Do-or-Die - Obamanations - Why Obamacare May Fail

This is the eve of President Obama’s health care summit at Blair House. The President seeks to craft a health care compromise while TV cameras whirl. This is ostensibly a good idea. It certainly will score political points.

But I awoke this morning with a bad dream and a bad idea for a new book with ten chapters. The bad dream was that Obamacare failed. The bad book’s title was Obamanations and Obamacare.

Before I get to the dream and the book, let me list the key points of Obama’s new health plan. It will serve as the nucleus of his summit meeting.

Five Key Points

His new health care stew has five ingredients.

One, it would create a new government agency –Health Insurance Rate Authority – to limit what health plans can charge.

Two, it would close the “Donut Hole,” the prescription drug benefit that stops paying Medicare recipients after $2830 is spent and resumes after $4500 out-of-pocket have been expended.

Three, it would delay the start of the “Cadillac Tax” on high cost health plans from 2013 to 2018.

Four, it would end fraud and abuse and those egregious Medicaid bribes for votes known as the” Cornhusker Kickback” and the Louisiana Purchase.”

Five, it would reduce the federal deficit by $100 billion over the next 10 years and $1 trillion in the decade after that.

Something for Everyone

There is something in the plan for everyone - skeptical Americans who pay high health care premiums, chronically-ill seniors coughing up money for prescription drugs, unions angry over taxes on their high cost plans, Tea Party types furious over health reform corruption, and almost everybody else fearful of runaway federal spending and soaring federal deficits.

How could such a politically-adroit plan fail? That's what my book would be about.


Ten Chapters

In my book, I would have ten chapters.

One, Hope, Change, and Vaporware

Two, Medicaid-for-All, Not an American Dream

Three, Domestically Aiming North, Economically Heading South

Fourth, E-Litism and Electronic Medical Records

Five, So Big, It Failed

Six, Less Choice, More Public Remorse

Seven, Greater Coverage, Lesser Access


Eight, Nationalizing While Rationalizing

Nine, Price-Fixing, Doctor-Nixing

Ten,Patronize People, Patron Special Interests