Obamacare and Me

Well, the Obamacare letter came in from my insurance company today.  And thanks to the diligent work of Mrs OC, all is well.

We basically self-insure ourselves for regular medical care and carry a high-deductible "catastrophic" plan for the big stuff.  Which luckily hasn't been necessary.  Nor do I hope it to be.  It's a $10,000 deductible, which is enough to put a dent into our finances but not so bad as to bankrupt us.  It's insurance the way the word should be used.  Not as it has been corrupted in regards to "healthcare".

You see....the whole thing is an example of our bastardized language on this issue.  For it's not about "insurance", nor about "healthcare".  It's about "payment".  Who's going to pay for it?  Under what conditions?

No one in America is denied "healthcare".   The care is there, available in the free market.  If I want, I can get care from the most expensive doctor in New York City.  No one is stopping me by regulation or law.  But there is the factor of the free market in action.  Think of it like the criminal legal system.

If you are destitute, it's not like you can't get legal representation.  The courts have ruled that you are entitled to counsel in all criminal maters.  But that doesn't mean you get a Racehorse Haynes or an F. Lee Bailey.  Same with medical care.

You see, it all comes down to paying for it.  Who pays for it.  How much will they pay for.  Not whether you can get it, but who pays the bill.  Me and Mrs OC have said we're willing to pay for the day in, day out care and have "insurance" for the disasters.  Just like our car insurance and homeowners insurance.

My car insurance doesn't pay for an oil change.  Or tire rotation.  Or a tune-up (or whatever it is nowdays with all the fancy electronic ignition and fuel injection).  It pays when I'm in an accident and the damage is in the thousands.  Same with insurance on my house.  I pay to have it painted.  I pay to have it heated.  But if a tree falls on the roof, or there's a fire -- that's when "insurance" comes into play.

So, when you hear all the wailing about "healthcare", think of it in terms of your car or house.  And how the debate language has been hijacked.  It's not about "healthcare", it's about the money.  And the control.  Because those are the things government loves to get its fingers into.

As for the OC household....luckily we have a policy that is grandfathered, and an insurance company that isn't playing the game of changing deductibles or co-pays or anything.  So we get to keep our "insurance".  Maybe our company saw how screwed up Obamacare is and decided to insulate itself by making some plans stay the same.  I hope so.  And I hope that decision maker stays at his job til Obamacare dies.  And may there be a DNR order firmly on view at the bedside.

Forgetful

Somehow the OC managed to miss a historic anniversary yesterday.  Nope, not the one with Mrs. OC.  It was something even more significant.

December 5, 2013 was the 80th anniversary of the effective date of the 21st Amendment to the US Constitution.  Which, for the non-constitutional scholars in the audience, repealed the 18th Amendment.  Which established Prohibition.

Prohibition created many things, but they didn't include clean living for all Americans.  It created organized crime on a scale never before seen.  It created a nation of scofflaws.  It created a culture of corruption.  Sorta like an early version of the Obama administration.

You see, it was all an attempt by do-gooders to control the lives of Americans.  They knew better.  They knew what was good for the "people" and they sold it to the unsuspecting rubes.  Sorta like Obamacare.  (Are we detecting a theme?)

In any case, here are two photos stolen from Powerline.  Myself - it will be a "wee dram" of a fine whiskey tonight to belatedly toast the eventual wisdom of the American people.  Maybe today's America will wake up just like they did in 1933.

Lies of Obamacare

Steve Tobak has a Silicon Valley based technology strategy company.  Recently, he got word about how Obamacare would result in the cancellation of the policies he currently offers to his employees.  In response, he posted a column at Fox Business.  It's worth reading in its entirety, but the end brings home the bitter truth:

Let me tell you something, folks. We’ve seen this sort of leadership behavior before. We’ve seen it at companies like Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, and Adelphia. If you’ve ever wondered what makes powerful executives commit fraud, the answer is simple. They think they’re above the truth and the law. They think they know better. And they think they can exert their will over others without being held to account.  

When that happens, it’s called absolute power, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. That’s what I think we’re seeing here. The organization of our federal government into three unique and autonomous branches was supposed to keep this sort of thing from happening. It didn’t. It failed.

Power. That's what it's all about.  Not the good of the nation, or its people. Just raw naked power and control.

Remember that when you cast your ballots.  At every level at all times.