The Democrats' health care reform bill currently on the floor of the House of Representatives creates a new government-run health plan that will undercut the private market and force as many as 119 million people to lose their private health insurance and be forced into a Medicare-like plan, according to National Center for Policy Analysis President John C. Goodman (see also Medicare and Medicaid).

"Americans who desperately need health care relief won't get it in this bill," said Goodman. "This legislation is going to create a financial and medical nightmare for Americans."

"Of course, members of Congress will be able to hold on to their Cadillac health care plans because this reform won't apply to them," he added.

The bill requires employers to pay the government for health reform - either by purchasing government-approved insurance for their employees, or (more likely) by paying a tax and sending their employees over to the government-run Medicare-like plan.


"This bill has ALL the bad ideas from previous versions, plus a cost of one trillion dollars, and NO long-term solutions that will control costs or improve quality," added Goodman. "This bill contains 1,018 pages of new regulations that will REQUIRE you to buy as much health insurance as the government mandates, even before you buy groceries, gas, or pay your rent. If you don't buy government-approved insurance, you will be taxed."

As a part of a real solution to health reform, the NCPA is taking an active role in promoting consumer-driven health care by supporting a national petition to be delivered to the leadership of Congress. The "Free Our Health Care Now" petition has already been signed by nearly 400,000 people opposed to a government nationalization of our health care system: http://freeourhealthcarenow.com/

The National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization established to develop alternatives to government regulation by relying on the private sector.