RUSH: This story isn’t getting a lot of play, but it should be. Many powerful Democrats, even some of the most liberal among them, are supporting what amounts to dismantling of Obamacare, and they are using Republican language to make their case. These Democrats are attempting to repeal some of the funding mechanisms as well as the cost containment measures that were purportedly inherent in the law.

This is a piece by Dr. Susan Berry at Breitbart.com. “With some of their most influential constituent groups facing onerous tax increases that are slated to help fund the lawÂ’s mandates and regulations, Senators like Al Franken (D-MN), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Patty Murray (D-WA), John Kerry (D-MA),” who served in Vietnam, “Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and others — all of whom voted in favor of the law — are aiming to delay or outright repeal parts of Obamacare.”

All told, there are 16 Democrats. Powerful Democrats are trying to defund Obamacare because it’s gonna hit their constituents like a load of bricks, and it’s gonna harm their reelection chances if they happen.

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RUSH: Back to this story on the Senate Democrats urging the undoing of Obamacare. This really, really is a big story. It’s not getting any play at all in the mainstream media. But one of the reasons this is happening is that in these states, medical device makers, for example, in blue states are gonna see their taxes go up. Their businesses are gonna be penalized. Brand-new fees, brand-new charges. And all of these Democrats that are now urging the undoing of the funding mechanism for all this, they knew exactly what was happening beforehand. They voted for this knowing exactly where this was going to take them. And now that they got it passed, now that they were loyal Democrats and now that they did what they had to do to support the president, now it’s time to try to undo this.

Get this passage: “It turns out Senators Franken and Klobuchar have been enlightened of these facts by medical device companies in their home state of Minnesota,” which I think is one of the largest medical device manufacturing states the country. Franken and Klobuchar “have joined 16 other Democrat Senators who now share the same view. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, these Senators have asked for a delay in the medical device tax, but they are actually aiming for a full repeal of this part of the law. The delay/repeal bug appears to have bitten members of the health care industry as well, including some doctors, hospitals, and drug companies who originally supported ObamaCare because of the fact that it is chock full of subsidies for many of these health care sectors.”

It was why GE supports the government. They were getting subsidies to do windmills and stuff, $800 billion here, $700 billion there, sub-200 billion over here. The same thing Obama was promising various doctors, hospitals, medical groups, exemptions if they would support his plan overall, and of course people, rather than put the country first, put their self-interest first, and in this case it was selfishness, not self-interest. And they went ahead and they said, “Look, if the rest of the country is going over the tubes but I can keep myself from going over the tubes, I’ll do it.” And that’s what happened. Now they want out of it, knowing full well what they supported. In a way, this is outrageous. Not just these senators, but there were some doctors, there were some hospitals. Remember the AMA early on was all for Obamacare? ‘Cause everybody was trying to suck up to Obama.

Some were scared of Obama, didn’t want to get on his bad side. They knew what kind of guy he is. Didn’t want to be punished. That’s a large part of it, by the way. That’s a very big part of it. When you have statist type leaders like Obama who are willing to use the federal government to punish, you don’t want to risk it. You don’t even want to get on his bad side. So if he wants Obamacare and it’s gonna destroy the health care system, but you get an exemption carved out, you’ll do it in order to keep the government off your back. And that’s exactly the threat that Obama used. Okay, so now, they supported it because they were gonna get their carve-outs, their exceptions, their subsidies. Now all of a sudden it’s 18 senators and some of these doctors and hospitals and medical groups who all of a sudden now, after it’s passed, and after John Roberts contorted himself like a pretzel to find this stupid law constitutional, now they want out of it.

Gutless wonders, every damn one of them. Where were they knowing full well where this was going? Where were they before this thing passed? Where was of their guts, where was their courage to stand up and oppose it? They knew full well this day was coming. These people did not have to pass the bill to find out what was in it. Everybody knew what was in this. It was just an easy cop-out to say “I don’t know what’s in it.” It was a cop-out to say, “Well, I’m supporting my president.” It’s a cop-out, “I’m staying loyal to my party.” It’s a cop-out, “I want insurance for 30 million people that are not covered.” Whatever silly excuse they used to justify their support of this thing.

