And Speaking of Obamacare ...

You might recall, when Obama was running for president he was telling us that his health care plan would reduce the cost of our monthly health care bill. Sweet! He got elected. Somehow, though, that plan, once he was firmly ensconced in the White House, morphed into ObamaCare which, in all reality, is nothing more than another welfare program, offering free health care to millions of Americans who had none prior. With a promise of savings to the rest of us someday through ... blah ... blah ... blah.

Well here's news. Obama's plan will reduce health care costs. So says an Obama lackie named Nancy-Anne Deparle, deputy White House chief of staff for policy. She writes in Politico:

"President Obama ... fought for a law that will bring down costs, not just pass them along.

"We achieve these savings because the new law implements important steps that will improve the quality of care and reduce costs."

Really? How, Nancy-Anne?

First, health reform gives businesses access to Medicare claims data, so they can assess which providers are offering the best care at the lowest cost. That creates a better, more competitive marketplace.

Second, the Affordable Care Act invests in prevention and wellness and other programs that save money over the long term.

Third, the law simplifies paperwork and enables electronic transactions, so businesses and workers spend less time filling out forms. This measure alone could save $12 billion.

And we are implementing a series of new incentives that cut waste and help deliver better, less-expensive care.

Where in all that is there any real savings? you might ask.  There is none.  Most of it is the same old Washington dodge and weave.

First, competition in the health care insurance field would be a good thing.  But many state laws, including those here in Virginia, stifle competition.  Companies having access to a database that reveals to them a list of the various insurance companies around the country they are prohibited from dealing with serves them what purpose, Nancy-Anne?

Second, the Affordable Care Act invests in prevention and wellness?  We heard that back when our government was promoting HMO's in the 80's.  Now everyone in government hates HMO's.  But the dream hasn't died.  We've "invested" in more of the same and called it something else.

Third, the law simplifies paperwork and enables electronic transactions?  This measure alone could save $12 billion?  Nancy-Anne's third most important point in making the argument that Obama is going to save us money already takes her into the minutia?  If the total cost of health care in this country annually is somewhere around $2,491,260,000,000 (17% of current GDP), what's $12 billion?  And does anyone believe that will happen with the new ObamaCare law - with its 2,000 pages of regulations and mandates, with a follow-on of hundreds of thousands of pages of instructions on how to implement it, is going to reduce paperwork?  Please.  Nancy-Anne has been smoking something.

Fourth, the classic Washington politician dodge: "We're going to cut waste" (and abuse).  Don't make us laugh.  The working definition of the United States government includes the words waste and abuse.  So stop with the wishful thinking.

Nothing in this propaganda piece delivers confidence.  Our health care delivery system - once, recently, the finest in the world - is soon to be spiraling out of control because of government - read Obama - read Nancy-Anne Deparle - meddling.  And this gal wants us to believe that everything is going to be just fine.

It isn't fine.  It's soon to be awful.  Unless we void the damage these people have done.

Now that "the debt ceiling crisis" has been solved put off for another day, maybe Congress can get to work on repealing this abomination we call ObamaCare before it starts doing grievous harm.