Tag: Obama

What Will Nationalized Health Care Look Like?

Some of you might not realize that Massachusetts already has mandated health care.  So how is it going in Massachusetts?

Jeff Emanuel at The New Ledger has some insight:

“Far from reducing the cost of health insurance, Massachusetts’s individual mandate has driven costs up at twice the average national rate. This was entirely predictable; after all, what can possibly reduce downward pressure on a price more effectively than a legal requirement to purchase it, whatever the cost? According to the Connector, the least expensive price for an insurance policy for a 50 year old non-smoker in 2008 was $3,599 a year ($299.94 per month), with a $2,000 deductible. Next door in Connecticut, that price was just $1,468 a year ($122.36 per month, with a $2,500 deductible) – and Connecticut hadn’t even spent $1.3 billion on controlling and engineering their state’s health care marketplace!”

So this is what we have to look forward to it nationalized health care passes.  I can’t wait.

via: Ben Domenech at The New Ledger

Anti-smoking Bill Encourages More Government Intervention

As if we didn’t need anymore government intervention, the US Senate today passed an anti-smoking bill (by 79-17) seen by many as the most aggressive anti-smoking bill in 45 years.  If passed in the House (and a similar bill, though not identical, recently passed the House) it would give the government power to limit the amount of nicotine in cigarettes as well as to rein in ads and ban candied tobacco products aimed at young people.  President Obama has said he will sign it into law if put on his desk.

For those keeping track, it would be one more area the Obama administration has taken more control over.  So far Obama has managed more government control for:

Banking
Housing
Auto Industry
Tobacco (if the bill passes the House)

And on the horizon is Health Care.  Today Obama placed an August deadline on Congress to get something passed and on his desk to sign.

*****UPDATE*****
The law was passed and signed by President Obama just days ago.