They’re worthless now. But, now, here’s the thing. I don’t know whether they’re gonna be able to succeed. There’s 18 senators who want to defund this. Because all politics is local in this case, and now it’s gonna hurt their constituents, and now that might mean it’s gonna hurt their reelection, and it’s gonna hurt their state economies. But all of this, I contend, was known before these people all got on board this monstrosity.

“The Independent Payment Advisory Panel,” this is the death panel, “The Independent Payment Advisory Panel, the board of unelected officials that will determine which medical treatments and procedures are too costly for some patients, is supposed to impose cost controls on federal medical spending. Threatened by these cost-containment provisions, these members of the health care industry are now intent on eliminating this panel.” They want to eliminate the death panel.

Again, it’s the Independent Payment Advisory Panel. This is the bunch that determines who gets paid, how much they get paid, who gets treated, how much is going to be spent on the treatment, and who doesn’t get treated and instead who gets the pill. And now after it’s been found constitutional by a gutless Supreme Court chief justice, after it’s been found constitutional, everybody being harmed by it now comes forward — quietly, by the way — because you’re not gonna see much of this in the Drive-By Media.

This is still in the Never Surrender Crowd media (led by me, of course) and they’re working under the covers, behind the scenes to try to prevent this debacle from happening. And as Dr. Susan Berry concludes in her piece here, “It appears many of the groups that originally supported Obamacare want to be able to have their cake and eat it, too, and Senate Democrats seem poised to allow them to do just that.

“The question is, without these sources of funding for all the Obamacare mandates, and without cost-containment … how will the law be implemented at all?” See, let’s review very quickly. The medical professionals — the doctors, the hospitals, drug companies — and the senators, they want this independent payment panel disbanded. Well, that’s the bunch that determines what gets spent and what doesn’t! They determine who gets what and who doesn’t get what.

They want to disband that panel, and they want to be exempted (in this case) from the new taxes on the medical devices and whatever other things. I don’t know what Schumer wants his people protected from, but in Minnesota it’s medical device manufacturers. So they want Obamacare to stay in force for everybody else, but they want the mechanism to penalize their constituents ripped out of the law.

So the question is, “Well, if you rip the funding mechanism out of the law, and then you take this independent payment advisory panel and you rip them out of the law…?” That’s cost containment, ostensibly. That’s the bunch that determines what we’re gonna spend and what we’re not gonna spend. So that’s cost containment. You take those two things out, how can you implement the law at all?

That’s where this is headed. Now, don’t misunderstand. I don’t expect this not to be implemented. I’m not pointing this out for that reason. I’m just tell you, there are 16 senators and a bunch of these people (all of them just couldn’t wait to vote for this thing) who now want to be exempted from it, folks. They’re not going to the mat to keep you exempted. They want their own constituents and themselves exempted. That’s what “having their cake and eating it, too,” means.

They voted for it and they got credit.

Now they want to not be penalized by it.

It’s the most gutless type of maneuver you can see in politics.

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RUSH: Yeah, so suddenly all these Democrats want waivers from Obamacare, and they want funding mechanisms wiped out of the legislation. Elizabeth Warren, for example, gave her whole-hearted approval to Obamacare. Now she is one of the senators that wants to take that back. She’s an Indian giver. Yes, I intended to say that, Snerdley. Elizabeth Warren is a heap big squaw Indian giver.

Try this. “Aetna CEO: Obamacare Likely to Double Small Business, Individual Insurance Premiums — Health insurance premiums may as much as double for some small businesses and individual buyers in the US when the Affordable Care Act’s major provisions start in 2014, Aetna Inc.’s chief executive officer said.” I had some people over for dinner last night.

Among them was the chairman of a major American corporation who almost started crying telling me what Obamacare was gonna mean for the employees he’s going to have to let go in order to provide health care for the employees he has left. He almost started crying. These are people that make $25,000 to $40,000. They’re gone. He can’t afford to keep them and give everybody health care.

