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Obama 'Calls Out' Health Care
President Barak Obama put himself in new territory when he
recently labeled the national health insurers “dishonest.” He immediately made
this powerful, rich and nation-wide group of businessmen, who regularly pump
vast amounts of cash into campaigns at all levels of government, permanent
enemies.
Certainly the
bankers, lenders, insurers and other money dealers already consider Obama a
threat; they should. Obama has drafted painful pay cuts for many of the
companies the nation saved by tax dollars when they might otherwise have failed,
thereby drawing the United States into another Great Depression. So the bankers
and their comrades swallowed the pay cuts.
While Obama drew
sharp criticism for wielding federal power so freely, he was really doing what
the bigwigs do on their own – make massive money moves to benefit their
stockholders, only in Obama’s case, the stockholders are the citizens of the
country. Taken from that perspective, the president is playing the big money
game just like the private sector people, although he’s seeking a different
outcome.
Things differ,
however, when Obama is talking about health insurers. Those who deal in health
insurance do not provide any health benefits at all; they monetarily broker
doctors versus patients. Meanwhile, the health insurers are exempt from trust
laws. With perfect protection from anti-trust prosecution, these health
insurance people have it made.
Pres. Obama has
dared to challenge them and their comfy status quo. He made his position crystal
during a radio address. "They're filling the airwaves with deceptive and
dishonest ads. They're flooding Capitol Hill with lobbyists and campaign
contributions. And they're funding studies designed to mislead the American
people," he said.
This is an
unvarnished accusation. Obama charged that health insurers tell Americans and
the legislative branch of the nation outright lies. In fact, health insurers
have been telling lies all along, says Obama.
He does not expect
grudging or even silent, tacit agreement with him from health insurers. Bankers
are being saved by Obama’s moves, but the health insurers stand to lose much if
America adopts the president’s health changes. They will fight Obama’s mega
reforms with every weapon available. Should they lose this battle, they will
lose their grasp on the vast wads of cash they now control without any
oversight. Remember, they are exempt from laws on trusts; no one can touch them.
Obama has taken a
profound step here; he has called out the health insurers as liars who directly
hurt Americans. This is not couched in austere language to soften the blow to
health insurers. He has identified the enemies and urged action against them.
In recent history,
this is brand new territory, but it has echoes of the candor Harry S. Truman
provided the country. He is correct, of course, that the insurance industry’s
exemption from anti-trust laws is obscene.
America's Health Insurance Plans
spokesman Robert Zirkelbach said, "We are not trying to stop reform as some have
suggested. We want reform that will work and can be sustained, and we are
offering solutions to address the concerns." He said threats to repeal the
industry's anti-trust exemption -- the McCarran-Ferguson Act, which kept
regulation in the states' hands -- was "retaliation for us speaking out."
It isn’t and it
wasn’t. The health insurance industry speaks out in a loud voice all the time,
and has for years! But President Obama has now raised his voice against their
arguments and on behalf of the American public. They don’t like it.
WF/MB
12/09
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