Nebraska Sen. Mike Johanns gave this week’s Republican radio message. During his message, Sen. Johanns focuses people’s attention to the only question that Americans need to ask regarding the Democrats’ health care bills: Will their legislation improve their lives:

Most people agree that health care changes should decrease the costs and make it easier to receive health care, Republican Nebraska Sen. Mike Johanns said Saturday in the GOP’s weekly video and radio address.

“Yet current proposals in Congress don’t accomplish this goal and could even have the opposite effect, negatively impacting each and every one of us,” Johanns said.

“As a select few deliberate over legislation that will mean higher premiums across the board, higher taxes for hardworking families and cuts to Medicare for senior citizens, I ask: will this improve your life?” he said.

The answer is that the Democrats’ legislation will make things worse for the vast majority of people. At a time when there’s economic difficulties, the Democrats want to raise taxes on job creators. How is that helpful? The Democrats’ goal theoretically is to insure everyone. According to the CBO’s analysis, 25,000,000 people will still be uninsured after 10 years. That’s before factoring in the huge price tag, reported to be over $1,000,000,000,000.

At what point do politicians understand that they’re the problem, not the solution? (HINT: When the American people tell them loudly and persistently.)

There’s little in the Democrats’ bills that’s even remotely close to helping people. The Senate Finance bill isn’t the Democrats’ only legislation that drops the mother of all unfunded Medicaid mandates on the states. Why does Washington think that the states can just absorb that type of shock to their budget?

Johanns listed several examples of proposed changes he said could have a negative effect on various groups of people. Among them:

“To the factory worker, who has forgone pay raises for the promise of better insurance benefits for you and your family: your health insurance will be taxed and your premiums will go up.”

“To the recent college graduate burdened with student loans: you’ll be forced to buy health insurance the government mandates, and if you refuse, you’ll be hit with a penalty.”

“To our seniors, who wish to receive care in the comfort of their homes: funding for hospice care and home health care services would be cut.”

The CBO says that people who don’t buy insurance will get hit with a fine. That isn’t imaginary. That’s the gospel according to the nonpartisan CBO. The Senate Finance Committee bill includes a 40% excise tax on gold-plated insurance plans. That isn’t imaginary. The unions ran ads pointing this out. The Democrats’ bills call for dramatic cuts in Medicare. Those aren’t imaginary. Still, the Democrats claim that these claims aren’t accurate:

The White House and congressional Democrats dispute such arguments, saying their health care plans would result in stronger and better coverage for all and ultimately lower prices since they are seeking to rein in wasteful spending. They also note that currently, people with insurance pay a “hidden tax” created by the costs of emergency room visits by the uninsured being shifted to the rest of the population.

As for the proposed cuts to Medicare providers, Democrats say they would not affect core Medicare benefits and would strengthen the program overall by reducing fraud and abuse.

Notice that slippery wording: “Medicare cuts wouldn’t affect CORE Medicare benefits.” That’s mostly true but it doesn’t tell the whole truth, specifically that the Democrats’ medicare cuts would affect Medicare Advantage benefits. The Democrats don’t say anything about how these cuts to Medicare Advantage help the AARP sell Medigap policies. The Democrats won’t tell you, nor will the AARP tell us, that cutting Medicare Advantage is the Obama administration’s paying off AARP for their support of the Democrats’ bill.

Let’s summarize: The Democrats’ legislation will raise taxes, drop a huge Medicaid unfunded mandate on states, fine people for not buying insurance, do nothing to cut health care costs to the average person, cut Medicare and do little to reduce the numbers of uninsured.

Only in Washington, DC could this legislation be called reform.

Technorati: Medicaid, Unfunded Mandates, Medicare Advantage, Medigap, AARP, Cronyism, Tax Increases, Uninsured, Fines, Democrats, Mike Johanns, CBO, Republicans

Cross-posted at California Conservative