The Obama folks plan to end their Cash for Clunkers program Monday — and good thing, since it was rap idly falling into chaos.
By contrast, if Congress passes President Obama’s plan for health-care reform, Americans may be stuck with it forever. No matter how much of a “clunker” it turns out to be.
And, indeed, judging by the car-subsidy program, ObamaCare may well be just that — if not worse.
Sure, the clunker plan always sounded good: Free money toward a new car — who’d complain about that?
Well, for starters, the money comes from taxpayers. So it’s not exactly “free.”
And the cash doesn’t seem to be reaching the car dealers, for whom the program was supposed to drum up business.
This week, frustrated New York dealers put the pedal to the metal — in a race to exit the program. About half the 425 members of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association say they dropped out.
Why? Because Washington’s bureaucrats were able to send out only 2 percent of the money it owes.
“It’s an administrative nightmare,” said Mark Schienberg, the association’s president.
Now consider health care.
The car program involved all of just $3 billion. Health care is a $2.4 trillion business, about 800 times bigger.
And, let’s be honest, ObamaCare aims to control as much of that as possible — with or without the “public option.”
So, will doctors be waiting for reimbursements?
Will patients be waiting to see doctors?
Yes, the president’s health-care promises — greater choice, lower costs, more folks insured — sound good. But they may prove just as hollow as what the car program claimed it would do.
And, again, if Americans find out they don’t like it, it’ll be too late.
Health care is way too important to entrust to bureaucrats. Monday, maybe the Obama folks should pull the plug on their health-care plans, too.