Year, Cinderella Not The Only Things That Changed At Midnight

Big-government liberals (sorry for the redundancy) claim the ObamaCare takeover of the health and insurance industries was the necessary fix for the “broken” health care system. But the high health care costs and the myriad of problems people experience are caused by the same big-government intrusions now increased exponentially in this mammoth law. The one free-market reform in this area in recent times — the creation of tax-free health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts and health reimbursement accounts — disproves the lie that government is needed to reduce health care costs.

These accounts, basically health care IRAs or 401ks, allow people to save pre-tax earnings in accounts specifically set up for health care expenses, and they are growing immensley popular (see ModernHealthCare.com). Instead of going through a middle man (insurance companies) to pay for something basic — a doctor visit to treat a cold, for example — and driving up costs, people pay through their own accounts. The patient generally gets a better price, since he or she is paying cash (and negotiating directly) to the source.

More importantly, it puts consumers in charge, allows them to compare, and creates a competitive health care market. We don’t use car insurance for oil changes and new tires, either, and those services are plentiful and inexpensive. According to Conn Carroll at The Heritage Foundation’s The Foundry, people who use these health accounts realize a 20 percent savings in health care costs.

But hold on a minute. As of 12:01 a.m. January 1, under ObamaCare, purchases of over the counter drugs and other health care items through HSAs, FSAs and HRAs are banned without a prescription. But we all know ObamaCare doesn’t increase bureaucracy, get in the way of decision making, cause inconvenience, restrict freedom, nor increase costs by mandating unnecessary trips to the doctor. Then there’s the whole rationing thing: More people clogging doctors’ offices for reasons not applicable to right reason. Not only has ObamaCare effectively killed the health account program, it has hamstrung current users and reduced their effectiveness after years of putting away savings — and using them outside their shrinking areas of allowance gets them smacked with new taxes and a penalty!

More expense, less choice, more government meddling, hurting the people it was set up to help. Strike up several more lies for ObamaCare and its proponents, and all in one swift stroke of the clock.