Over the August recess, Congressmen will be holding townhalls on healthcare. There’s likely to be a lot of spin and doubletalk from very nervous Democrat members. If you’re going to one, you should bring a copy of this handy translation guide (PDF version). The guts of it is pasted below:
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Spin
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Translation
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No discrimination for pre-existing conditions
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One can wait until one gets sick to sign up for coverage, and thereby game the system, costing the rest of us
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No exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses, deductibles or co-pays
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You can’t have a health savings account (HSA) even if you want to keep one. If you want to save money on your premium by having a high deductible, the government won’t let you
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No cost-sharing for preventive care
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An unelected and unaccountable government board of bureaucrats will decide what procedures must be first-dollar, even if you don’t value them
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No dropping of coverage if you become seriously ill
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This only happens in Helen Hunt movies, but Congress will demagogue it anyway to scare us
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No gender discrimination
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You’ll be forced to have your tax dollars pay for abortion and other things you disagree with. You’ll also be forced to purchase a plan which covers abortion on demand for all nine months
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No annual or lifetime caps on coverage
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Congress will tell insurance companies how they have to price their coverage and determine risk
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Extended coverage for young adults
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1. “Children” up to age 30 will be able to stay on their parents’ insurance at taxpayer expense
2. Inculcating the culture of entitlement and preening a generation of welfare-dependents.
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Guaranteed insurance renewal so long as premiums are paid
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Another red herring that Congress will use to scare people into adopting government medicine
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