What Does He Know?

My old Army buddy Jake called a few months ago … said he was depressed and needed someone to talk to.

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After completing a career as director of human resources in a Washington, D. C., government office, Jake retired and bought a log cabin in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains, swearing he’d never enter the Beltway again. Since Jake and I have remained close over the years, I wanted to know what had him in such a depressive dither. “Jim, how much do you know about HCRA — the Health Care Reform Act?” “Enough to know that it will severely damage the already ailing economy.” “As a former government insider, I see a disaster you could never imagine, old buddy. This law won’t just damage the economy — it’ll destroy it beyond repair!” Half afraid to hear his expert reasoning, I quavered, “How so?” “HCRA will create over one hundred new government agencies, increasing bureaucratic bloat by fifteen to twenty thousand jobs — and that’s just at the top federal level. The ripple effect will generate ten to twelve regional offices, meaning another six to nine thousand employees punching government time clocks. “Beneath these federal levels, states must replicate the ripple effect for reporting purposes, thereby adding another 100 to 150 bureaucrats per state to the payroll you and I fund. At minimum, that’s another five thousand check cashers. “Then, I estimate HCRA will fabricate forty county jobs for each of this country’s approximate 4,000 counties, all of whom will have to survive on about seventy grand per annum.” “Jake, I can’t bear to hear anymore.” “Yeah,” he said, “hear this. By the time government factors in vacation days, sick leave, national holidays, 401K plans, retirement benefits, social security, Medicare, etc., etc., I estimate each position will cost taxpayers around $125,000. Multiply that times the number of jobs — many of which will be sinecures — and the zeros following the integers will circle the equator.” “And, oh, by the way,” he continued, “At private business and medical facilities levels, I can't even begin to estimate how many folks will be required to monitor the respective programs and complete countless reams of monthly, quarterly, and yearly forms — an administrative nightmare of the highest proportion. “Now do you understand why I’m so depressed? My children and grandchildren, who won’t get the proper medical services they need from HCRA, will be paying for HCRA! I’ll send you a list of the new boards, bureaucracies, agencies, and commissions. Read ’em and weep.” From the list, I chose the following as being ridiculously representative: Public Health Workforce Loan Forgiveness Program; Qualified Health Benefits Plan Ombudsman; Telehealth Advisory Committee; Independence At Home Demonstration Program; Grant program For Innovations In Interdisciplinary Care; Personal Care Attendant Workforce Advisory panel; Committee For The Establishment Of The Native American Health And Wellness Foundation. Before Jake hung up, he said, “Canada already has socialized medicine, and guess what? Not long ago, its a provincial premier came to America to have heart surgery. But then, what does he know?”