Day 31

This started on October 1st but I just heard about it yesterday.  And what is "it"?  As of October 1st Medicare will fine hospitals for readmitting too many patients within 30 days.  Yes, you read that right.  If you've been discharged from the hospital but suffer a relapse or complications, your hospital will be penalized if it readmits you within a month.  Up to 2200 facilities could be hit with fines as high as $125,000.  This is one of Obamacare's cost-cutting measures.  Some consumer advocates support this "reform" but critics say it could compromise health care for the elderly, the poor, and the chronically ill because they are the people most likely to be readmitted.

This isn't how Obamacare was sold to us.  During the contentious fight to pass the legislation, Americans were told that it would insure the uninsured, improve health care, reduce costs, and even create jobs.  Now we see that Obamacare extends government control over how hospitals handle their patients.  And this control has the potential to harm the most vulnerable among us, the very people liberals claim to care about the most.

This provision of the Affordable Care Act has only been in effect for a few weeks.  It remains to be seen how it will play out.  For now, Medicare is fining hospitals for readmissions on just three medical conditions:  heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia, but that could change in the future.  The whole thing is frightening.  What if you develop complications after treatment and need to go back to the hospital?  Would you have to keep a record of how many days it had been since your discharge?  What if only 30 days had passed?  Would you have to wait until day 31 to be readmitted?  That could be one day too late.  Welcome to government health care, America.

And The Winner Was...

...Romney!

It's been declared for almost a week now that Mitt Romney won the first presidential debate which took place last Wednesday night.  I can't really say if that's true or not because I didn't watch the whole thing.  I had to go to bed in the middle of the debate because I had to get up at 3am for work.  On the way to work Thursday morning and on the way home from work Thursday afternoon the radio talk shows were all abuzz with debate analysis and reactions.  Apparently some mainstream media commentators, particularly Chris "tingle up my leg" Matthews, didn't take Obama's lackluster performance very well.  On the other hand, some conservative radio talk show host were almost gloating.  I think that's uncalled for.  So Romney won the first debate; that's good, but there are two more debates to go and Obama can quickly get back on game.  Conservatives should be praying that Romney will beat Obama in the next two rounds and gain the lead among independents, especially those in the swing states, that he needs to win.  In other words, it ain't over till it's over.  Save the gloating for November 7.

Be BOLD!

Tomorrow the first of the three presidential debates if scheduled to take place.  Due to my early work schedule I will miss most of it so I can get much needed sleep.  I'm not sure that's a bad thing.  I suspect this debate is going to be a nail biter and, frankly, I'm not sure I'm up for the suspense.  Of course, I want Romney to win but I fear he won't.  I fear that Romney will play it safe and be "civil" to Obama so as not to appear racist, elitist, heartless, out of touch, and whatever else liberals' accuse him of being.  I think that would be a big mistake.  If I could offer Mitt Romney one piece of advice about tomorrow's debate it would be:  BE BOLD!!!!

Be bold in the defense of free markets.  Be bold in the defense of limited government.  Be bold in the defense of patriotism.  Be bold in the defense of border security.  Be bold in the defense of religious freedom.  Be bold in the defense of traditional marriage.  Be bold in the defense of the unborn.  In short, be bold in the defense of the conservative principles Romney claims to believe in. 

Romney should debate to win and convert, not to impress the unimpressible.  He must not water down his beliefs in order to curry favor with liberals or appear "nice".  A bold, spirited, and unapologetic defense of conservative principles is the best way to sway doubters to the cause as well as rally the choir.  Smart, aggressive, unashamed, conservatism.  It's about time for that.  Mr. Romney, it's about to BE BOLD!!!