I never forget Washington is run by, and for, lawyers, with the people’s rights and needs only incidentally intersecting with the latest regulations, sanctions and punishments. Luckily, some of those lawyers rise to the Supreme Court and by and large uphold centuries-old principles, or we’d really be in trouble.
Great lawyers make the jury think about what they want them to think about, the truth be damned. Which brings us to the horrible, unkillable health bill. Why won’t those crazies in Washington let it go? Laments a jaded American public. Well, do you really think the magician is going to stop in the middle of the act? The girl may have left the box just before the swords went in, but she still needs to sneak off stage. Our Magician-In-Chief is going to keep selling it, folks. And throw in some insurance company bashing just to keep your eyes off the prize, to boot.
And here’s what’s for sale. Nope. Not universal health access, or the “correction” of health care prices, or even improved behavior of insurance companies. What’s for sale is a brand new regulated public utility. Whoever is in on the ground floor of a captive market no one can leave is in on a really good thing. I’m not talking about doctors, hospitals or nurses, though they certainly won’t lack for customers. By god they’ll have too many, and they won’t get fair compensation for them, either.
I’m talking about insurance companies, armed with an in-place administrative system who will be collecting money from millions more people, and will be granted limited monopolies by region and state. Ask yourself, why did Anthem Blue Cross raise rates 39 per cent, knowing they could catch publicity hell for it? Are they clueless? Or crafty? I choose the latter.
If Washington starts intruding as they wish to, the insurance market will initially freeze, and doubtless more than a few rollbacks will be negotiated. It’s a lot more comfortable to roll back from an inflated price, and the government and insurance companies know that.
My most cynical theory is that the Democrats, by espousing sinkhole social programs, have a serious case of gravy envy. Every Republican and hawk who helped out a defense contractor or got a missile base assigned to a depressed area in his or her home state was a hero at home. Setting up a sex offender rehab facility or a welfare caseload office just doesn’t help your home state in quite the same way.
But appearing to provide health care does make you look good, even if the effect of the bill is a combo of the above-noted welfare office and rehab site.
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Laura spent years as a Hollywood story analyst, did a big 180, and is now an entrepreneur focused on web marketing and analytics. She's also a mom of one.Laura Glendinning article archive.