So he’s had to make the decision that some people have to go if he’s gonna be able to provide health care, according to this law, for his remaining employees. (interruption) Nope. He did not vote Obama. He’s not particularly political, either. But he didn’t vote for Obama. But this is happening all over the country now, and here come these people who want special consideration, among them 16 US senators (all Democrats) and hospitals and doctors.

They now want waivers.

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RUSH: I mentioned to you Aetna. “Health insurance premiums may as much as double for some small businesses and individual buyers in the US when [Obamacare]Â’s major provisions start in 2014, Aetna Inc.Â’s chief executive officer said.” Aetna, the third biggest US health insurance company, told analysts yesterday in New York that their premiums are gonna double. Now we have this.

California’s Blue Shield is seeking up to 20% increases in their premiums. I thought Obamacare was supposed to reduce premiums. Yeah, that’s exactly right. That’s the number I heard. Everybody’s insurance premium was gonna drop $2500. Now, Aetna, theirs will double. Blue Shield California is set to go up 20%. People are saying, “You people at Blue Shield, you ought to dip into your profits! Well, why…?”

See, and here it starts. Why should there be any profit in the health industry? Why should Aetna make any money? Why should insurance companies profit off enabling people to stay well? “That’s exactly right, Mr. Limbaugh. I’m happy to see you coming around. You don’t need me to help you so much.” This is the voice of Mr. New Castrati. “That’s exactly right, Mr. Limbaugh. You’re exactly right!

“There shouldn’t be any profit in food. Grocery stores ought not be selling food for profit ’cause everybody has to eat. And why should people get rich treating others who are sick, Mr. Limbaugh? Why, that’s exactly right.” By extension, why should an insurance company make a profit when they’re simply availing people access to health care? You can’t get health care without insurance. That’s law now.

In fact, Obama will fine you if you don’t have an insurance policy, and it’s gonna start if it hadn’t already. Well, it is starting. Some officials want Blue Shield to dip into its profits to avoid hiking the rates. But Blue Shield says (summarized), “No, those reserves are there for emergencies. You know, every business ought to have a rainy day fund, and we have ours. We’re not gonna dip into our rainy day fund — our reserves, our profits — to lower the premiums. We gotta have a reserve.”

“No, no, why do you need that? You don’t need any reserving,” will be the rejoinder. “Why do you need the extra money? Why don’t you just charge what it costs you and therefore it will be cheaper for everybody. Everybody would have cuts in their premiums and be able to afford it and then get health care. The doctors don’t make any profit and the hospitals don’t make any profit, and the nurses don’t make any profit. Nobody. Look, it would be wonderful for everybody.”

Now, you laugh, but I’m telling you: This is what’s taught. It’s not taught that way. The way it’s taught is that profit is evil, profit is greed, profit leads to high cost, profit leads to people being left out. You know, profit is under assault from junior high all the way up to the academy, academe. Now, these rate increases from Aetna and California Blue Shield, that’s exactly what Obama wants.

It’s all part of his plan to get everybody out of private insurance and into Obamacare administered by exchanges at the state level or the federal government. These rate increases are exactly what Obama wants. He’s out there… I’ll tell you how this is gonna work. It’s so simple. Obama doesn’t lie. He told you that his plan is gonna result in your premium being reduced $2500.

But poor Obama, he didn’t count on these insurance companies being cheaters! Obama didn’t count on these people at insurance companies raping you. Obama thought they’d play nice and everybody would go along with the plan, but the insurance companies are simply trying to gouge now. Obama’s plan would make everybody’s premiums go down $2500. Obama was right! It’s these dirty, rotten, private sector companies.

These “corporations” are profiting off of illness and sickness and taking advantage of this new law! Obama was right. Your premium would go down $2500. So you see, the ultimate aim is for all these corporations to be put out of business. The private sector health insurance business is targeted for extinction. Leaving America’s patients, all of us, with only one place to go: Government.

“Hello, single payer!”

The objective here is for that to happen anywhere from five to ten years.

