I Have Seen the Movie Trailer Preview, We Do Not Want to See the Movie:

By Dale Weckbacher

1 Samuel 17:25

So the men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father's house exemption from taxes in Israel."

NKJV

King Saul may have had his faults but one thing he got right, he understood the importance of rewarding men in his army that defended the Nation of Israel.  Unfortunate, it is not a policy shared by the leaders of our nation.  Instead, they use the military as a political football for cutting spending instead of cutting spending for their pet social programs. 

From the title, you might think this post is about an upcoming movie.  However, this post is about something even more diabolical than a new movie promoting the liberal progressive agenda.  That is because this post is not about a movie but something that threatens to ruin the lives of most, if not all Americans.  I am talking about Obamacare and the fact that what is currently happening at the Veterans Administration (VA) is a preview of what will happen to health care nationwide once Obamacare is fully implemented. 

As bad as Obamacare is already, we have yet to feel its full impact because the legislation is not yet fully implemented.  Full implementation is scheduled for 2018.  (1) Of course, this legislation has incurred numerous delays as politicians that supported it fear retaliation from voters realizing how much this legislation will negatively impact their lives.  However, even with the delays we have already witnessed how this terrible legislation has had a detrimental effect on the lives of countless individuals.

Josie Gracchi was diagnosed with breast cancer and is in need of life-saving surgery.  However, her surgery was postponed after she lost her doctors under Obamacare.  In an interview with Fox & Friends, she looked into the camera and made the following heartfelt plea to President Obama, ““I would like my health care taken care of. I was insured. I think anyone who is going through a serious illness should have immediate responses. I shouldn’t have to wait months, weeks, to even be considered for surgery that I should have had weeks ago.”  (2)  Of course if Obama responded to her plea, he would probably just come up with a hashtag. 

Then we have the case of sick children in Seattle denied coverage due to Obamacare.  It appears that children with pre-existing conditions requiring specialty care, which the President continually claimed would be covered, are being denied coverage.  (3)  This all coming from legislation created and passed by liberals claiming to be the champions of women and children.  However, what is currently happening at the VA is a preview of what is yet to come for healthcare under Obamacare. 

Just in case you are not familiar with what is happening at the VA, let me take a moment to fill everyone in.  Federal law requires that the VA provide appointments within a month.  To hide its noncompliance with this requirement, veterans were put on a special waiting list that was kept secret so as not to affect compliance with the law.  In other words, the VA cooked the books in order to hide the lengthy wait times some veterans were experiencing.  (4) 

Of course this is nothing new for government run healthcare for in the UK they also experienced similar delays.  In the UK, patients were facing eight-hour delays in ambulances outside emergency departments.  The reason for the delays is due to the National Health Service (NHS) target of treating all patients admitted to an emergency facility within four hours.  In order to comply with this target goal, emergency facilities made patients wait in ambulances because they are not technically in the ER until they come in the door.  (5)  What is happening in the UK sounds eerily similar to the secret waiting lists at the VA.

The problem with the VA and the UK NHS is a bloated bureaucracy unable to deliver on its promises.  The problems at the VA are nothing new but as we move into full implementation of Obamacare, and its bureaucracy becomes overwhelmed with the demands placed upon it, we can look forward to delays.  The only difference here is it will not be delays in a foreign country or delays only effecting veterans, it will be delays in treatment affecting everyone.  This leads to the question, what is the solution. 

On Veterans Day in 2011, Presidential candidate Mitt Romney floated the idea of the privatization of veterans’ health care.  He made his comments at an occasionally emotional roundtable discussion with dozens of vets in South Carolina.  (6)  Of course, any call to privatize veterans’ health care or any veterans benefits are slammed by Democrats.  (7)  However, privatization actually solves two of the problems created by government bureaucracies. 

First, privatization gives consumers choices.  Armed with choices, consumers who receive sub-standard service from one provider can find another provider, something that is missing with the present single-payer system veterans’ healthcare system.  Secondly, privatization breaks the bureaucracy into smaller parts that are more manageable by allowing demand to be handled by numerous providers in the system.  These providers also have an incentive to provide good affordable service because the consumer can find another provider if they are dissatisfied. 

There is little doubt that Obamacare will eventually evolve into a single-payer system resembling the current VA healthcare system.  This is not the solution for skyrocketing healthcare costs and will result in many being denied or experiencing delays in care.  These delays can be deadly, especially for individuals suffering from life-threatening conditions.  The solution, increasing health care choices for consumers and creating a system similar to the one we currently use to pay for car insurance.

1. Kaiser Family Foundation. Health Reform Implementation Timeline. kff.org. [Online] The Kaiser Family Foundation. [Cited: May 20, 2014.] http://kff.org/interactive/implementation-timeline/.

2. Fox News. Cancer patient’s treatment put on hold over ObamaCare. www.foxnews.com. [Online] Fox News, January 19, 2014. [Cited: May 20, 2014.] http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/01/19/cancer-patients-treatment-put-on-hold-over-obamacare/.

3. Burke, Jennifer. Sick Children Denied Coverage in Seattle Due to Obamacare. www.tpnn.com. [Online] Tea Party News Network, January 31, 2014. [Cited: May 20, 2014.] http://www.tpnn.com/2014/01/31/sick-children-denied-coverage-in-seattle-due-to-obamacare/.

4. The Editors. The VA Hospital Scandal . www.nationalreview.com. [Online] The National Review, April 25, 2014. [Cited: May 20, 2014.] http://www.nationalreview.com/article/376560/va-hospital-scandal-editors.

5. Donnelly, Laura. Patients facing eight-hour waits in ambulances outside A&E departments. www.telegraph.co.uk. [Online] The Telegraph, June 29, 2013. [Cited: May 20, 2014.] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10150635/Patients-facing-eight-hour-waits-in-ambulances-outside-AandE-departments.html.

6. McAuliff, Michael. Mitt Romney: Maybe Veterans' Health Care Should Be Privatized. www.huffingtonpost.com. [Online] The Huffington Post, November 11, 2011. [Cited: May 20, 2014.] Mitt Romney: Maybe Veterans' Health Care Should Be Privatized.

7. Fox News. Dems Attack GOP's Proposals for Private-Sector Health Care for Veterans. www.foxnews.com. [Online] Fox News, October 8, 2010. [Cited: May 20, 2014.] http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/10/07/republicans-accused-wanting-privatize-veterans-health-care/.