It seems like a lifetime ago, mostly because it was, when I was a health policy analyst at a conservative think tank. During my interview for the job, my future boss said something true then, and it still rings true today: On the issue of health care, Democrats are evil and Republicans are stupid.
While Republicans are, generally, stupid on health care, it doesn’t have to be that way. Republican Members of Congress view health care as a “Democrat issue,” much the way Democrats view national defense as a Republican one. It’s not like they can’t understand the issues involved, it’s that they’re afraid to – they’re afraid to get out over their skis. They have the mental capacity, but more content in the back of their underpants than the front to really engage with it.
Having briefed Republicans on the issue, I can tell you that (at least 20 years ago, though I see no reason to think things have changed) they only wanted enough knowledge to talk about it from a 30,000-foot level and for just long enough to say they did and get away.
I get it, in a way, it’s a very complex issue and rife with ways to come off like a fool or uncaring, neither of which does an elected official any good. But looking indifferent or like a coward is probably worse.
If you can’t talk about one of the most important issues to voters beyond a couple of talking points and buzzwords, maybe you deserve to lose.
Democrats truly are evil – all they offer is “subsidies” to cost-shift the failures of Obamacare from the pockets of beneficiaries to taxpayers. Insurance companies are dumb and greedy enough to take the money, rather than publicly make the case that a big part of the reason their product costs so much is all the government mandates and regulations. Sooner or later, those prices will reach the point that no one will be willing or able to pay them and their market will collapse, as planned by Democrats, leading them to argue that the only thing left is for the government to completely take over.
Nothing is by accident.
If you were waiting for Republicans to step up with ideas and arguments to save us from the sad fate of Canada and the UK, good luck with that.
All Republicans offer are worthless platitudes and tiny measures. “Expand HSAs!” “Portability!” “Association health plans!!!” They’re meaningless terms to most people and won’t do anything to lower prices. What’s the point of having a larger Health Savings Account if prices are increasing by double digits? Congratulations, you can take health insurance you can’t afford with you!
Republicans want the easy way out to get past the next election, not a solution, or else they’d actually work on one. They want a silver bullet for something that there is no silver bullet to fix. They have to learn about the solutions and learn to sell them. All.
All Obamacare did was create 3 levels of plans that were basically the same, only changing how much you had to pay at what point – high premiums and low deductible or the opposite. It was garbage, designed to fail.
It also gave individuals zero real options. Everyone was forced to pay for things that very few people wanted or needed. You’re paying for artificial insemination and “transition” treatments, even though you won’t need and don’t want them. You’re paying for all the left-wing priorities because they favor the very few people who want these wildly expensive things over everyone else. Rather than making people who want a good or service pay for that good or service, they spread the cost around to everyone. They do that a lot, and mandate all manner of services, which all add up to much higher costs.
That needs to be trashed. If you want it, buy it. But people should be free to buy whatever amount of insurance they want or need, period. If they buy too much, cut back next year. If they bought too little – meaning they bet that nothing bad would happen, but something did – there has to be a consequence associated with it. No bailouts, you bet and lost. Bankruptcy can help, but you have to go through it.
So much of what the federal government does is designed to insulate people from the results of their decisions. That has to end.
We also need tort reform that includes loser pays for cases where the lawsuits were frivolous shakedowns, and to educate people on the difference between malicious actions and adverse outcomes.
People need to be able to pay with pre-tax dollars, no matter where they buy it from. They need to be able to buy it from anywhere, in any state, whether they live there or not. They need to be given a menu where they can pick what they want coverage for and what they do not. And we need total price transparency on everything. Then they have to live with it.
And the government has to trust them enough to let them. There is not a bureaucrat in Washington who knows better what you or your family needs better than you do. If they’re wrong, you’re screwed. If you’re wrong, you can adjust.
Most importantly, we need Republicans who can explain all of this to people conditioned to be fearful of the issue and not be cowards themselves when attacked by Democrats or get pushback from the public. Personal responsibility is scary…for kids. And on this issue, most people are kids because of the way their government treats them.
But it’s only scary because the benefits have never been explained to them. People will step up when needed or forced. We’re going broke with what we’re doing now, and so is everyone else in the “government program.”
The more the government has gotten involved with health insurance, the worse health insurance has gotten. That’s not by accident. Democrats basically respond with “Big government has failed, we need bigger government!” Republicans respond with complaining and vagaries, while hoping no one asks them a brutal follow-up question like “How?” or “What would you do?”
Time to grow a pair, Republicans. We’re fast approaching the point that the battle will either be won or lost, with ramifications that won’t go away. The UK is not going to pull back; they’re stuck in their single-payer hell. Canada is in the same sinking boat – they’re more likely to encourage and approve assisted suicide than specialized care because it’s cheaper. Plus, when the government is the only game in town, who do you appeal to?
You don’t, you die. It’s cheaper.
That’s the point, that’s the whole game. The clock is running out and we don’t have time for Republicans to offer half-measures and platitudes. Man up, or get out of the way for someone who will. If you can’t message Liberty, quit and get someone in there who can. If you can’t sell personal responsibility, I’d question what you believe in to begin with.
Government is the problem; make the case for a law serving as a plow to clear the obstacles to affordability and NOT putting more regulations in the road.
Grow up and grow a pair, and fight for once. Sure, you might lose, but make sure it was for fighting FOR what you know to be right. If you actually do that, don’t be surprised if you don’t lose at all.
Derek Hunter is the host of the Derek Hunter Show on WMAL in Washington, DC, and has a free daily podcast (subscribe!) and author of the book, Outrage, INC., which exposes how liberals use fear and hatred to manipulate the masses, and host of the weekly “Week in F*cking Review” podcast where the news is spoken about the way it deserves to be. Follow him on Twitter at @DerekAHunter.