Krauthammer: ObamaCare An Arbitrary System That "Nobody Else Has Devised In The History Of Man"
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CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: We already know from the CBO numbers that it will increase the cost of healthcare by $1.3 trillion. The reason that it is at deficit neutral is because Obamacare, at the same time, increases taxes by the same amount plus a dollar. So that it looks as if it is not costing anything.
This is what happens when you have an administration that has the idea that it can reform, remake and completely re-regulate one sixth of the biggest economy on planet earth. I mean, I'm not surprised that the regulations are late and they are unclear. And they are also incredibly arbitrary. The waivers people get, thousands of them, who gets it? Who doesn't? Somebody whom the government or the Democrats or liberals like? Somebody that is not liked? Are you going to get a waiver?
Look, when you take away the essence of insurance - insurance, you set a premium according to actuarial risk. So, if you are 60 your healthcare costs are six times what it is for a 20-year-old. So, your premiums are six times as much. But, the Congress in its wisdom has decided it should be three times instead of six. So once you do that you no longer have an insurance company. This is not insurance anymore. This is regulation, this is government dictated rates, like the electrical company and people are surprised that all of a sudden you have got all these things that aren't working harmoniously as you would in a market.
So all of this stuff, a delays, the regulation, the arbitrariness, the fairness is a direct result of taking over a sixth of the American economy on a flier, on a system that nobody else has devised in the history of man. (Special Report, April 2, 2013)
