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A 16-year-old goes to the doctor for her first gynecological exam. She wants to tell the doctor about concerns she has but she is afraid of it being disclosed and destroying her bright future. She read a story about doctors being paid tens of thousands of dollars to turn over their electronic medical records to the government, and she can’t trust that her secrets will be kept safe.
A 28-year-old divorcee stands alone in terror, in the corner of her room. She was denied a gun license because she disclosed feeling suicidal when her abusive husband beat her that last time. She has nowhere to go to be safe, and no way to keep her child safe from the man who threatened to kill them both. She doesn’t sleep, and she can’t function at work, so she is worried she will lose her job.
A 75-year-old widower sits quietly with a pistol pointed at her chest. He feels completely alone, betrayed by the country he fought for. His most private data was stolen when a laptop was taken from a cafeteria at the Department of Health and Human Services. Someone posted all of his information publicly, and now he fears his most private information will be made public. There are secrets of a man’s heart that he wants kept a secret. He regrets the day he went for counseling to gain control over a pornography addiction. How could this happen and threaten his legacy, after so many years of living responsibly? He cannot deal with that reality.
A young, gay man stands in front of a roulette table, his last hope to pay off the fines from the IRS since he disclosed his income to sign up for Obamacare, and was subsequently audited for a disparity in his tax forms. There are rumors of many gays being targeted by the current administration, though it doesn’t matter now and he can’t prove it anyway. He says a silent prayer as he lays down his last $250 in hopes that he can multiply it to stay out of jail.
I wrote a story this week about the nationalizing of our health care through Obamacare and what that might mean to our privacy. The psychological impact of Obamacare goes way beyond the practical privacy implications.
As a behavioral expert, I have already heard from people that there is just certain information they don’t feel like they can discuss with a counselor any longer. From older people, I have heard that there are medical conditions they don’t feel they can discuss with their doctors for fear of it being disclosed. From constitutional experts, I have heard that Obamacare essentially leaves constitutional rights, especially the Bill of Rights, in tatters.
Liberty has eroded to such a degree that some wonder if it can ever be restored. But personal liberty, the bright light that distinguishes us as the freest nation of all time, has been permanently dimmed.
This administration has withheld health care without ever revoking a medical device. It has taken guns and lives without overturning the Second Amendment. It has caused suicides and deaths with only the weapon of Obamacare. It has made criminals of otherwise law-abiding citizens, while criminals go free. It has done all of this with the silent threat of what can happen under a system that gives more power to government than it has ever had before.
Accidental? That is doubtful. I spoke last week to an injured veteran who told me that the government came for his rehabilitation equipment that required very little actual maintenance, and they made sure that he knew it was because of the “Republican shutdown.” If a government is willing to do that, what makes us think that crime by omission is beneath the creators of chaos?
How many will hide their guns and lie about it, rather than disclose it to a government that has already used the IRS, the SEC, the NSA and others to target people they want to control? How many will simply not seek mental help when they need it, and how many lives will be destroyed for it? How many will not seek medicine when they need it for fear of someone knowing they are on it?
Mitt Romney’s private contribution to the National Organization for Marriage was leaked by an IRS agent. The breach was turned into a campaign issue, but no one has ever been prosecuted. How many good people will not seek office for fear of that happening to them?
Dr. Andy Lemons, an OB-GYN from Birmingham, Ala., said he has heard stories from his patients of the Obamacare questionnaires asking about sexual orientation, gun ownership, income and other personal information. If all of this is shared among agencies, including law enforcement, as Obama has said it will be, what, if anything, is private anymore?
People who are under psychological trauma say that their greatest fear in seeking help is the possibility that someone will disclose their private information. Now they are told that it is not only a possibility, it is a promise. But the psychological trauma doesn’t end there. Not only will citizens’ private psychological information be shared, so will their medical information.
All of this combined with the added insult of fewer jobs, a tortured economy, increased premium costs and an already cynical electorate – none of that bodes well for America’s psychological health. Then there is the addition of 122,000 new, confusing codes. Considering the abominable attempt to even implement the Obamacare system, what happens when something is miscoded, for example?
If you are miscoded as a schizophrenic when they meant to code you as a diabetic, for example, how long will it take in that bureaucratic spiral to restore your proper coding? What will happen to those who are miscoded in the meantime? Will they be able to get the care they need? Will they have restrictions put on their lives while the sluggish bureaucracy gets it right?
For all of the chaos and commotion Obamacare will inflict on lives, more counseling will be needed. Unfortunately for the citizens of America, they might be afraid to seek it. Obamacare is anything but compassionate or helpful. It is the most unspeakably destructive piece of legislation to ever impose itself on our nation, and the psychological implications are devastating.
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