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As reported by Noam N. Levey and James Oliphant in the Los Angeles Times yesterday in article entitled "Mandate minus price controls may increase healthcare costs, this is EXACTLY what I feared the moment I heard that Uncle Sam was going to intervene in the Healthcare debacle in order to "better regulate" the delivery and cost of Healthcare - and it is likely to have the same negative results as Uncle Sam's solution to the sub-prime mortgage crisis (i.e. a trail of devastation forced upon millions of Americans):

"Reporting from Washington - In the drive to bring health coverage to almost every American, lawmakers have largely rejected restrictions on how much insurers can charge, sparking fears that consumers will continue to face the skyrocketing premium increases of recent years.

The legislators' reluctance to control premium costs comes despite the fact that they intend to require virtually all Americans to get health insurance, an unprecedented mandate -- long sought by insurance companies -- that would mark the first time the federal government has compelled consumers to buy a single industry's product, effectively creating a captive market.

"We are about to force at least 30 million people into an insurance market where the sharks are circling," said California Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, a Democrat who served as the state's insurance commissioner for eight years. 'Without effective protections, they will be eaten alive.'

Soaring premiums coupled with millions of new customers forced to buy policies would likely mean higher costs for taxpayers to cover government subsidies for lower-income families and individuals."

Maybe the solution to this debacle lies within a national plan and policy that embodies Ben Franklin's famous saying:

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

- Ed Smith, Publisher
The EHS Letter Manual