The Obama health-care takeover plan is an enormous, unconstitutional expansion of the federal government. It will cost the American taxpayer at least $1 trillion, and perhaps closer to $2.5 trillion.

President Obama’s plan heavily taxes those who provide the products, services and payment for health care — including drug makers, insurance companies, medical device manufacturers and employers who pay for most of the nation’s health care. All this raises costs, not lowers them.

Somehow, somewhere Mr. Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., must have all been taught that by creating a new competitor, in this case, the federal government, somehow your costs come down.

“Competition makes costs come down,” they have said many times. However, a strong new competitor might force you to lower your price, but does not change the cost of doing business.

There is nothing in Mr. Obama’s plan to reduce costs so health care can be made more affordable to Americans. Here are real solutions to reducing costs:

• Promoting health-care savings accounts — reducing costs by allowing people to buy insurance with higher deductibles, lowering their monthly premiums.

• Legal reform — would greatly lower costs of doing business and delivery of quality health care. The omission of legal reform reveals this plan is not about what is the right thing to do, but for whom it is most right.

• Medicare advantage plans — these are free enterprise solutions to a competitive marketplace for people to choose where to buy their insurance which they feel is best for their family and themselves.

• Allowing individuals to purchase lower cost coverage across state lines. If there is a better run, more efficient insurer offering lower premiums to an individual or family with certain needs based in Pennsylvania, an individual living in California should be able to buy it.

• Set up an approval process for generic versions of high-tech drugs. Millions of dollars can be cut for people who wish to buy generics and pay a lower price in their coverage.

• Encourage wellness programs and preventive medicine. Preventive medicine is widely held by the medical community to be a solution to lowering the cost of quality health care.

These solutions would enable government to offer tax breaks and perhaps subsidies to high-risk individuals with preexisting conditions. Insurance “pools” can be set up where government assistance and private insurance bidding would provide those with preexisting conditions the coverage they need at competitive rates.

When the government owns something there is no drive to innovate and advance. Over time, the best health-care professionals and products will be provided to those outside of the government plan.

Just ask virtually any physician, nurse, or other health professional what they think about Medicare. They are either thinking about dropping Medicare or figuring out how to expand with other pay sources so the Medicare reimbursement system doesn’t drag them under. Medicare needs improvements, not a $500 million cut.

There are many people who will be unfairly burdened by Mr. Obama’s takeover plan. Primarily, it will be the American wage earner and the small business owners who employ most Americans.

Small businesses are being suffocated by taxes and regulations.

The requirements in the health-care reform bill before Congress will add fees, regulations and red tape jeopardizing many small businesses existence.

A typical small business makes 6-8 percent pre-tax income — a $3 million in sales company with 20 employees makes $210,000-$250,000/year. After taxes and some depreciation, this small business would net $130-$150K. If America’s small businesses lose another 2-3 percent, it may no longer be sustainable to stay in business.

Is it any wonder, with burdens like these planned for businesses, that jobs are not being created? And, if a company were to expand, going offshore may not be profit motivated but survival motivated. We must create a business friendly environment in Pennsylvania and in America, not the anti-business climate that exists today.

According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), businesses with fewer than 500 employees accounted for 64 percent of net new jobs between 1993 and 2008. Now, with higher than 10 percent unemployment, we cannot afford to force small business to spend capital on health-care mandates instead of putting people back to work.

We want every American to receive quality health care they can afford. However, government’s heavy-handed, shortsighted approach will not work in the long term for America.

By Dan Meuser
Dan Meuser has over 20 years experience in the health-care industry and has grown a small business into a leading mobility product manufacturer.