Health Care Bill Will Kill Private Insurance Industry

There are people outside Congress who are actually reading 1000-plus pages of the draft health care bill titled "America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009" (H.R. 3200). What they are finding out is the exercise in Newspeak - "choice" means "no choice", "protection" means "deprivation".

This is probably one of so many others, and it was picked up by Investors Business Daily (7/15/09).

"Congress: It didn't take long to run into an "uh-oh" moment when reading the House's "health care for all Americans" bill. Right there on Page 16 is a provision making individual private medical insurance illegal.

"The provision would indeed outlaw individual private coverage. Under the Orwellian header of "Protecting The Choice To Keep Current Coverage," the "Limitation On New Enrollment" section of the bill clearly states:

"Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day" of the year the legislation becomes law.

"So we can all keep our coverage, just as promised — with, of course, exceptions: Those who currently have private individual coverage won't be able to change it. Nor will those who leave a company to work for themselves be free to buy individual plans from private carriers."

The section in question is below. Read it for yourself.

TITLE I-- PROTECTIONS AND STANDARDS FOR QUALIFIED HEALTH BENEFITS PLANS
Subtitle A--General Standards
SEC. 102. PROTECTING THE CHOICE TO KEEP CURRENT COVERAGE.

(a) Grandfathered Health Insurance Coverage Defined- Subject to the succeeding provisions of this section, for purposes of establishing acceptable coverage under this division, the term `grandfathered health insurance coverage' means individual health insurance coverage that is offered and in force and effect before the first day of Y1 if the following conditions are met:

(a) (1) LIMITATION ON NEW ENROLLMENT-(A) IN GENERAL- Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day of Y1.

(a) (2) LIMITATION ON CHANGES IN TERMS OR CONDITIONS- Subject to paragraph (3) and except as required by law, the issuer does not change any of its terms or conditions, including benefits and cost-sharing, from those in effect as of the day before the first day of Y1.

(c) Limitation on Individual Health Insurance Coverage-(1) IN GENERAL- Individual health insurance coverage that is not grandfathered health insurance coverage under subsection (a) may only be offered on or after the first day of Y1 as an Exchange-participating health benefits plan.

What the hell is "an Exchange-participating health benefits plan", you may ask? That's in
TITLE II--HEALTH INSURANCE EXCHANGE AND RELATED PROVISIONS
Subtitle A--Health Insurance Exchange
SEC. 201. ESTABLISHMENT OF HEALTH INSURANCE EXCHANGE; OUTLINE OF DUTIES; DEFINITIONS.

(a) Establishment- There is established within the Health Choices Administration and under the direction of the Commissioner a Health Insurance Exchange in order to facilitate access of individuals and employers, through a transparent process, to a variety of choices of affordable, quality health insurance coverage, including a public health insurance option.

So, if (or I'd better say when) this monstrocity becomes a law, everyone - individuals, employers, private insurance companies - will have to participate in this merry Health Insurance Exchange controlled by bureaucrats. And with the White House deciding on our Medicare benefit levels, we're all set. Nothing to worry about any more till we die.

Now I know how the administration propose to create jobs. It is by creating bureaucracy that is nightmarish for non-bureaucrats (i.e. private citizens and private businesses) but heavenly for bureaucrats themselves. Endless paper shuffling opportunities for so many people.

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