RUSH: A bunch of CEOs are in Washington. These people are beside themselves. They’re having to hire outside consultants to pore through the Obamacare legislation and advise them, tell them what they have to do to comply. And they are asking for some kind of relief.
You’ve got John Schnatter at Papa John’s pizza, the Applebee’s people and a number of other restaurant chains are saying, “We have no choice.” If they’re gonna keep our products priced where they are, which is the price they’ve all determined is the most sensible for profit stability and affordability for customers, they’re gonna have to let some employees go or they’re gonna have to convert them to part time, something, in order to stay status quo. And if they can’t stay status quo, if their prices skyrocket, their businesses suffer. So there’s no win-win here, and these CEOs are being harassed by extremist liberals via Twitter and Facebook and direct e-mail. They’re being threatened because of their public statements of what changes they might have to make in the way they run their businesses.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. These major CEOs in town, they want to meet with Obama and they want to have a chat about this because they don’t know what they’re gonna have to do to comply. Nobody can understand the legislation. And Obama doesn’t know what’s in it, and the bottom line is he doesn’t care what’s in it. “Mr. Limbaugh, how in the world can you say that the president –” because he doesn’t care about the details. All Obama is interested in is the following. That after a certain number of years of this mass confusion, the only solution will be single payer. Whatever hell happens between now and then is the price to pay for it. We are headed to single-payer health care, the government being the payer, the government being the determining factor in virtually everything.
Now, the states have to start setting up these exchanges, the federal exchanges. The states have to do it where people will go and buy their insurance or pay their fine for not doing so. The deadline was originally November 16th, but the regime has relaxed that. Some of these deadlines have been moved to next year, early next year, I think February because there’s not enough time now and the regime wants to appear flexible. Now it’s easy for me to say sitting here behind the Golden EIB Microphone, if I was a Republican governor, I would say no. I’m not setting up an exchange. I’m not gonna do it because the federal government cannot. It’s a quirk in the law.
Now, they could go back and fix this I suppose, but as the law currently exists the federal government cannot set up the exchanges in the states. Somebody, some staff member, whoever wrote this thing, made an error. Believe me, there are errors in this thing that nobody even knows exist yet. It’s 2,700 pages. One of the reasons it’s 2,700 pages is that virtually every special interest group was given treatment. It is an absolute jigsaw puzzle nightmare. And where it’s going to end up is single payer, by design. We didn’t win the Senate, so there’s no rolling this back. There could be some fun, there could be some delays if the governors refuse to set up the exchanges.
Now, as far as citizens are concerned, the exchange will be a federal office building somewhere with a phone number, and you’ll call, and you’ll find out what you have to do to be legal and have your insurance and how much it’s gonna cost you and what the fine options are. Or you can go there and stand in line like you do at the DMV. I venture to say that over half the population has no idea what’s in store for them. But there will be no recourse now. And so resulting confusion — and don’t think Obama’s knows the details of this. He doesn’t care. I mean, he was running around saying, (imitating Obama) “You’ll be able to keep your doctor. If you like your doctor, keep your doctor. You didn’t build that, and if you like your policy, you can keep your policy.” You can’t. None of that’s true. He was either lying through his teeth about it or he doesn’t know, doesn’t matter which, but there’s equal weight on the “he doesn’t know.”
Obama’s not a roll up the sleeves detail guy. He says, “I want affordable health care for all Americans.” Pelosi and Reid start writing the bill and whoever, that’s it, Obama’s done, goes plays golf. The intricate details don’t matter, but these CEOs, the people that have to deal with it are hiring outside consultants to help them stay in compliance, to stay legal. They’re also asking for a delay in eliminating current tax rates. Meanwhile, Bill Kristol on our side, “Go ahead, let’s just raise taxes on the rich. Hell with it. Got all these liberal Democrats, Wall Street, Hollywood people, let’s go and raise their taxes, supporting Democrats anyway.” The bottom line is that hurts the country.
