A Federal Placebo

            The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a placebo, a sugar coated pill to sedate the masses. When passing the PPAC, the Obama Administration announced “healthcare for everyone” like the United States was some utopia. The Department of Health and Humans Services claims that the overhaul strengthens Medicaid and provides health insurance coverage to everyone. That is not quite true.

            The healthcare overhaul does not “provide” health insurance to everyone; “requires” people to purchase health care insurance within the next four years or be subject to a penalty in accordance with Section 1501 of the PPAC. In response to this, insurance companies have increased their job-based coverage. This adversely affects businesses, as they now have to provide more expensive healthcare benefits to all employees. As a result, one organization attempted to bring the PPAC before the Supreme Court last week. The Pacific Justice Institute, in Baldwin v. Sebelius, 10-369, “objects to being compelled to comply with the act because the act imposed increased costs on it by preventing it from denying health care insurance coverage to part-time employees.” But not all businesses are facing this dilemma.

            The Department of Health and Human Services has granted waivers to over one hundred unions and companies since the healthcare bill was passed. Knowing the Obama Administration, I wouldn’t be surprised if the waivers were arbitrarily given to the unions and companies based on party ties – most unions contribute campaign funds to Democrats. Now that the Republicans have taken back the House of Representatives, the healthcare bill will undoubtedly come under strict scrutiny. Senator Mike Enzi (R – WY) has already revealed his intention to use the Congressional Review Act to hinder the implementation of “problematic” or vague sections of the PPAC.

            Now, to address the issue of strengthening Medicaid – it doesn’t work, so strengthening isn’t going to improve anything. Let me explain. Medicaid has turned to privately managed health care plans, like Healthcare USA, which attend to their profits more than to patient’s needs. USA Today recently reported a story about a woman who had to drive five hours to get therapy for her knee because the orthopedists in her area were not covered under her Healthcare USA plan. When she got a brace for her knee, Healthcare USA wouldn’t cover it. Healthcare USA and its competitors are shams. Unfortunately, it is predicted that the enrollment in these managed-care plans will increase by 30% due to the new healthcare law.

Starting next year, Republicans will have more authority in Congress. They are the majority in the House. They cannot be filibustered on the Senate floor. And after witnessing the federal and state-level onslaught, the Democrats will have to keep a low profile lest they anger more voters before next election. However, this regained authority will not allow the Republicans to eradicate the PPAC entirely, but maybe they can amend the bill or pass a new bill nullifying specific sections of the PPAC.