The Obamacare train is coming

It’s becoming an all too familiar refrain.  People are calling my radio show with stories of being down-sized to part-time status so their company can get around the Obamacare regulations.  One lady, age 59, called in to say that she’d been a nurse at a hospital for 21 years.  Because of lower reimbursements from the government she’s been let go.  She says the hospital is firing its older nurses because they make more money.  Of course, under Obamacare more people will be flocking to the hospitals which will be understaffed with less experienced healthcare professionals.  It’s a recipe for disaster.

One guy told me when he started at a major grocery store chain 12 years ago 90 percent of the employees were full time.  Now only 9 percent are full time.  It’s frightening.

Obamacare is quickly turning the American workforce into a bunch of part-timers.  That means these folks will have to find second jobs which means even fewer jobs available.  The healthcare plan that ostensibly was designed to help people is causing millions of Americans to not only lose their healthcare but now they’re making even less money.

You’d think President Obama would see this and realize he’s made a mistake but this is exactly what he hoped would happen.  Those who get thrown off their employer’s insurance end up at the doorstep of the exchanges.  Depending on their income, these folks will qualify for large subsidies from the government.  It’s a trap and it was designed to be a trap from the beginning.

Those fortunate enough to retain their full-time status won’t fare much better.  Once companies realize they can pay a $2,000 fine and turn those employees over to the exchanges there’ll be a stampede to do so.  Essentially, we could see the vast majority of Americans standing in line at the new healthcare exchanges waiting for their handout from the government.

So, who qualifies for a subsidy?  According to the Kaiser Family Foundation calculator, a family of five with the parents at age 50 and making a family income of $110,000 per year gets a healthcare subsidy of over $6,000 from the government.  About 90 percent of the population makes less than that amount which means potentially 90 percent of Americans could be getting assistance from the government.

Two points on that.  There’s no way we can afford to subsidize 90 percent of Americans.  That means something has to give.  What will give first is the amount of money the government reimburses doctors and hospitals which means a lot of doctors will be leaving the profession and a lot of hospitals will be closing down.  The second point is having 90 percent of the people beholden to the government is just what the Democrats want.  You’ve seen how they’ve used the Mediscare tactic to get votes.  Imagine the stump speeches about those mean, old Republicans who want to take away your healthcare subsidy.

Here’s what we can expect down the road.  Most of us will be on the healthcare exchanges, meaning we will be required to purchase our own insurance.  Most of us will qualify for subsidies.  Reimbursements for healthcare will drop significantly and a lot of good doctors will retire early.  Potential doctors will use their talents to go into professions more lucrative and we’ll see and shortage of doctors.  Healthcare quality will suffer greatly if you can actually get in to see a doctor.

The vast majority of Americans don’t want this.  The only solution left is for Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives to defund Obamacare.  Unfortunately, that’s our last best hope. 

Phil Valentine is the host of the award-winning, nationally syndicated talk radio show, The Phil Valentine Show.