You can’t take money out of the private sector and have the private sector grow. All that’s gonna grow is government, Santa Claus. And a growing percentage of our population would just as soon vote itself a lifestyle it doesn’t care to make the effort to earn. And Obama knows it and is willing to play off of it.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: The mayor of Realville. I want, with the assistance here of Betsy McCaughey, who is an expert, starting way back in the days of Hillarycare, she is a scholar and an expert in all of this. She has a piece in the New York Post today, and it’s about Obamacare, and this is now Realville. We’re not talking about the abstract any longer. It’s the law of the land. This is Realville.
“President ObamaÂ’s re-election and Democratic gains in the US Senate end any possibility of repealing the Obama health law. It will roll out as written, imposing major changes soon on you and your family. If you are uninsured because you canÂ’t afford it, help may be on the way. But if you are one of the 250 million Americans with coverage, there are big problems ahead. If you get your health insurance through a job, you might lose it as of Jan. 1, 2014. ThatÂ’s when the new ’employer mandate’ kicks in, requiring employers with 50 or more full-time workers to provide the government-designed health plan or pay a fine.”
We’ve talked about this. You know about it in the abstract. You either pay to be covered or pay a fine. And you know, if you’ve been listening here, the fines in the first couple, three years are much cheaper than the policy. So you pay the fine and you’re legal. You don’t go to jail. You pay the fine, you’re okay, you’re in compliance.
What does that do? It takes more people out of the private insurance market, by design. Because what must happen here is the private insurance market must cease to exist for Obamacare to realize its ultimate dream. So January 1st, 2014, the employer mandate kicks in, and it requires bosses with 50 or more people full time, to provide the government-designed health plan or pay a fine. “The government plan is so expensive, it adds $1.79 per hour to the cost of a full-time employee.”
Now, stop and think of this. “Rush, that doesn’t sound like much.” Well, you pay it. You have the business and $1.79 an hour per employee additional to be in compliance with federal law. That is how expensive the government plan is, $1.79 per hour to the cost of a full time employee. “ThatÂ’s incidental if you’re hiring neurosurgeons but a hefty increase for hiring busboys and sales clerks,” and the like in small businesses. Currently, employers in retail and fast-food industries pay less than half that to cover their workers.”
They’re paying less than a buck eighty an hour to cover their people.
“To avoid the costly mandate, some employers will push workers into part-time status. Other employers will opt for the fine. Either way, workers lose their on-the-job coverage.” You’re either gonna be converted to part-time or you’re not gonna be covered and your company will pay the fine because it’s cheaper than insuring you. Even worse then that, they risk losing their jobs. Even the fine is 98 cents an hour to the cost of labor. So to insure every employee, a buck seventy nine an hour, to pay the fine, 98 cents an hour, and that’s enough to make some employers cut back on their workforce.
In this economy, folks, you have to understand — and a lot of people on the left don’t. People on the left actually think there shouldn’t be any profit. “Why should somebody make money treating the sick, Mr. Limbaugh? It’s not fair. Why should there be profit in selling services that the American people need?” They really ask that. It’s how they’ve been educated. Who needs profit? Why can’t you get everything for what it costs? They don’t understand that the producers will not get in the game for that. They don’t understand the service providers won’t get into business for that. They don’t understand the business can’t stay in business not making money. But education in this country has been so successful at demonizing profit, profit equals screwing people, profit equals taking advantage, profit equals the rich. This is the nature of leftist education for two or three generations, if not more.
So when this happens, you’re gonna have all kinds of protests. I mean, you might have riots against these companies. You’re already starting to see the beginnings of that with Papa John’s and Applebee’s, as they are announcing the effect in the changes in the way they do business because of the Obamacare law. Obama supporters, probably organized, are harassing them via e-mail and Twitter and getting everybody all lathered up. It’s what’s coming. That’s Realville. There’s no stopping this. There’s no rolling this back.