Obama said as much in a speech to the Service Employees International Union back in 2007. And yes, we played you all those sound bites during the campaign, and even beforehand, all during the past four years. We played those sound bites during the 2008 campaign. Obama was very up front. He told the union guys, “We can’t get to single payer overnight. It’s gonna take us ten to 15 years. “But if I work hard, maybe five to ten years.” Well, he’s being assisted rapidly here. Aetna is doubling premiums. Blue Shield California is up 20%.

It’s made to order.

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Who’s next? It’s Joe in Pittsburgh. Welcome, sir, to the EIB Network. Hello.

CALLER: Well, hello, Rush. Merry Christmas to you.

RUSH: Thank you. And the same to you, sir.

CALLER: Thank you, sir. Rush, the reason I’m calling is I heard you talking earlier in one of your monologues about some of the ill effects of the new health care act that have passed, and today my wife and I got some firsthand experience with that.

RUSH: Well, let me review because it’s not just some of the ill effects. It’s the fact that 18 Democrat senators, a bunch of hospitals and doctors are now asking for waivers from them, after they all supported it, in the senator’s case having voted for it.

CALLER: Well, you know, Rush, they’re smart to ask for that. Today my wife visited her primary care physician for a normal annual physical. And as part of the physical, the physician started running through a list of screenings that my wife should have. It was fairly extensive. And, you know, normally when the physician tells you they want you to take a number of tests, there’s a little bit of concern. Is something wrong? Are they seeing something? So obviously my wife asked that, “Is everything okay?” And the doctor said, “Yes, everything’s fine, no specific issue, but you should have these screenings.” And the physician went on to tell my wife that if she didn’t, and particularly if a health issue would come up later related to one of these areas that a screening could have caught, that our expense in treating it would be higher because of the new health care laws.

RUSH: Now, wait just a second. I am conflicted, because I have been under what I know is the correct impression that Obamacare reduces screenings as a cost control measure. They are reducing the number of mammograms and they’re starting later in life for women. So this is kind of confusing to me. Now, they’re saying that if you don’t get screened and you come up with a disease the screen could have caught, it’s gonna cost you more. Is that what you were told?

CALLER: That’s what we understood the physician to be telling us, yes.

RUSH: Well, what isn’t gonna cost more? That’s probably true. Nothing gets cheaper.

CALLER: Well, it doesn’t, Rush, but, you know, my biggest concern is here is the government telling us what we don’t have to do or don’t have to do.

RUSH: Well, exactly. That’s the whole point of health care. It’s gonna expand way beyond health care. Everything is related to health care. What you eat, where you go, how you get there, the kind of car you drive. They’re gonna be able to control all of that as it relates to health care costs.

CALLER: Well, from where I’m sitting and my understanding of this, this is it launching right now, right now.

RUSH: Yeah, it is. Exactly. It is. You’re right. You have swerved right into it there. Just your average trip to the doctor for a checkup, look at what you learned.

CALLER: Yeah, and, you know, every one of those procedures carries with it its own risk. You know, they’re minimal, but you still have ’em. You don’t have the choice of deciding if you want to take that risk on anymore.

RUSH: Yeah, I know, but, you know what? I remember being told that Obamacare was gonna cut down on unnecessary tests. Apparently that’s another lie. Because you’re hearing just the exact opposite. You gotta get unnecessary tests at the moment, as an insurance policy against maybe coming down with a disease later.

CALLER: Exactly.

RUSH: Well, you know, this is why old fogies like me keep talking about freedom. There’s no faster way, Rachel, to date yourself and make yourself sound like an old-fashioned, totally out of it gummer, by talking about freedom. That’s for so many years ago. What the hell is that? Freedom?

(interruption)

Well, but the hippie freedom is a different kind of freedom. No, no, no, no. Different kind of freedom. But still, I get your point on that, and the hippies are now old gummers. The sixties generation hippies, the Baby Boomers are getting into gummer age. I’m telling you, you start talking about freedom, that’s the fastest way to find out you’re talking to somebody old, decrepit, and out of it. Joe, I appreciate the call. Thanks for the heads-up there.