Obamacare: The Jurassic Media Keeps on Spinning

While many on the left are brazenly asking whether the Democrats' health care legislation is worse than the status quo, some of the Democrats' best friends in the media are still defending ObamaCare with quasi-religious zeal.

A new report on the Senate health care bill from the CBO estimates that the cost of individual health insurance would increase by an average of 10-13% if the Democrats' plan is implemented.

"In dollar terms, in 2016 an individual policy would cost $5,800 and a family policy would cost $15,200 if the Senate bill were enacted, according to the CBO, compared with $5,500 and $13,100 under the status quo."

The government would manipulate insurance premiums by throwing taxpayer-funded subsidies to preferred groups, but health insurance costs would change very little for most Americans, and costs would rise significantly for many others:

Click to enlarge.

"Never fear," say Obama's cheerleaders in the Democrat-run media. "We'll force healthy people into the market, and we'll do some Enron-style accounting tricks." Ezra Klein explains:

First, the new rules governing the insurance market are expected to make the market more efficient, lowering prices by 7 to 10 percent.

Government will make the insurance market more efficient? You're kidding, right? Even Obama knows that's a joke.

More from Ezra:

Second, the individual mandate, alongside the subsidies and the increased ease of purchasing insurance, is expected to bring in healthier folks, which should save another 7 to 10 percent. Add it all together and we're looking at a 10 to 12 percent increase in premiums for insurance that's about 30 percent better than what people are getting now. It's a steal.

So liberals are finally admitting that ObamaCare is theft? Finally, some progress. But stealing isn't saving. And letting Uncle Sam take money from taxpayers (and from future generations) in order to redistribute trillions of dollars in the name of "health care reform" isn't progress. The Democrats' schemes do nothing to make health care less expensive, more efficient or more effective.

Here are three take-home points for ObamaCare apologists:

1. Forcing young, "healthy folks" to buy more insurance than they need at artificially inflated prices won't bring down the total cost of health care in this country. In fact, as a percentage of GDP, ObamaCare will increase health care spending faster than the status quo.

2. Money for health insurance subsidies won't come from thin air, and it won't come exclusively from "the wealthy."

3. The shell games aren't fooling most Americans (they're certainly not fooling most American voters).

More

ObamaCare bending the cost curve…upward.

CBO report predicts hike in insurance costs.

Big Wig Democrat: ObamaCare would be worse than the status quo.

Obamacare: "It's a steal."