“As many as a third of employers, according to research, are considering canceling coverage totally. This is the result of a survey done by McKinsey & Co., which is a management consultant group. They are hired by businesses to help run in a streamlined way, make corporate hires, executive hires, decisions, and so forth. Now, that doesn’t mean that you’ll be uninsured. You just won’t have the choice. If your employer cancels coverage, you’re out the window. When you file your taxes — this is also part of Obamacare that is now Realville — when you file your taxes, you’re gonna have to show proof that you are enrolled in the one-size-fits-all plan approved by the federal government. It’s mandatory starting January 1st, 2014.
I, El Rushbo, do not have health insurance. I’m a self-employed individual who chooses not to have it. I pay it as I go. I can’t tell you how much money I’ve saved over the course of my life, by the way. See, I have been very fortunate. I have been able to not get caught up in the very real fear that everybody has that they’re gonna die tomorrow and that somehow having health insurance is gonna prevent that or that they’re gonna be broke tomorrow. So, to me it’s like anything else, I pay for it as I need it. No longer. I will not be able to do that, nor will anybody else. I am going to have to go get an insurance policy, and it’s gonna be the same policy that everybody else gets, starting January of 2014.
The freedom to decide what kind of health insurance you have or whether or not you want to roll the dice and have any — you know who this is gonna affect? Young people are like me, “I don’t need it. I’m not gonna get deathly sick tomorrow. I’m only 24 years old. Why the hell do I need it?” Sorry, pal, you don’t have the option, you gotta have it. And if your employer doesn’t provide it for you, that’s no excuse. You are gonna have to have it or you are gonna pay a fine. And when you file your taxes, you will have to show proof that you’re enrolled in one of these plans or pay the fine. And if you don’t enroll in a health care plan, the IRS is empowered — it’s the law — they can withhold your tax refund.
You know how many people plan on a huge tax refund and think that they’re screwing the government in the process? That’s another story. You know how many people plan on that? If you don’t do what Obamacare mandates that you do January 1, 2014, if you don’t have mandated insurance, they are going to withhold your tax refund. And there is a brand-new form that you have to fill out in addition to your 10-whatever just for this. If you have been going without insurance or if your employer drops coverage, your options will be enrolling in Medicaid if you’re eligible or buying a government-approved health plan at your local state exchange.
Again, go through this: “When you file your taxes, you will have to show proof that you are enrolled in the one-size-fits-all plan approved by the federal government. ItÂ’s mandatory, starting Jan. 1, 2014,” about 13 or 14 months from now. If you don’t, “the IRS will withhold your refund,” so the government gets paid your fine.
“If youÂ’ve been going without insurance, or your employer drops coverage, your options will be enrolling in Medicaid (if youÂ’re eligible),” and they’re making that easier to qualify for, “or buying a government-approved health plan on your state health exchange. WhatÂ’s an insurance exchange?”
I explained it earlier. Betsy McCaughey says, “ItÂ’s like a supermarket that only sells” one thing. “The exchange will sell only the government-designed plan.” There will not be a smorgasbord in the exchange. You’re not gonna have to Option A, Option B, Option C. There’s gonna be one plan you can buy, and in January 2014 you are required by law to have it or they “withhold your refund. …
“In most states, exchanges will be an 800 number, a Web site and a government office, like the DMV.” But there’s a little light at the end of the tunnel for some of you. “People with household incomes up to $92,200 will be eligible for a subsidy.” Yes, your neighbors will pay part of your health insurance if you make $92,200 or less! (interruption) Of course it’s welfare!
“Let me give you statistic. If you make $60,000 a year, you’re in the top 10% of wage earners in this country. If you’re at $60,000 or up, you’re in the top 10%. Remember that the next time you hear ’em talk about the rich. So the $92,200 salary, how many of you aren’t earning that but would like to? That’s a lot of money, and yet it qualifies for a subsidy. If you make less than that, your neighbors will make up whatever you can’t pay.
“If youÂ’re a senior or a baby boomer,” which means if you’re aged or intending on becoming aged, “expect less care than in the past. Cuts to future Medicare funding pay for more than half the Obama health law.” Obama cut $716 billion from Medicare. Romney and Ryan tried to explain this during the campaign: $716 billion has been cut from Medicare. Well, that’s for the poor. That money’s gone.
