Devildawg15's blog: "The "Bi-partisan" Big Government Health Plan"

Earlier this week, the Senate Finance Committee passed the health care
proposal championed by Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT). The 14-9 vote reflects
a strong partisan split: Maine's Olympia Snowe was the only Republican
to vote for the measure. Nonetheless, the Left now claims the vote as
a "high water mark for 'bipartisanship' in health care reform."
The nine dissenting Republicans on the committee argued, correctly,
that the Baucus bill raises taxes and paves the way for a Washington
takeover of the health care industry.

"Now all of the bills will be merged together behind closed doors,"
writes The Heritage Foundation's Conn Carroll in The Morning Bell.
"All the bills are fundamentally flawed and will only get worse as the
leaders in the House and Senate have to commit to actual details," he
explains.

These "details" will likely include elements common to the Left's
various proposals:

*  A hefty price tag that will sharply increase federal spending --
meaning more taxes -- and add to the already ballooning deficit,
while still leaving millions uninsured;
*  A government-run health care "public option" or "co-op" that
millions of Americans will be forced to choose over their
private health care plans;
*  An employer mandate ordering all employers to provide
government-approved coverage for all of their employees or else
face a harsh penalty tax. This will "result in lower wages,
fewer jobs and slower economic growth";
*  An individual mandate that will, for the first time in U.S.
history, force Americans to purchase federally-designed health
care packages, whether they want them or not;
*  An expansion of Medicaid, increasing the number of people
dependent on this poorly performing entitlement program; and
*  A steep cut to Medicare spending to pay for it all -- a cut that
will likely never come to fruition once special-interest
lobbying groups step in to oppose them. Heritage's Bob Moffit
points out that "Congress has a long and uncomplicated history
of restoring the cuts it makes to Medicare."

Each of the health care reform proposals Congress is considering,
including the supposedly bipartisan Baucus bill, contain these
"details." And the cost of these programs is staggering -- and the
Congressional Budget Office "estimates are all subject to substantial
uncertainty." However, one certainty is that the Baucus bill's
estimates will likely increase once it is merged with the other, much
costlier proposals.

Though proponents of the Baucus bill may tout bipartisanship and
continue to insist that they are not attempting a Washington takeover
of health care, their claims fly in the face of the facts. It is still a partisan
mess -- and bad policy to boot.