on the so-called “public option”

The Big Government health care bill doesn’t have the votes in the Senate and it’s taking a beating in public opinion. The latest Rasmussen Report shows that 54% of Americans now think passing no health care reform at all is better than passing the current plan.

The President and Congressional leaders have responded by appearing to surrender.

President Obama claims the so-called “public option” (tax funded health insurance) isn’t crucial. They would settle for something called a co-op instead.

Beware of politicians appearing to surrender. They’re almost always “Greeks bearing gifts.” The co-op alternative to the “public option” is a Trojan Horse.

Michael F. Cannon sums it up perfectly: (more…)

Tags: , ,
Posted in DownsizeDC.org | No Comments »

Another Shocking Fact

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

Quote of the Day: “In 2006, Massachusetts snuck a health care boondoggle past the voters by pushing 20 percent of the cost on to the federal government and 60 percent onto private individuals and employers, according to data from the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.” — Michael F. Cannon of the Cato Institute, writing in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Subject: Another shocking fact about the true costs of the big health care bill

Yesterday we told you that the big health care bill delays the full implementation of its programs until after the 10-year period evaluated by the CBO (Congressional Budget Office). This serves to hide the fact that these programs will probably cost at least 50% more than the $1.2 trillion reported by the CBO.

But it gets worse . . .

* The $1.2 trillion cost reported by the CBO only includes ON-BUDGET items
* The bill also imposes other huge costs on taxpayers that won’t be reflected in the federal budget

This is one of the tricks Republican Governor Mitt Romney used to pass his train-wreck health care bill in Massachusetts, and now the Democrats in Congress are pursuing the same fraudulent course.

We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again — you won’t get what you want just because a politician holds office who happens to wear the partisan label you like. The labels mean nothing! You will only get what you want by raising a stink, and doing it constantly, with overwhelming pressure. Now here’s how the Democrats are using Mitt Romney’s playbook to defraud you . . . (more…)

Tags:
Posted in DownsizeDC.org | No Comments »

Top Ten Reasons For Seniors to Oppose Obama Initiatives for Nationalized Health Care

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

Anonymous, Used by Permission
Written June, 2009

Introduction

The government already has promised more than it can deliver to those on Medicare. If it now makes more promises that it cannot keep, the system could collapse for everyone. Certainly the Obama health care plan will require scaling back medical care for those on Medicare — by rationing services.

If press reports are at all correct about what will be in the Administration bill (still being kept a secret from the American people), it has become the author’s view that Seniors are among the groups which will be most disadvantaged by the Administration bill.

Top Ten Reasons

1. The Obama proposal is based upon the faulty premise or hypothesis that there are 46 million Americans without health care. This statement has been repeated so often that it has become almost a “mantra,” but it is not true. (more…)

Tags: , ,
Posted in The Coalition Presents | 1 Comment »

This One Is Short, But Shocking

Monday, August 17th, 2009

Quote of the Day: “Democrats are using smoke and mirrors to hide the impact of their health plans. Existing estimates, therefore, reflect only a fraction of the total cost.” — Michael F. Cannon of the Cato Institute, writing in the Atlanta Journal-Constition

Subject: The politicians aren’t telling you about all the costs

The politicians are lying to you about the true costs of their massive health care plan.

In fact, they’re lying to you in several ways, using fraudulent accounting tricks and sleights of hand.

We’ll be exposing their tricks this week. Here’s the first one . . . (more…)

Tags:
Posted in DownsizeDC.org | No Comments »

“Why We Need More UNinsured Americans”

Monday, August 17th, 2009

by Carla Howell

This column was originally published April 13, 2006. The cost of insurance premiums have risen steadily since then.

Socialized medicine’s true believers – who dominate the ranks of mainstream news reporters and politicians – try to bludgeon us into believing that the lack of medical insurance is a crisis, a disaster, and a never-ending emergency.

Here’s an example of how a news report typically casts the “uninsured”:

“The number of uninsured or underinsured people in the United States is estimated to be about 46 million… they sit on the edge of catastrophe.” (Journal Times, Wisconsin, February 27, 2006)

But “uninsured” Americans are usually nowhere near “catastrophe.” They have plenty of access to urgent care when they need it.

Moreover, they save themselves a boatload of money by steering clear of one of America’s biggest money pits: health insurance.

We don’t need more insurance in America. We need much less.

The black hole of medical insurance (more…)

Tags:
Posted in Center for Small Government | 2 Comments »

Have you noticed that there’s a rebellion underway?

Friday, August 14th, 2009

Quote of the Day: “It is the competition of profit-seeking entrepreneurs that does not tolerate the preservation of false prices . . .” — Ludwig von Mises, “Human Action” 3rd edition, pages 337-338

Subject: Have you noticed that there’s a rebellion underway?

The latest Rassmusen poll released on August 11th is bad news for the Big Government health care bill . . .

* A majority oppose the bill — 53% to 42%
* That’s down 5 points from two weeks ago and 8 points from six weeks ago

The intensity numbers are even better — 44% strongly oppose the proposal while only 26% strongly favor it.

This intensity is being demonstrated in the rebellion members of Congress are facing at town hall meetings. While we dislike the rude tactics some citizens are using, we completely understand and agree with the anger.

One thing driving this is the spreading realization that the so-called “public option” is really a Trojan Horse that will lead to a “single payer” system . . . (more…)

Posted in DownsizeDC.org | 1 Comment »

Friday, August 7th, 2009

Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch…

Quote of the Day: “The high cost and inequitable character of our medical care system are the direct result of our steady movement toward reliance on third-party payment. A cure requires reversing course, re-privatizing medical care by eliminating most third-party payment, and restoring the role of insurance to providing protection against major medical catastrophes.” – Milton Friedman

Subject: New allies fighting for what you want

We’ve always worked with other groups, forming coalitions to protect your money and your rights. These groups have been as diverse as the ACLU and Focus on the Family. We’ve been able to do this because . . .

Partisan electoral politics divides, while a focus on specific issues unites.

People of many differing partisan and philosophical views can still find many issues on which they agree. When these agreements aim at Downsizing DC we try to make common cause.

A great example is the health care issue, where DownsizeDC.org is joing with other groups to . . . (more…)

Posted in Coalition Business, DownsizeDC.org | No Comments »