Posted by
Laura L. Hollis, JD on Tuesday, March 30, 2010 12:11:03 AM
From Tim Cahill, Massachusetts' state treasurer:
The universal insurance coverage we adopted in 2006 was projected to
cost taxpayers $88 million a year. However, since this program was
adopted in 2006, our health-care costs have in total exceeded $4
billion. The cost of Massachusetts’ plan has blown a hole in the
Commonwealth’s budget. Just last Thursday, Gov. Deval Patrick’s office
announced a $294 million shortfall related to health-care costs.
If not for federal Medicaid reimbursements and commitments from
Washington to prop up this plan, Massachusetts would be broke. The only
reason MassCare has survived is that we have been repeatedly bailed out
by the federal government. But that raises the question: Who will
bail America out if we implement a similar program?
OK, think about that. That is a staggering difference. Instead of $88 million a year, the costs of Romneycare have been one billion dollars a year??? Those original estimates were off by a factor of eleven (give or take).
Cahill's last question is what those of us who oppose Obamacare have been shouting from the rooftops: You were wrong about Medicare! You were wrong abut Medicaid! Social Security is broke! And now you want us to believe that you can make a health care system for 300 million people and not go broke?
The question that our government will not ask - and will not answer when asked - is, "What will happen if you're wrong? If you're wrong about the projections? About the cost savings? What happens when Obamacare costs 10 or 20 times what you told us it would?"
What happens when the United States is broke? Greece just has protests. America will have war in the streets.