Last year, the Obama administration admitted that upwards of $100 billion a year is lost through government health care programs to fraud and criminal activity. $100 billion is a lot of money, money that could be better spent helping provide health care coverage and services to Americans that need help. Thus, this step would aggressively staff up anti-fraud and anti-criminal behavior and tighten up the processes to reduce this obscene amount of taxpayer money wasted through fraud. Better to hire more government agents to go after real criminals in this fraud area than to hire more government agents to pursue and criminalize honest Americans that do not purchase health care coverage under Obama Health Care.
Beginning in 2014, anyone who can afford a health insurance policy must either purchase one or pay a penalty. If you owe the penalty in 2014, it will be equal to 1 percent of your income or $95, whichever is higher. Under Obama Health Care, this fee will increase after 2014 Furthermore, it isnt a substitute for health insurance, so you will have to pay any medical costs you incur during the year as well.
This is the type of original thinking and creativity that was totally absent from the formulation and writing of Obama Health Care. The political class just did what they always do, pass muddled legislation that adjusts taxes and creates more bureaucracy without ever addressing the root causes. This behavior is something we like to call “Amateur Hour” and is another case where they got it all wrong again.
A new report from the National Research Council had some very interesting findings, findings that continue to prove that Obama Health care got the whole approach to solving the nation's escalating health care costs wrong in its approach and strategy. The National Research Council is part of the National Academy Of Sciences, an independent organization of the Federal government, chartered by Congress to advise the government on scientific matters. Thus, the government did not even listen to itself when it cobbled together the looming disaster know as Obama Care.
As we have said many times before, the probable root causes of escalating health care costs in this country is a public health problem of too much smoking, too much eating, too much eating of the wrong types of food, and not enough exercising and movement. The need for higher taxes, the need to force everyone to purchase health care insurance coverage, and the need to implement an incredibly complex, inefficient and expensive government bureaucracy to administer Obama Health Care are probably not the root causes.
If you dont currently have health insurance, you should do your best to secure a policy before Obama Care becomes active in January of 2014. If you are eligible for an employer-sponsored plan but havent yet enrolled, consider doing so before 2014 Likewise, if you believe you may qualify for Medicaid, Medicare or Veterans healthcare coverage, apply as soon as possible.