The 800 pound gorilla in the health care bill

"Don't the American people deserve to know the "true" cost of ObamaCare?"

Throughout the debate on President Obama's relentless push to reform Americas Health Care both the House and the Senate have taken great care to keep the price tag close to the arbitrary $900 Billion cost target proposed by the President.

While both the House and Senate versions claim to have met the Presidents objective, everyone with the exception of Mary Landrieu and Ben Nelson are ignoring the proverbial 800 pound gorilla in the bill.

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Immigration and abortion: how Americans will get screwed and foot the bill

The differences Senate and House leaders will have to work out between their two versions of reform have focused primarily on abortion and how the bill is paid for. But, as TNR's Suzy Khimm points out, immigration could also be a sticking point.

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Once the basic contours of ObamaCare are in place, they will be all but impossible to change, as Europe and Canada have demonstrated

Mostly 'wonkish' stuff, albeit critically important to the future of every single current and future American citizen, Mr. Grassley's Choice in the Wall Street Journal on July 23, 2009 contained two important paragraphs I'd like to share with you:

Once the basic contours of ObamaCare are in place, they will be all but impossible to change, as Europe and Canada have demonstrated. Decisions about delivering and paying for medical care will over time shift to political and bureaucratic control. The federal government will inevitably grow to a third or more of the U.S. economy from a fifth today, with taxes sure to rise to finance it. In short, this decision could fundamentally alter the nature of the U.S. economy and society—which is precisely the goal of Ted Kennedy, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Pete Stark and other liberals who are pushing this legislation.

Pray that Republicans do not fall into the trap that's been set for them (and call them just to make sure):

Democrats like Chuck Schumer are saber-rattling that they have the votes to pass a reform without Republicans, but this is bluster to lure Senate Republicans into his “bipartisan” trap. The reality is the difficulty that Democratic leaders are having trying to pass these bills with only Democratic votes, as the public begins to understand what a government takeover would really mean. And that’s even before seniors have been told how ObamaCare will steal hundreds of billions of dollars from future Medicare spending in order to appear to be “budget neutral.” As an architect of Medicare Advantage, the program for seniors that provides private options, Mr. Grassley should find that tactic especially galling.

The only way to get a sensible health-care reform in this Congress is to show Mr. Obama that a government takeover won’t work and that he needs to rethink his political strategy. That means exposing and defeating both the House bill and the very similar Senate version that Senator Chris Dodd is moving through Mr. Kennedy’s committee.