It was wise politics for the President to tout all the positive and no-co-pay services brought about by Obamacare BEFORE the Election and unveil all the costs AFTER the Election.  Any politician who wanted to pull the wool over voters’ eyes would have done no less.  Such is the case with Obamacare.

As we go through this transition to a government-run system, watch for the absolutely suffocating fees and taxes (when taken in total) that pretty much will not be evident to the individual American. Instead the cost that Apple must pay for this federal “tax” and other far more onerous such fees will be passed along to consumers in the form of higher priced I-pads, etc.,  lay-offs, or fewer raises for present employees.  Yes indeed, trickle down is a reality.
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I have found over the past year that one of the best sites to learn more about most every aspect of medicine, including the politics of healthcare is Medscape. I receive valuable information on issues ranging from arthritis to ophthalmology, from cancer to nutrition. But more recently, I receive many briefs concerning Obamacare, highlighting many of the issues that directly impact the practicing physician. We will post a summary and a link to those factoids as they come across our desks.
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“YOU COME IN AND YOU’VE GOT A BAD SORE THROAT, OR YOUR CHILD HAS A BAD SORE THROAT OR HAS REPEATED SORE THROATS.  YOU KNOW WHAT?  I MAKE A LOT MORE MONEY IF I TAKE THE KID’S TONSILS OUT”  Barack Obama, 2009

Political rhetoric can be biting. Sometimes it should be. But this President, on this issue, with these words, went over the line He left no doubt that he believes America’s health care professionals will perform egregious, unnecessary services on patients just to make money.  Never a mention of the hard work, years of education, or that perhaps he was referring to the smallest of minorities when he said that.
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Now that the Supreme Court has spoken and we must now live under the President’s health care law (including its hidden taxes), it’s time to start asking those who support the law to help us understand exactly how it is going to work.  That raises about 2700 pages of questions for me.   Let’s start with a simple one:

Why would a state commit financial suicide by setting up its own exchange?  Seems that if a state chooses not to set up an exchange, the federal government can, and will do so, anyway without a financial strain on the State.  On top of that, apparently, businesses in those states that choose to not to set up exchanges are not subject to a penalty should they fail to provide insurance for their employees.  I am not advocating that businesses simply stop providing health insurance for their employees, merely asking how Obamacare will function and remain within budgetary guidelines if enough states opt out?
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