Burn your Obamacare card

[Geee]

Washington Times:

Let’s all burn our “Obamacare” cards.

Last week, the Obama administration was forced by industry pressure to delay the health care law’s employer mandate. It’s a sign the time is ripe for Americans to rise up and exert popular pressure to delay the law’s other major mandate: the one on them as individuals.

Starting six months from now, the individual mandate will take effect. Most Americans will be required to show proof of “acceptable” insurance coverage, as defined by Washington — in effect, a health care draft card.

Like compulsory military service, the health care draft will conscript private citizens to carry out a national goal dictated by Washington, and the burden will fall especially hard on young people.

Why a “draft”? Supposedly, it’s to help the uninsured, but this makes little sense. There are less coercive, less expensive ways to help the uninsured — for example, by reducing distorting subsidies and red tape.

With the new system’s top-down, centralized approach, there will be higher costs, longer wait times, and incentives for doctors and hospitals to scrimp on care. The “health care draft” is unjust, unnecessary and harmful to our health.