Hillary: Full of SCHIP

Here's a political commentary. Its about healthcare. I've read, I've listened, and this is what I have to say. Enjoy.

Okay, first of all, let me say this about what I believe. Health care is NOT a right. It is not a constitutional right, it is not something that you are guaranteed as an American, it is not something that you should be given just because you live here. Legally or especially illegally.

I mean, if we go to socialized health care, where are people from Cuba and Canada going to go to get their medical appointments taken care of?

Do I feel some sympathy for the struggling working mother who's trying to make it happen for her three kids, by working two jobs, and trying to keep her kids healthy... sure. I want that family to succeed. But I truly think these families are few and much more far between than you'd think. What I don't want or agree with is me making money for my family, working hard at Starbucks, pushing my way through the company only to have the government (re: Democrats) tell me "Oh, you make too much money now. You need to give a bunch of your money to help other families who don't have healthcare".

In fact, Hillary Clinton, who is a SOCIALIST through and through, has a new program out, called the State Children's Health Insurance Program -- SCHIP -- which was actually created by Slick Willie in 97. And the media will tell you its for the kids, and oh, we need to give money to the poor families and oh, you don't deserve all that stuff you've worked hard for and sacrificed for so you need to give to not just the families themselves, but trust the government to take it and spend it wisely for those poor families and oh the terrible economy and oh Bush hates black people and oh its the strategery to hold the poor families down and oh oh oh...

So, let's review the plan, shall we?

Many of the "poor" kiddies that would be under SCHIP are actually adults. Adults who are already covered by private insurance companies (Alfa, All State, etc). This bill considers anyone under 21 years old as a "child", and will cover those "children" if the family makes up to $82,600 per year. Thats EIGHTY TWO THOUSAND, SIX HUNDRED dollars per year. Thats FOUR HUNDRED percent above the poverty line. If Dad is pulling in $82 and a half per season, and Mom is a stay at home mom, bless him heart, to their four kids, then your tax dollars are going to cover them.

Almost 89% from the families making 300 to 400% above the poverty line have private insurance. These are the very families that SCHIP wants. Thats millions of kids, many of them already out of the house, in college, and in their early 20s, demanding their money from the government.

The old SCHIP bill, as it stands, already has lots of people taking advantage of it. Fourteen states already have a form of this bill in place, and in those states, Investor's Business Daily reports that "Last year, almost 700,000 adults were enrolled in this place designed to help insure children of the working poor. Adults with SCHIP coverage outnumbered children in three states". Six more states even cover childless adults... and some of those states count fetuses as children.

Funny how liberals qualify fetuses as children only when it helps the liberals, but not in an abortion debate.

The new SCHIP bill states that there should be "no federal funding for illegal aliens". But, in the fine print, it also says "states have the option to check for proper documentation or not." Because you know how our government likes to make sure that all immigrants are legal, and have proper methods of doing such a thing now.

Because the federal government offers doctors "payment rates lower than private insurance rates", many doctors opt out. Why take the pay cut? According to the Center for Studying Health System Change, "about 1/5 of physicians... reported accepting no new Medicaid patients in 2004-05, a rate... five times higher that for privately insured patients." SCHIP is an offspring of Medicaid. So, in middle school terms, SCHIP will shrink the collection of doctors who are supposed to be taking part in it. Fewer doctors means more children needing help means long, long wait times means more money out of your pocket to "fix" the problem that was created when the problem of SCHIP was itself instituted.

The Congressional Budget Office tells us that about 60% of the children were covered by private insurance in the year before the program was created. But... the program appears to offer FREE health care to families, so they opt out of their already successful private plans... plans they had probably been affording just fine.

House Democrats (thats Pelosi, Clinton, Harry Reid, Barbara Boxer, Ted Kennedy--just wanted to make sure you know who these people are, in case you hear their names all the time but never put a notion to them) want $50 billion dollars, and at the same time, are running around telling everyon that mean President Bush is cutting funding for children's healthcare. We are now spending $4 billion per year on such programs, but because its not $50, its considered "Cutting".

Democrats also tell us that "don't worry, we have a plan to pay for this... smokers". I don't smoke. Never have. I grew up in a family that did, so I never wanted to be around it... but at the same time, its YOUR right to do so. Its a bar's or restaurant's right to determine if they want smokers in their establishments, and the free market should decide if thats something that will work, not Capitol Hill. To fund SCHIP, all you cigerette smokers will be paying upwards of $1 or more tax, and cigar smokers are looking at a 200% increase or more tax.

Remember, smokers are the same bunch that are being shoved out of bars, restaurants, and in California, private apartments. These are the same bunch that are being constantly bombarded and stigmitized as second class citizens because they smoke... but if you crunch the numbers, we'll need about 22.4 million new smokers in the next 10 years to foot this bill. I don't know about you, but I know a few people who are quitting smoking not for their health, but simply because its too darn expensive.

Oh yeah, the dirty little secret is where this money will come from if all these smokers don't appear over the next decade. Me. You.

And we know the track record on staying in budget for government programs, don't we?

