Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid came out from his inner sanctum where only a few of his closest associates are hammering out legislative text in private, away from the prying eyes of both concerned citizens and even other elected representatives.
That’s troubling.
After all, what incumbents in Washington are doing will restructure more than 17 percent of our nation’s economy.
To put that data fact in visual perspective, glance at your own hand.
Today, the health care industry is represented by your smallest finger – the one referred to as our ‘pinkie’ finger.
When the government bureaucrats take control of everyone’s health care delivery costs will certainly increase.
How much? That’s the sixty-four dollar question.
More importantly, not even the CBO knows for sure; and, the Congressional Budget Office is in the official business of scoring all federal government programs.
Still, here’s our suggestion.
Glance again at your hand.
Expect total health care costs over the next four to five years to go up to the point that your ‘next’ longest finger – the ‘ring’ finger – will likely serve to visually represent the dramatic increase in costs and what will be the likely share of the nation’s economy.
Yes, the soothsayers will say “no”.
Believe them if you choose.
Some Americans will choose to buy into the political message. And, many will quote President Obama’s oft-stated phrase to “bend the cost curve” over the next decade. The “cost curve” will bend, but it won’t be down.
In the end, government’s takeover of health care will be deleterious to individuals and the nation. Costs will rise – and rise – and, in the future, we will all glance, yet again, at our hands.
At that point, if not before, vast numbers of America’s citizens will conclude that the ‘next’ finger in line visually represents what will come to be the exploding costs of government run health care.
Some among us may conclude that the visual, as noted above, also suggests something else entirely.