This NY Times article proves that Democrats think we’ll buy whatever spin they put out there. Here’s what they’re saying:

The bad economy is good for President Obama and Democrats as they try to reinvent the health care system with scant Republican support.

That is the conclusion of many Congressional Democrats, who say that economic insecurity and high unemployment stoke public support for their proposals to guarantee insurance for millions of Americans.

Representative Jim McDermott, Democrat of Washington, said this was one of the biggest differences between the health care wars of 1993-94 and the battle today. When Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton fought for universal coverage, Mr. McDermott said, the economy was on an upswing, in the early stages of a 10-year economic expansion, which proved to be the longest in American history.

First off, Rep. McDermott is a far left idiot if he thinks that Hillarycare went down in flames because of the economy. It went down in flames because Americans didn’t want to surrender control of that part of their life to government. Unfortunately, that thought doesn’t enter the thoughts of control freaks like Rep. McDermott.

There’s a reason why Democrats won’t use the term government-run. It’s the reason why they’ve resorted to using the euphemism public option. Americans love liberty and options. They despise overregulation. It’s part of America’s DNA to love liberty and choices.

I’d further suggest that things would have to get significantly worse before enough people would support the Democrats’ proposed government takeover of the health care system.

“The mentality in the country is different,” said Mr. McDermott, a psychiatrist who has served in Congress for two decades. “In 1993, we were talking about the uninsured as ‘them.’ Now it turns out this is for us. When a bank like Washington Mutual in Seattle lays off 3,000 people, they lose health insurance. Millions of people with insurance are asking, ‘What if I lose my job?’”

I’d disrespectfully disagree, mostly because most states have safety net health insurance plans. It isn’t something that people want to deal with longterm but they will if that’s what’s needed.

Simply put, this is Rep. McDermott projecting. It isn’t based in reality.

Democrats say a government-run insurance plan is the best way to allay fears about the loss of private insurance. Private insurers can increase premiums or withdraw from markets, they say, but a government plan will always be available and affordable.

Democrats say that government-run insurance is more affordable. Let’s examine the credibility of that statement. When the government-run option starts accumulating big deficits, which will happen, Congress’s first reaction will be to raise taxes. Will people care whether their premiums go up or whether their taxes get raised? I’m betting they won’t differentiate. Let’s do a side-by-side:

Democrats say “Private insurers can increase premiums. Republicans say that government can raise taxes to keep premiums lower. Both statements are true. What’s the difference?

Liberal Democrats like Speaker Nancy Pelosi say that a public plan would put competitive pressure on private insurers to hold down premiums and costs.

To save money, they say, the public plan should use Medicare rates as a basis for paying doctors and hospitals. Private insurers negotiate rates with doctors and hospitals, which have substantial bargaining power. The Medicare rates, set by law and regulation, are lower.

According to this, Democrats are admitting that Medicare eliminates negotiating. Hospitals and doctors are forced to accept whatever the federal government sets the payments at. Typically, Medicare reimbursement rates don’t cover the cost of the cost of the visits/treatments. That’s why hospitals and doctors try limiting treating Medicare patients.

How is that a solution? Only a liberal cocky liberal would think that we’re stupid enough to think that their legislation is a solution.

Technorati: Medicare, Reimbursement Rates, Premiums, Tax Increases, Uninsured, Jim McDermott, Speaker Pelosi, Hillarycare, Democrats

Cross-posted at California Conservative