Small Biz Health Care Daily: Who Will Call the Health Care Shots?

President Barack Obama journeyed to a town hall-style gathering in Portsmouth, NH, on Tuesday (August 11) in support of his health care agenda. According to the Associated Press, the President said: “For all of the chatter and the yelling and the shouting and the noise, what you need to know is this … if you do have health insurance, we will make sure that no insurance company or government bureaucrat gets between you and the care you need.”

Raymond J. Keating, chief economist for the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, responded:

“In reality, the health care agenda being pushed by the President and leaders in Congress is specifically designed to have government make more health care decisions, through mandates, regulations, and funding. Getting more specific, consider the ‘Health Insurance Exchange’ and ‘Health Choice Commissioner’ in the House Democrats’ ‘America’s Affordable Health Choices Act.’ The creation of a government-run insurance exchange is to provide an avenue for government mandates and regulations. That is, for government to call the shots on health care. And a ‘Health Choice Commissioner’ would be the regulator in charge. Among the regulatory powers of this commissioner effectively would be setting insurance rates; defining benefits; and dictating a wide range of operational issues, including marketing practices, grievance and appeals processes, and informational issues. So, in reality, government bureaucrats would get between the health care consumers, and those actually providing health coverage and care.”