Senate Health Care Bill Increases Premiums for Self-Employed

The Washington Post is revelling in the news that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released an analysis of the Senate Health Care Bill, claiming that "the measure would leave premiums unchanged or slightly lower for the vast majority of Americans" (emphasis mine). They'd like you to stop reading at that sentence and assume that this bill does the job of reducing health insurance premiums for those who need it most. But, who is not included in the "vast majority"?

The answer may surprise you. In fact, in my opinion, this legislation does the least to reduce insurance costs for those who can use the most help: the self-employed. According to the CBO, "the measure would have its most dramatic impact on the individual market. Becuase they are not part of a workforce or other group that can pool its risk, consumers tend to pay more for policies with fewer benefits." Moreover, the CBO concludes that "premiums [in the individual market] would be 10 to 13 percent higher, on average, than under current law, climbing to $5,800 a year for individuals and $15,200 for family coverage."

So, while the Democrats in Congress would like you to believe that this report is a victory for their bill, it's really a huge failure. This bill raises health insurance rates the most for those who need the help the most. And, because the self-employed are the entrepreneurs of America, what this bill really does is to discourage the entrepreneurial spirit that contributes to the greatness of America.

Michelle is so Valuable, Nobody Can Replace Her

Yes, that's right folks: Michelle Obama is so valuable, she can't be replaced. Her former employer, the University of Chicago Medical Center, found that she did so much to earn her $317,000 annual salary (in only 20 hours a week), that they decided not to fill the position when she resigned.

Now, call me a cynic, but I can't help but think that they're not filling the position for one reason: she already did what they paid her to do. You see, one of the very few things Barack Obama did while a United States Senator was to request a $1 million earmark for the University of Chicago Medical Center. I guess she did earn her keep. Or she would have if the earmark had passed the Senate! Since she failed, though, I can't help but think that they ought to sue for breach of contract.

(Note: This is old news, originally covered by the American media in January of 2009. But leave it to the Canadian media to bring up such juicy information that the American media just glossed over it. And despite the fact that this is old news, it still illustrates the both the level of corruption that has invaded our White House, and the ability of our Media to gloss over a story that doesn't help advance their agenda. HT: @KatyinIndy.)

Europe: "America, Don't Repeat Our Mistakes"

The Center for Freedom and Prosperity just put out a amazing tool for use in defeating the attempts to overthrow our health care system. In about 5 minutes, the video lays out a number of facts about the nature of American health care spending, and the leading contributor to high health care prices (hint: it involves government and spending). It's well worth your time. (And even more worth your Liberal friends' time!)



HT: Dan Mitchell at BigGovernment.com