The Biggest Lie

Jonah Goldberg expands on his blog post yesterday with a column today.

“No matter how we reform health care, we will keep this promise to the American people,” (Obama) told the American Medical Association in 2009. “If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor, period. If you like your health-care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health-care plan, period. No one will take it away, no matter what.”

...that lie looks like the biggest lie about domestic policy ever uttered by a U.S. president.

...Say I like my current car. The government says under some new policy I will be able to keep it and maybe even lower my car payments. But once the policy is imposed, I’m told my car now isn’t street-legal. Worse, I will have to buy a much more expensive car or be fined by the IRS. But, hey, it’ll be a much better car! Why, even though you live in Death Valley, your new car will have great snow tires and heated seats.
This is what the government is saying to millions of Americans who don’t want or need certain coverage, including, for instance, older women — and men — who are being forced to pay for maternity care.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/362506/obamas-big-lie-jonah-Goldberg

Notice that Obama uses the word "period" to emphasize certainty. You can rest assured! This is guaranteed! No exceptions, caveats, qualifications or conditions!
It takes a high level of disdain for one's audience, the American public, to lie so blatantly and repeatedly - at least two dozen times by one count. (video). (The video was posted by the uber-leftist New York Magazine!)

With regard to Goldberg's car analogy above - The narrative being spun by the administration is that, sure, most people will be paying more (in some cases much more) for their health insurance, but they will be getting a better product than what they currently have. This narrative is false. Consider my situation.

I am fortunate to have been employed by a large, respected corporation for all of my working years. As a retiree, I am eligible for health insurance that is heavily subsidized by the company. The insurance is fairly comprehensive, and as such it fulfills Obamacare's coverage mandates. However, since it is comprehensive, it covers services that I neither need nor want in a health insurance policy. These include mental health coverage, maternity care, substance abuse treatment, acupuncture, bariatric surgery, infertility treatment, chiropractic treatment, smoking cessation classes and contraception to name a few. If all these services were dropped from my plan it would not make the plan worse, just more economical. Likewise, mandating unnecessary coverages does not make a policy better.
Features that do make a policy worse are higher co-pays and higher deductibles which, in many cases, along with the higher premiums, are being forced upon individuals whose coverages have been dropped. I, for one, would rather have lower co-pays and deductibles than to have the privilege of paying for Sandra Fluke's birth control.
True reform would support the existence of a free market for health insurance and allow consumers to choose from a virtually unlimited array of options much as they can in almost every other market whether it's food, housing, electronics, cars, banks or car insurance. (Notice how many more advertisements there are for car insurance than for health insurance). Even with my relatively advantageous health insurance situation, I still only have two plans to choose from - a basic policy and a high deductible policy. And with Obamacare, even that situation is tenuous.

Here is Joe Scarborough on Hugh Hewitt's radio show.

...86% of Americans who like health care, you know, the health care that they have through their employers, don’t care right now. But you know what? They’re going to care, because some of the biggest corporate leaders in America have told me over the past three years off the record that they’re going to wait a few years, and then they’re going to cancel all the policies, because it would be much cheaper for them, and much more cost efficient, and pretty soon, all Americans are going to care.

Something to look forward to.