More Disturbing Insights About Health Care Reform from a Liberal Economist

Way back in November 2009 I posted an item on this blog about John Cassidy of The New Yorker who, though he was (is) a supporter of health care reform, as an economist, still felt obligated to discuss the bill in terms of dollars and sense...I mean, cents. I re-read his original posting today and was astounded at his prescience. Two of his more startling comments then were:

• Some "subterfuge may be necessary" to enact "great reform."
• The Obama Administration is creating a new entitlement program which, if enacted, "will be virtually impossible to rescind."

OK, so here it is April 2010, "ObamaCare" passed, it's been signed, it's law, it's done, fait accompli...and I'm curious. What's John Cassidy saying five months later? Is he still examining the issue from the standpoint of an economist?

Indeed he is. Below are links to his blog, "Rational Irrationality," where he crunches the numbers again, and his conclusions are much the same.

What's interesting to me is that, in spite of analysis by experts like Cassidy and Capretta,  Democrats continue to spout the now-debunked spin that "these pieces of legislation will reduce the deficit by $143 billion over the first ten years and by as much as $1.3 trillion over the second 10 years." By the way, this is an exact quote from Senator Dianne Feinstein, who parroted it in a reply to an email I sent to her (just doing my civic duty, writing my elected officials).

Interesting reading.

ObamaCare by the Numbers, Part I

ObamaCare by the Numbers, Part II