by Esteban G. Camacho

 As the Health Care debate seems to rage on and on (because it has), I felt compelled to write yet another article. Taking a break from my usual writing, “Conservatism: The Terms are Simple,” I began to research anything I could about a social health system, our current health bill proposals, and costs of such things. Well, I can start by saying that what I found was surprising, in the most negative of ways. It seems that now I am truly opposed to the health reform that the Congress of the United States of America seems to be considering, what the democrats seem to be considering. I am going to present to you with some examples straight from the major health bill, and will explain why this reform cannot occur in the way that this congress has written; and why it is more of a negative effect on this country than a positive one.

First of all, for all of you who see a public option as “free health care,” get that phrase out of your mind. When money does not exist, then that will be possible. I am, for lack of better words, sick and tired of hearing the phrase “free health care.” Second, we must understand that a health system controlled and operated by the government will not, I repeat, WILL NOT reduce costs. While it may seem that the system is less hurtful to your pocket, the fact is that the money is coming from somewhere else. So, if one of your fantasy goals for the health system is to reduce costs, scratch that from the table, and forget about it. In fact, I doubt there is any government run program that has ever reduced costs on any level. Government is not meant to be efficient, and because of that reason, it should take care of the least amount of administrative policies possible. It was designed this way by our founding fathers, and it should continue to be inefficient, since this is how the people can keep the majority of the power.

The primary health bill goes by the Congressional Title of H.R. 3200, or the popular title: “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009.” The name sure makes this bill sound as innocent (if not more so) than even President Obama makes it sound. The fact is that this bill is one giant socialist regulation. I know, it sure sounds like I am merely playing a typical Republican with that comment, but read on, you won’t be disappointed.

 The Bill Itself

This, my readers, is my source. I am not listening to state representatives, respective TEA parties, news outlets, drive-bys, radio hosts, or any other entity I might not be mentioning. The source is HR 3200 and only HR 3200. Amazingly (but not surprisingly), our Congressional democrats refuse to read their own laws. Folks, I have read the first 506 pages of the bill, and I am going to tell you that the bill is full of holes, regulations that only come to socialist countries, mistakes that will make me loose sleep, and of course, the common Democrat language. I am going to mention some examples in this writing, and I will paraphrase most of them; however, I will mention the page number of the bill so that when you become curious, you will have direct resources and exactly where to find them…all within seconds. I make your job easier.

Also, know that what I am about to mention are most definitely not all the negative contents I found in the first 506 pages, only the ones that bother me most. Let’s begin with the very first (and most likely worst) thing I saw as negative in the bill. Page 16 states: “LIMITATION ON NEW ENROLLMENT – In General- Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on of after the first day of Y1.” This simply (and very disturbingly) means that the private insurance option will be illegal. I might be mistaken, but I have heard Obama say, numerous times, that the Health Reform will not outlaw any kind of private insurance. However, the major bill going through Congress says otherwise. It says it from the very first opening statement “Limitations on new enrollment.” It is illegal to enroll into a private option if the enrollment date will be on or after the first day of year 1. Simple right?

The American people are being lied to.

Page 22 speaks of auditing any and every employer that self insures. This is strict government control and cannot be tolerated. The freer the market, the freer the people; this can work the opposite way as well. In my opinion, the government is already too much involved in the “FREE” market; it must not be allowed to make this gigantic step in the areas of regulation. Page 29 speaks about admission into the system and annual limitations. This can easily be translated into something that “left-wing-wackos” say will not occur: rationing. It seems like a scary, fictional process; however, it is very likely to happen under this program. Page 30 speaks about a committee that will determine the amount of coverage an individual or family will be available for. Yes, the government will control how much coverage you and your family are eligible for. On page 50, we see one that truly abuses my tax dollars. All persons in the United States will be offered health care, meaning non citizens.

