In a Nutshell

There are many story lines running about on the subjects of Obamacare, the debt ceiling and the government shutdown. They are all related of course, and the various story lines crisscross each of these. But as we begin the process of living our lives under this new system and it's sometimes shocking consequences, I keep thinking back to the ludicrous concept that was used to sell this pig to the American public.

I'm not talking about the blatant lies that our Commander in Chief told. But it is worth repeating them since they all were spawned by what I call, The Big Ludicrous Lie. Here is a partial list:

"..if you already have health insurance, the only thing that will change for you under this plan, is the amount of money you will spend on premiums. That will be less."

"I will sign a universal health care bill by the end of my first term as president that will cover every American and cut the cost of a typical family's premium by up to $2,500 per year."

"If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period. If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period. No one will take it away. No matter what."

"For people with insurance, the only impact of the health care law is that their insurance is stronger, better and more secure than it was before. Full stop. That's it. They don't have to worry about anything else."

Those were from Obama, but Nancy Pelosi had to add that under Obamacare, "everybody will have lower rates, better quality care and better access."

Notice that there is no equivocation in those statements.They are pretty much absolute. "Everybody." "Period." "Only impact." "No matter what." "That's it."

But the reason people even thought these things to even be possible was the Big Ludicrous Lie. The BLL was that government could extend health insurance to 45 million previously uncovered people, and simultaneously reduce the overall costs of health care. They had all kinds of scenarios about people neglecting their health because they didn't have health insurance. These poor wretched masses would avoid the doctor until their condition was desperate and then show up at the emergency room. Their point was that treatment was now much more expensive, and furthermore the hospital was going to end up stuck for the bill, and we'd all end up paying for that when those costs were passed along to patients who could pay.

Don't get me wrong. That scenario absolutely plays out exactly like that.

Occasionally.

But do you really believe that there are enough on those precise scenarios, with such monumental savings that they could pay for complete coverage for 45 million people? That's ridiculous.

Who in their right mind could believe that the added cost of treating people in that situation would exceed the cost of not only providing those 45 million people with insurance coverage, but insurance coverage that mandates all sorts of things that aren't in a normal, affordable policy, Think about that. You'd have to be delusional to think those numbers are even in the same zip code. Remember, all the time that that emergency room guy is supposedly making his  situation worse, he is also not incurring ANY medical costs. When he's now covered, he'll likely go to the doctor a lot more often, right? Is that going to cost anything? Yeah, I know preventative is better, and better for him, but he used to not cost us anything! And there is no guarantee that he won't still come to that same desperate situation where he has to have that same costly procedure.