Harry Reid: crafty like a thief

I have absolutely nothing positive to say about Harry Reid -- but I will give him this: he's one crafty pickpocket. In keeping the public option alive in the Senate version of health care reform, he's managed to take the public's focus off the devastating taxes and fees that are part of this bill -- costs that will cripple our economy for generations and will ultimately destroy our top-flight health care system.

In keeping the bugaboo of the government-run health care program in the Senate bill, he's put the focus on something that he knows is not only expendable, but that he will be willing ultimately to bargain away as a chip as he fights for the 60 votes needed to avoid a filibuster. For those so-called "conservative" Democrats who can't take a public option back to their constituents, Reid can buy their votes on the overall bill by throwing it out. In doing so he gets 90% of what the left wants in a bill that provides health coverage to millions of Americans (many of whom are reliable Democratic voters) who currently are without. Neat trick, indeed.

Just in case you missed the fine print, the Senate reform bill will lead to skyrocketing premiums for all Americans who currently have health insurance -- meaning we will all pay out of pocket to insure the 38 million who don't have health care coverage. According to Newsmax.com:

Skyrocketing insurance premiums will slam millions of consumers next year because of "indirect taxes" contained in both the House and Senate versions of healthcare reform, according to various medical and insurance industry experts.

Healthcare reforms that were supposed to contain costs actually will cause a sharp hike in premiums, they add. In fact, several studies indicate consumers' premiums could more than double next year if healthcare reform takes effect.

"So even though this bill tries to hide these costs as indirect taxes," Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, recently told a business symposium, "average Americans who purchase health plans, take prescription drugs, or use medical devices will end up footing the bill."

Douglas Holtz-Eakin, the former director of the Congressional Budget Office, appeared to concur with Gottlieb's assessment in a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed.

"These costs will be passed on to consumers by either directly raising insurance premiums, or by fueling higher health-care costs that inevitably lead to higher premiums," he wrote.

The bottom line: Most voters will be paying higher premiums for years before they see any benefits. That could spell serious trouble for Democrats in the 2010 midterm elections.

The Senate bill proposes $2.3 billion in fees on brand-name drugs, $4 billion on medical devices, and $6.7 billion levied on insurance companies, plus more than $100 billion in Medicare reimbursements to medical providers — all costs that would be shifted back onto consumers.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi's House bill appears even more expensive. It would impose $150 billion in Medicare cuts on the pharmaceutical industry, and a 2.5 percent tax on companies that manufacture medical devices.

"Most of astounding of all," Holtz-Eakin wrote, "is what this Congress is willing to do to struggling middle-class families. The bill would impose nearly $400 billion in new taxes and fees. Nearly 90 percent of that burden will be shouldered by those making $200,000 or less."

And this says nothing about the impact that the dramatic increase in Medicaid will have on already cash-strapped states. The Congressional plans all plan on forcing states to increase their Medicaid programs -- and costs -- to match the money coming from the Feds. This is just what California and many other states need now -- at a time when they can't fund the liabilities they already have.

And, lest you think that Reid would be silly enough in an election year to do that to his own struggling state of Nevada -- the Senate Majority Leader made sure to exempt Nevada from having to fund its half of the Medicaid increases. For Harry, the Federal government (meaning you and me) will fund 100% of Nevada's liabilities.

Ahhh, just another example of power corrupting absolutely!