Want to know what will happen to the price of your insurance premiums once the individual mandate kicks in?  Look here at what happened in Massachusetts when Romneycare was implemented.  I would encourage you to continue to ask “cui bono” as you read this article.  If you have followed this blog for any time at all you’ll probably come up with the same answers I did.  Not satisfied with bankrupting individuals, the Medicaid expansion provision touted by those in the article will bankrupt or squeeze the state governments, forcing them to face new revenue raising strategies.  How long will governors stay tough on this?  Probably not long.  How do you like Greenwald of Harvard’s comment that Medicaid expansion is a really good deal for the folks in Texas?  After all, the federal government (where do they get their money????) will pay for almost all of this expansion!!

Why can’t we just let the market work?  It’s not because the poor will be left to fend for themselves, all of the cries to this effect notwithstanding.  Market pressures have reduced prices such that cars, computers and cell phones are within financial reach of almost everyone.  Why would anyone think that health care is any different?  It’s not.  The problem with letting the market work is that the folks that are paying off lawmakers at all levels of government wouldn’t have a trough full of your dough and mine at which to gorge themselves.  Rather than succeed through an appeal to the legitimate needs of customers, big business has found it easier to appeal to the greed of the slimy legislators.  One of the advantages of this business approach is that crushing upstart competitors is part of the deal.  

Think the Romneycrats will shun this corporate gravy train?  Think if they “get the power” they will alienate their old pals in the insurance and pharmaceutical and hospital industry?  

After reading the article linked to above you will see, I think, that the whole point of this Unaffordable Care Act is to make care unaffordable for enough folks that we’ll get to see the sequel.  I’m going to give it a name now.  Unicare.  Give me some ideas if you think there’s a better one.

G. Keith Smith, M.D.