Health care reform bought and paid for by the Obama Administration

The House barely passed the 2,000-page health care bill and the Senate is now wading through its own complex version, what many American’s don’t know is all the high-powered endorsements come with a price tag.

Much to the dismay of doctors across the country, the American Medical Association (AMA) supported the President’s health care reform package. The cost for this support came in the form of doctor reimbursements.

According to Dick Morris, doctors faced a 21 percent cut in their reimbursement for Medicare, but if the association backed Obama, the administration promised to make that cut go away. This amounts to Chicago strong-arm tactics, but it worked.

Second, the AARP jumped on board the Obama Health care express. Why? By in large seniors oppose the Medicare cuts and are fearful of the new plan. However, the White House stepped in again and offered a sweetheart deal to those in charge at AARP.

By eliminating Medicare Advantage, AARP can offer another program to seniors looking to bridge the gap in care. Medi-gap is a plan offered by AARP to seniors at a much higher premium and seniors who can afford the new higher premium will return to AARP once they are dropped by the government-backed Medicare Advantage.

The next industry to join the Obama express was the big pharmaceutical companies. The industry offered $80 billion cuts for the next 10 years and in return the White House promised to continue the ban on low-cost Canadian drugs coming into America. But that’s not all, the White House wanted free advertising supporting health care to encourage skeptical Americans reform was a good idea.

Finally, the White House needed to prod the insurance companies themselves.

This would prove to be easy; the promise of 40 million new customers was dangled in front of the greedy insurance companies. The government was not only going to give these new customers to the likes of Blue Cross, but the penalties and threat of jail time grabbed the insurers hook, line and sinker.

However, once the Senate lowered the penalties for non-insurers – the insurance companies went back to their capitalist ways and jumped ship, leaving the White House without the support from the insurance companies.

Another medical industry that decided to steer clear of Obamacare was the medical device companies. They chose to stand by the seniors and veterans who depend on them for items like, wheelchairs, pacemakers, arterial stints, prosthetic limbs, artificial knees and hips.

The medical device field was promptly hit by the Senate Finance Committee, who imposed a tax on the very devices many seniors and veterans feel are necessary for their quality of life.

It is crystal clear; nothing is free not even in health care reform.

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