Myths vs. Realities About Health Care Reform, Part 9
by William M. Tilford, FLMI, CLU, FALU
February 1, 2011
Two recent developments are worth noting: the recent vote of the US House of Representatives to repeal the "Health Care Reform" bill, and the recent Florida court decision regarding the bill. A repeal is not going to pass the Senate, but it very much looks like the legislation will ultimately find its way to the Supreme Court for review. The interesting thing about the Congressional repeal effort is not that it might succeed - it won't - but rather that it hasn't ignited the same popular firestorm that representatives and senators faced whenever they attempted to touch the third rail of politics - Medicare and Social Security. The fact that there was not a similar level of backlash after the repeal vote may indicate a lesser degree of intensity among supporters of the legislation than its proponents like to claim. The Supreme Court will ultimately decide the fate of the bill itself, but that may take a few years yet. In the meantime, here's hoping that our legislators will go back and get rid of the "stealth bombs" that were contained in the bill (a bill which virtually nobody read before the vote). The most egregious "add-in" for small businessmen and not for profit groups was the requirement that we start issuing 1099s to people and firms from whom we purchase goods and services over $600 per year. However, there were literally hundreds of these little surprises, and our legislators should sweep them out while the larger issues with the central purpose of the health care bill wind its way through the courts. And, there's a case to be made that legislators should be compelled to read bills before voting on them (this can be done by procedure rather than new law). Will this slow down the rate of new legislation? Absolutely. Is that a bad thing? Not in my opinion. Not when speed gives us monstrosities like the 1099 requirement.