The Tip of the Healthberg

There is so much to say regarding the Health Care Plan in Congress that I will have to do it a portion at a time. The bill is H.R. 3200 with the "short title" being ‘‘America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009’’ and it is 1,017 pages long. You can read it online. I urge you to request your Congressman to read it as most have not and seem to have no intention of doing so. I have begun to read it in its entirety as well as having read sections of it.

What is the purpose of the Congressional Health Care Plan?
To begin the statement of purpose is "To provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes." The emphasis is mine because when I read that, I immediately wondered what other purposes are in this health care bill?

Will you be able to keep your current health insurance plan?
On page 16, Section 102, ironically titled "Protecting the Choice to Keep Current Coverage", states that individual health insurance issuer cannot enroll new individuals on or after the first day of Y1 (which is 2013) except for new dependents of current individuals who are already covered. Neither can the health insurance issuer change any of its terms, conditions, benefits, or cost-sharing. If a health insurance company is so regulated as to be unable to accept new clients or make any changes whatsoever that company will be put out of business. No new clients equals a dying business. Page 19, lines 1-5 states that individual insurance coverage offered on or after the first day of 2013 must be "an Exchange-participating health benefits plan". What is that? Page 116, line 10-12 tells us that an Exchange-participating health benefits plan is referred to as "public health insurance option." Some "option" that is! The answer is that if you have individual health insurance coverage, you may be able to keep it for awhile but it won't be long before your insurance company would be forced out of business and your only option would then be the public option.

Who will run the "Public Option"?
There are many people listed in just the first 40 pages who will be responsible for portions or all of the government run insurance plan. There will be a Health Benefits Advisory Committee which will include: the Surgeon General (who is appointed by the President) will be a member and the chair of this Committee, 9 non-federal employees appointed by the President, 9 non-federal employees appointed by the Comptroller General of the United States (who is appointed by the President), and an even number (up to 8) of Federal employees and officers appointed by the President. At this time there is both an Acting Comptroller General of the United States and an Acting Surgeon General who will be replaced by a President Obama appointee. 2/3 of this Health Benefits Advisory Committee will be directly appointed by the President and 1/3 of the Committee will be appointed by a person who was himself appointed by the President. The job of the Committee is to recommend covered benefits and essential, enhanced, and premium plans to the Secretary of Health and Human Services as stated on page 32, line 22-25.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services is to establish the office of ombudsman for the public health insurance option. (I have not yet read what the ombudsman is supposed to do.) Page 116, line 14-17 tells us that the Secretary designs the "options" of the Exchange benefit levels: basic, enhanced, premium, and premium-plus. (Is that supposed to be the "competition" I hear about?) The Secretary shall collect such data as required to establish premiums and payments rates for the public option as stated on page 118, lines 4-9.
Then there is the establishment of the Health Choices Administration, an independent agency in the executive branch of the Government, which will be headed by the Health Choices Commissioner who is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Read this for yourself in Section 141 on page 41. The Commissioner shall collect data for the purposes of carrying out Commissioner's duties... and may share such data with the Secretary of Health and Human Services. (page 43, lines 19-24) The Commissioner, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Secretary of Labor shall conduct a study of the large group insured and self-insured employer health care markets. (page 21, lines 23-26) Page 42, line 12 states the Commissioner is responsible for the establishment and operation of a Health Insurance Exchange which is the Public Option. (page 116, line 14-17)
To sum up, the Public Option will be run by a newly established government agency in the executive branch, a Commissioner appointed by the President, the Surgeon General appointed by the President, the Secretary of Health and Human Services appointed by the President, and a Committee which is 2/3 appointed by the President and 1/3 appointed by a presidential appointee. Does anyone else see a massive power grab by the Executive Branch of the Government?

Who will choose your coverage?
In all these 1,017 pages, the specific coverage and exceptions of benefits and the cost to us is not specified but instead power is given to the above listed people (most of whom are yet to be appointed) to choose insurance for you instead of you having the power to choose your own plan, or choose not to be insured, or the amount of coverage you want for yourself.

Just as you only see the tip of a massive iceberg, so the health care bill only shows us portions of what is its entirety. The rest will be determined after power has been handed over to the Government. Will the United States choose a collision course with this monstrosity? I hope not.

If this posting makes you feel overwhelmed, just consider that I've only partially commented on the first 40 pages and those pages to which they referred. There is much more to come.... another day.