[Op-Ed By Yossi Gestetner]
…Thanks so much for reforming the health care system that will cover 94% of the population up from the 88%-90% legal population that are anyway covered.
… Thanks for coming up with a plan that will be “self-sustaining” and “deficit neutral” just as social security was supposed to be.
Now let me ask you a few questions, Mr. and Mrs. Democrat:
… The government will increase taxes as early as next year, to cover this HCR bill. Will the government “borrow” all that money to cover other expanses just as it did from Social Security? Or will the money really be available when the benefit portion of the HCR plan kicks in three-four years from today?
… I am sure you are aware of the Thompson Reuters analysis that because doctors fear being sued, they over-subscribe medications and run extra tests, at a wasted annual cost of up to $300 billion, or as CNN reported back in August, the over-testing costs annually above $200 billion. Don’t you think it’s time to curtail frivolous lawsuits and the hefty portions that attorneys bite out from their poor clients, rather than taxing the “runaway” profit margins of health insurance companies who earn on their money less than what you earn on your Vanguard investments?
… Waste and fraud, including the waste and fraud that drips through the government-run Medicare, costs annually up to $200 billion. Don’t you think cutting back fraud is a good way to “raise” money for our health care system?
… Don’t you think you should first show that the already-existing public options such as Medicare, Medicaid, and the Veterans Affairs hospitals can be more efficient and at a better cost before you will dump millions of young-to-middle age Americans into the same hell-hole as seniors and veterans are placed?
… A lot Doctors don’t want to accept new Medicare patients because the government pays doctors less than what you think regular Union workers deserve. Based on this, how many Doctors, do you think, will want to serve the millions on the Public Options that will reimburse doctors on Medicare-levels or even worse?
… Can you please let me keep some of my income money, in addition giving a tax deduction to people for every dime they might spend on Medical/Dental/vision costs?
… I don’t have Health Insurance. Do you think that if I can afford an “extra” $900 per family member for health insurance, I will rather give you the money in form of a fine for not buying health insurance in the first place?
… One more thing, Mr. Democrat. To cover the cost of living increases, you give yourself every year an increase of a few percent to your three-digit salary. When will you start giving us all a yearly tax cut to reflect our cost of living increases?
NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN.
To contact the writer send an email to [email protected]
(Yossi Gestetner – YWN)
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14 Responses
A socialist president is just one of the many signs those who are not blind can see as ikvetsa d’meshicha. What is your house like ONE hour before Shabbas? Busy? Rushing around? Licht ready? Blech ready? Feeling Shabbas in the air? We are now in the year 5770. That is 5770 out of 6000. When we get to the year 6000 that will be “SHABBAS”! The year 5770 equates to it being ONE HOUR before Shabbas! Are YOU ready for Mashiach?
hello! this is the democrat psychology.
I heard a story recently, that they asked a known ganav why he steals from banks
his answer “that’s where the money is”
The health care issue is extremely complex, both in terms of secular/civil values and halachic ones.
This “essay” drips with sarcasm, simplemindedness, disrespect for other viewpoints (“gayvah”), and insensitivity.
Mr Gestetner: I assume that you are writing under an assumed name. I would therefore would like to ask you a couple of questions, which I otherwise would not ask.
I am curious to know how old you are.
Do you have children?
What would happen to your family’s health coverage were you to lose your job (If you have one).
Do you have extended family that would make certain that you would not become uninsured? Would you be covered by a gov’t program?
Perhaps you have enough personal worth that losing your job would not mean a loss of medical coverage?
Perhaps you are so highly-marketable that you have nothing to worry about?
Perhaps you live someplace other than the US?
One more thing:
Have you ever heard of the phrase, “There but for the grace of G-d go I”?
Yes, I know it originates with a XTIAN. But, what does it mean to you as a Torah Jew?
The views expressed here, certainly represent the views of this YWN reader.
One should note that Orthodox Jews will be the primary beneficiary of the proposed changes. We are a very undesirable demographic for health insurance (too many kids for their tastes), but except for some kollel families we are often too affluent for medicaid.
This is not to say that the current plan (technically, “PELOSI-care”–and before you complain at her remember her families support for Jews during the 1940s) is good for the country. But whining about it with unsupportable arguments that smack of bigotry will accomplish nothing.
Shouldn’t job creation come before asking people to pay up more money for what the government wants to spend it on? Or, what about a flat tax across the board so those who made money via betting on other companies pay up their FAIR share.
#5 – Where do you see “arguments that smack of bigotry”?
#5
1. Do you always use the threat of calling somebody a racist to temper criticism of the President?
2. I’m not sure about you but I’ve never filled out a health insurance application with the words “Orthodox Jew” anywhere on the paperwork. I’m not sure how they would reject me on that basis.
3. What Pelosi’s family did or didn’t do for Jewish people in the 1940s is not germane to the topic at hand. It certainly does not shield her legislation from critical analysis.
Any legislation that needs 1900 pages has to be
crooked. The madicare bill was 19 pages long. If they were raally interested in medical coverage for all, they should have added one paragraph to the madicare bill covering everyone. No one has read the bill! Who knows whats hiding in it. Do you trust this government? Do so at your own peril!
Do you like the:
~IRS
~POST OFFICE
~DMV
Well, the same people who brought you these beauties of swiftness and promptness
ARE TRYING NOW TO TAKE OVER HEALTH CARE???
akuperma, what a huge chillul hashem!we have a health bill that will result in the death of millions(through rationing,encouraged uethanasia,death panels,expanded abortion coverage,killing medical inovation incentives ect.If this is news or doubtful to you, stop getting your news from the ny times)and you have the utter small minded chutzpa to say that we should support it because it will save frum jews some money!Your right about one thing, whining wont help,so I suggest you say some tehillim with the hope that the bill doesnt pass and hopefully that will be kappora for your outragious comments.
Frankly, I hope the bill passes. I have several friends who said if it passes they will move to Eretz Yisroel. My guest room is waiting.
Where to start?
I don’t know where you get the “88%-90%” that are covered. Various analyses by the Dept of Health & Human Services (DHHS) show 20%-27% of the population below 65 years old do not have health insurance (and 85% are citizens).
I disagree with #11: I don’t like the IRS but they are usually efficient; the Post Office is remarkably good at getting mail delivered and the DMV (actually a State office) is now a pleasure (I’m rarely in an office for more than 15 minutes and have always received courteous service).
I agree with #10 that 1,900 pages of legislation has to be crooked. The guys who really make a profit in healthcare (insurance and pharmaceuticals) have had a lot of “input” into the process. If we as “consumers of healthcare” didn’t have to pay the overhead of insurance, more of our healthcare dollars would go to actual healthcare.
The ugly truth is that healthcare reform is really insurance reform. And any threat to the insurance industry is labeled “socialist” as if insurance is a sacred business.
charli hall,wow are you incredibly misinformed!!I will respond in greater detail later I”H but in the meantime i suggest you start getting your news from more reliable sources.Heres a little hint; Ny times, washington post,abc ,nbc, cbs,cnn can not be trusted to even tell the day of the week.