 This means free healthcare to those that are illegal aliens. Yes, actually free, because they are not paying federal taxes. On page 58 is something that bothers most of us, a national ID card. This will be a “machine readable health plan beneficiary identification card.” This next one I hope I am paraphrasing incorrectly, it states “…enable electronic fund transfers, in order to allow automated reconciliation with the related health care payment and remittance advice…” Does this mean the government will have direct access to my bank account? Please, correct me if I’m wrong. Now, this next one could just be me, since I do have a problem with persons who refuse to learn English. I came to the contiguous states not knowing the language, and now, I like to believe I am fluent. For this reason, I find it unfair that many individuals out there are forcing my tax dollars to pay for bilingual government aid to help them with the smallest of matters. On page 91, it speaks about culturally and linguistically appropriate communication for health services. I don’t like this, others might not mind, but I definitely do not approve.

This will benefit illegal aliens the most, should the bill pass. Page 95 speaks about community entities to aid with health care services. This comes as no surprise to me, since it is a Democrat plan. ACORN and other such entities will be glad this is on the bill, since it benefits these kinds of left-wing organizations the most. Page 124 speaks of limitations on judicial review. This means that prices cannot be adjusted, rates cannot be adjusted, and the health system cannot be sued.

 For this reason, private companies will be completely destroyed. Page 149 and page 150 say that any employers with a payroll of 200K or more who does not offer the public option will be forced to pay anywhere from 2% to 8% tax on payroll, the percentage depending on how large the payroll is.

This next one is just a classic, and of course we cannot live without these common liberal democrat regulations. They should be converted to movies. Page 167 says very clearly that any individual who fails to have an acceptable health plan (acceptable according to the government) will have to pay an extra 2.5% income tax. I’m sure something like this is coming from the likes of Clinton. I think this is the largest regulation for individuals in the bill. Can we say mandate, anyone?

Page 170 says that anything in subsection “A” will not apply to non-residents…meaning they do not pay taxes on the health care program. This is also a hefty abuse of tax dollars. Also, “moveon.org” states that seniors and the poor will not be affect negatively, however, page 239 speaks about limitations on Medicaid. Enough said. Page 317 prohibits doctors from investing in private health care companies. Now we can’t even decide where to invest our money, the government will do that for us. After this one, there are about another 26 that I found disturbing, but did not find too important to mention here. Before the one on pg.317, I found another 50. This bill is very disturbing, and I challenge you to read it. I will continue to read the bill and will write another article on the second 500 pages. Do not fall for liberal propaganda, and liberal lies. This health reform that Pelosi is leading is in no way a model for America.

 I wish our “representatives” in Congress would do right and stand by what our country stands for, and why it was created with freedom in mind. To close, I will put the facts simply. The United States of America has the best health care in the world. We might not have an optimal health system, but we have the best care. There are reasons why political figures from other countries come here to get medical procedures. We have the highest rate of survival from major surgeries, the best innovation (which is used extensively overseas), the cleanest facilities, the fastest response time by a mile, and the most survivors from intensive care and major diseases such as cancer.

The social systems are extremely slow and inefficient, and when it comes to getting major surgery and care, time is of the essence. An individual might have a problem which begins to surface and is able to be contained, but by the time the government health gets to it, it will most likely be too late. We must find another way towards affordable health options; but, to this congress and this administration, if there is a problem, the first answer is to call the government.

 “The worst words in the English language are: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” – Ronald Reagan

 Esteban G. Camacho was born in 1989 in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. There he lived in a lower class family with his single mother for 11 years before moving to the contiguous states. Esteban became involved with politics when he reached his senior year of high school. When he got to college, he immediately pursued further education in the fields of government and economics. A staunch conservative and an advocate of the free market economies of the world, Esteban spends his time researching political backgrounds, economic titles such as Wealth of Nations, and strengthening his conservative base. Esteban believes in personal responsibility, individual liberty, equal opportunity, and in the American dream. Among his favorite quotes is: “What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?” Esteban resides in Las Cruces, New Mexico and is currently pursuing a degree in Political Science.