Two words for you: Social. Security. Once people get a taste of the free life, its over. This is an entitlement program, pure and simple. And SCHIP has two ways to feed the entitlement mentality...

First, it creates incentives for states to get as many people as possible covered by SCHIP. In addition to regular payments, the bill would offer states "bonus payments" for levels of enrollment. And as these enrollments get larger, the payouts do too. Secondly, unlike the first version of SCHIP, this one has no "review or renew" clause, as in, a clause that states it must be looked at after a certain amount of time to discuss its failures and successes... nope, once SCHIP as it is today is here, its here. For good. Again.... social security.

If you Google SCHIP, you find not only its Wikipedia entry, which is written from a "SCHIP is going to help our kids, Bush is a mean man who doesn't support it" viewpoint, you'll also see a Wall Street Journal entry which supports what I'm talking about and my research.

As for Hillary, two things must be mentioned... be wary of anything from "MoveOn.org" or "MediaMatters.org". MoveOn was created in the mid-90s, during the Bill Clinton impeachment procedings. It's original purpose was to "help America MOVE ON from the current state of our government and MOVE ON past this silly Clinton perjury charge". I wish I were kidding.

Oh, and Media Matters? Its a supposed site that reports "an unbiased look at what you don't see in the media..." They supposedly review Conservative talk show programs like Limbaugh, Hannity, Cavuto and so forth, and tell you "the real truth". Click on over to Media Matters website and you'll see two things there... the Rush Limbaugh "phony soldiers" story and the story of little Graeme Frost (I believe its pronounced "Graham")

As for Rush, this is proof positive that truly, the elite Democrats and libera media think... well, you are an idiot. Seriously. You as an American are a freakin' moron, especially in the South with your two teeth, Skynyrd in the 4x4 and a Rebel flag over your back windshield. They must think you are stupid if they believe that none of you don't actually know what happened, what Rush said, or that if you cared, you wouldn't know how to find out. No, just take Media Matters at their word. Whatever they tell you, just believe that. Moron.

Which brings me to Graeme Frost, the precious little 12 year old who, along with his little sister, rely on the SCHIP program to provide money for the treatment they need to assist with injuries sustained in a recent car crash. The Democrats wheel little Graeme out to the nation, an hour after President Bush gives his radio address as to why he opposes SCHIP in its present state, to give a Democratic response about how much he and his family needs the SCHIP program to survive. This kid is TWELVE.

This is, of course, the latest in a long line of ill people whom the Democrats have trodded in frong of the cameras to try to shovel their crap to you.

Too bad the kid got sick, while his family had no healthcare, huh? Yeah, but I guess its a good thing the Frost family lives in a Greystone type neighborhood in Baltimore with a house estimated at somewhere around $400 or more. Its a good thing that the Frost family sends both of their kids to a private school, one of the best in Baltimore, that cost about $20,000 per year. Yeah, too bad Mr. Frost only makes $45 or so per year, but hey, its good that they own their house, and he owns his own business, and Mrs. Frost is employed in a medical position that doesn't offer healthcare.

So, it seems to me, that while I'm happy that the Frosts are doing so well, and I think they worked for all they have achieved, that perhaps they should make some decisions. I'm not one to judge them on putting expensive private schools and expensive neighborhood homes and owning your own business ahead of paying for healthcare for the family. I read an article that puts a monthly premium for a family like theirs in a neighborhood like theirs at about $650 per month, with $0 deductible and a $20 co-pay. Perhaps they cant get that rate now, since Graeme is injured, but perhaps that should have been a discussion early. Just don't expect me to pay for it now.

Bottom line is, if you say SCHIP too fast, it sounds just like what it is. A pile of SCHIP. Don't be fooled by the liberal spin on this, and how its going to help our children... its only going to help Hillary achieve her goals of a federalized socialistic healthcare plan, and its going to help millions of families who could do better do what Democrats love for them to do--depend on the government, who in turn, takes from YOU to give to THEM.

As a final thought, I went about 10 years without healthcare. I couldn't have afforded it... with the lifestyle that I led. I felt relatively healthy, and always have been, so I chose to put school and other things ahead of health insurance. You say "but you were too old by then", and I reply "Under the SCHIP plan, part of this 10 years without healthcare would have been covered by SCHIP".

Its by God's grace I didn't get sick, or worse, get into an accident that would have caused me catastrophic medical repercussions, but if I had, then not one single time would I have expected the government to pay for it. I would have moped and regretted the decision to not have healthcare, but I wouldn't have reached for a handout.

ps... if you are truly intrigued by what you've heard about Rush, and the "phony soldiers" comment, then please ask... but ONLY if you are just too lazy to find out the truth and know that I'll know the answer, not if you are totally believing, without question, because MSNBC's Keith Olbermann and Jon Stewart said so "Rush called our soldiers who speak out about the war phony!!" and "Rush called a decorated veteran a suicide bomber because he spoke out against the war!!". If that's what your thinking, I have no reason to debate you because... well, you aren't very smart. But God loves you too. I'm sure of it.