Palin gets tough on Obama's health care proposals

[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/07/25/art.palinbye0725.cnn.jpg caption="Palin argues against the president's health care proposals in a new Op-Ed."](CNN) - For the second time since resigning the Alaska governorship more than a month ago, Sarah Palin is adding her voice to the fiery debate over health care. This time, Palin is hitting the pages of the Wall Street Journal as President Obama gets set to address a joint session of Congress on the issue.

"The answers offered by Democrats in Washington all rest on one principle: that increased government involvement can solve the problem. I fundamentally disagree," Palin writes in the 1,110 word op-ed in Wednesday's edition of the paper.

"Common sense tells us that the government's attempts to solve large problems more often create new ones," the former GOP vice presidential candidate continues. "Common sense also tells us that a top-down, one-size-fits-all plan will not improve the workings of a nationwide health-care system that accounts for one-sixth of our economy."

Palin, whose initial Facebook posting on so called "death panels" last month is credited with spurring heated opposition to the House Democratic health care proposal, again raises the now widely debunked claim a government panel could determine which senior citizens receive vital treatments.

"Is it any wonder that many of the sick and elderly are concerned that the Democrats' proposals will ultimately lead to rationing of their health care by-dare I say it-death panels?" she writes. "Establishment voices dismissed that phrase, but it rang true for many Americans."

Ultimately, Palin says, Congress looks like it will abandon this so called "death panel" legislation because Americans made their voices heard in the contentious town halls last August.

"But the fact remains that the Democrats' proposals would still empower unelected bureaucrats to make decisions affecting life or death health-care matters. Such government overreaching is what we've come to expect from this administration," she says.

A spokesman for the Democratic National Committee sharply hit back at that claim, saying "The way Sarah Palin is trying to scare Americans you'd think it's Halloween already."

"By continuing to peddle what Pulitzer Prize winning independent fact checkers have found to be ‘pants on fire’ lies and doubling down on the GOP recommendation to end Medicare for future generations, the only thing that's in costume here is Sarah Palin's supposed concern for the health care of Americans," said DNC Press Secretary Hari Sevugan.

Palin also takes issue with the president's assertion Democrats' heath care proposals will reign in costs and eliminate the waste and inefficiency that currently characterizes the system.

Citing the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, Palin says currently proposed health care legislation will do little to bring down cost but instead cause the federal deficit to skyrocket by more than $200 billion over the next decade.

"Only in Washington could a plan that adds hundreds of billions to the deficit be hailed as a cost-cutting measure," writes Palin.

Instead, Palin argues the true solution to health care lies in "market oriented, patient-centered, and result driven" measures such as providing tax benefits for those who get health car coverage from their jobs, providing seniors on Medicare vouchers to buy their own coverage, and allowing people to buy health care insurance across state lines.