Cowboy Confessional

Hillary Clinton’s new motto must be “If at first you don’t succeed, failure may be your style.”In the early days of her husbands rein, Hillary was given the unprecedented role of Presidential Copilot, and assigned the task of concocting a “fix” American health care. Given the long success streak our health care system had in delivering therapy and cures, this seemed an odd job to assignment. But it did keep Hillary out of the Oval Office long enough to facilitate Bill’s pantie raids and cigar parties.

Undaunted by the market’s success, Hillary worked hard and secretively on the project, finally delivering to congress a plan that cause Vladimir Lenin to sit bolt-upright in his glass casket, slap his forehead and shout “Why didn’t think of that?” Her plan was a convoluted mess of mandates, dictatorial directives, and prison sentencing guidelines for citizens who wandered or wanted out of Federal safety net. Republican’s didn’t have to argue the merits of HillaryCare. They merely had to display a diagram of how her scheme allegedly worked — a convoluted illustration that made a plate of spaghetti appear orderly by comparison. With taglines like “health care via the IRS model”, American voters were scared into dethroning Democrats in 1994 though not scared enough to eat right and exercise regularly.

On Monday Hilary doubled-down, making Federal manipulation of an already overly manipulated health care system the centerpiece of her presidential campaign, certifying that failure is indeed her style. “Do what you’re good at,” I always say.

Hillary’s health care hallmark legal requires you to buy health insurance, regardless of your personal situation or preferences. Under her scheme, failure to buy insurance may well be a Federal crime. Libertarians across the country chocked on the irony of such an irrevocably unconstitutional enactment being proposed on Constitution Day. The Clinton camp attempted to justify such intrusion into personal lives claiming “… as most states require drivers to purchase auto insurance,” so should the Feds require health insurance. This irrational juxtaposition ignores that driving on government owned roads is a privilege and how you manage the private property that is your body is a protected right. Under the long-shot that ClintonCare is enacted, the plan would be scuttled in any court commanded by a sober judge … if one can be found.

In devising her 2007 version of a Rube Goldberg HMO, Hillary bypassed the fundamental issues, namely that it is one of insurance affordability and not health care accessibility, and that largely no problem exists. When the uninsured in this country are categorized, we see that about 45% are immigrants, many of whom are purposefully “flying under the radar” and availing themselves of mandated medical care through emergency rooms and public health systems. Young people in the 18-24 range, with their immortality and beer money intact, represent nearly 30% of the uninsured. When these purposefully and voluntarily uninsured people are accounted for, a mere 4% of our residents — legal and otherwise — are without health insurance. Yet they still receive health care when it is needed, though given the uncivil behavior of some of our young adults this may be a tactical mistake.

What Hillary’s HMO doesn’t address is how government has already jacked the price of care and insurance beyond the means of many. Bowing to the insurance industry, Federal rules already prevent you from shopping and buying insurance from out-of-state (or even out of country) providers, reducing competition and raising your premiums. Conspiracy theorists already suggest that Hillary’s forced insurance mandate is legislative remuneration to insurance company lobbyist. Insurance companies certainly would enjoy landing a few million more customers without all that nasty selling, servicing and price cutting other industries must endure.

Clinton also doesn’t cope with creeping mandates that make health insurance premiums rival oil future prices. States in particular are requiring insurers to make optional services mandatory. California’s legislature requires that everyone be afforded infertility diagnosis and treatment regardless of need, want or desire. This must be a welcome added cost to members the gay community and heterosexuals males who have been voluntarily sterilized.

Yet this is not the worst aspect of ClintonCare or most proposed insurance system overhaul schemes. “Insurance companies won’t be able to deny you coverage or drop you,” is the word from Hillary’s camp. In other words, insurance companies will be barred from discriminating on the basis of a person’s lifestyle or lack thereof. Insurers are already limited in their ability to raise rates or drop coverage for smokers, the morbidly obese, alcoholics and recreational drug users outside of Congress. Folks like me who exercise daily and have diets that monks would detest are indirectly taxed through higher health insurance premiums that cover the cost of maintaining voluntarily self-destructive citizens. Imagine how valuable health insurance will be to those who don’t value their own health. If you thought your premiums were high now, imagine how high they will rise if Hillary were elected.

Which is now increasingly unlikely. In staking her campaign upon the issue she magnificently failed at before, her plan is already being scrutinized and will scuttle her campaign after the primaries. This might be the healthiest outcome possible.

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