It’s being used on younger, more productive, longer-living people.
Can you say “death panels”?
“Hospitals, for example, will have $247 billion less to care for same number of seniors than if the law had not passed. Hospitals will spread nurses thinner. California nurses already are striking over the increased workloads. When Medicare cuts led hospitals to reduce nursing care in the past, elderly patients had a lower chance of surviving their stay and death rates from heart attacks rose, according to a report last year by the National Bureau of Economic Research.”
Well, they’re taking treatment money away from the elderly and shifting it to the young. “For the first time in history, the federal government will control how doctors treat privately insured patients.” For the first time in history. “Section 1311 of the law empowers the Secretary of Health and Human Services to standardize what doctors do.” In this case, Kathleen Sebelius.
“Even if you have a private plan from Cigna or Aetna and you paid for it yourself, the federal government will have some say over your doctorsÂ’ decisions, with an eye toward reducing health-care consumption.” The federal government wants fewer people going to the doctor or the hospital every day. (interruption) Now, Snerdley’s yelling out, “How are they gonna blame the Republicans for this?” Oh, they’ll find a way. They’ll find a way.
I mean, they’ve been blaming Republicans for kicking the old people on Social Security out of their homes or cutting their Social Security for how many decades now? “If you sell your house…” Are you ready for this? Have you seen the stories about all these people asset dumping right now? People are selling their houses, selling their stocks, and you think, “Eh, that’s just the rich. I don’t have to worry.”
Do you know why they’re doing it? In part, here is why: “If you sell your house and make a profit, youÂ’ll likely be paying a new 3.8% tax on the gain. The law includes about half a trillion dollars in tax hikes, including a new 3.8% tax on gains from selling any asset, including your home, small business, stocks or bonds, effective Jan. 1, 2013.”
It’s effective next January, not 2014. That’s effective in two months. “ThatÂ’s on top of capital-gains taxes and applies to any profit that pushes your income over $200,000.” You pay an additional 3.8% over a capital gains tax that’s already gonna go up as part of Taxmageddon from 15% to 20% and maybe to 25%. This is Realville now.
“Why didn’t you tell us, Rush!”
We did.
Everything I’ve told you and more, we spent years telling people about.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: So, folks, the bottom line here is that this is as good as it gets on health care. This is it. Enjoy it. Your capital gains tax increase happens automatically on January 1. The rest of this stuff hits in January 2014. Up until then, it’s as good as it gets. Now, the law is 2,572 pages, and there are many changes that nobody knows yet that will be imposed. You know why? Because the regulations haven’t been written.
The law is open-ended.
New regulations can be written by new federal workers, and the regime “is adding federal workers at a rapid pace to churn out and enforce new rules.” Have you seen the stories on the numbers of new regulations popping every week (not just in health care, but across the board) from this administration? “The governmentÂ’s own projections say the cost of health-care administration — bureaucrats telling doctors and patients what to do — will soar from $29 billion when President Obama was first elected to $71 billion by 2020…”
Folks, let me give you a number to put that in perspective. From $30 billion to $71 billion, we’re talking a $40 billion increase in bureaucratic expenses to administer health care. “ThatÂ’s enough money to buy private health plans for fully half of all Americans who are now uninsured because they canÂ’t afford it.”
This law has never been about health insurance. It has never been about health care. This law is trillions in expenses and deficit spending, and it’s ostensibly to cover the uninsured and to lower the costs for those who are. This is one of the biggest deceits that’s ever been spread. For $80 million to $100 million we can insure everybody who’s uninsured, versus trillions for this.
This is not about health care. It’s not about insuring the uninsured. It is about the total control of a free people under the guise of health care. Once you’re in charge of people’s health… I mean, everything people do affects their health and therefore you, as the government, have the power to regulate it, which is what’s on tap starting January 2014.
You say, “Well, is there something that can be done?”
I think so, but I’m not in the House of Representatives.