Obama Health Care, etc.
By Thomas Sears MD FACC on September 10, 2009 at 12:00 PM in Current Affairs
From a Cardiologist who practices in the midwest and, sadly, is Larry’s Brother-in-Law (sad for Tom because he has to put up with me, LJ):
To me, the ‘big speech was just as scary as it has been these past weeks. Virtually all of the criticisms (from both sides of the aisle) continue to be unanswered, especially for those of us who actually work in this hobbled system.
To begin with, he made a statement that he wouldn’t sign any bill that would add to the debt….but then, throughout the entire speech was unable or refused to say how this thing will be paid for. He made some reference to insuring another 5% of the persons not now insured and how their premiums would help, but that issue has already been analyzed and that increase in premiums would not pay for much of anything. In short, during the entire 45 minutes there was no explanation how this would be paid for. His own advisors have suggested that it will cost a trillion dollars…and he didn’t refer to that information in any way.
Regarding ‘end of life’ issues, he suggested that the government would pay certain doctors to discuss this with patients….a bit insulting to me since we talk end of life issues with our patients already; the government must believe that we are inadequate. This is not just a small insult.
He didn’t support encouraging or requiring insurance comptetition across state lines even though he mentioned the problem.
He suggested a ‘fine’ for companies who didn’t provide insurance options for their employees…this fine would amount (according to him) to 8% of revenues. What he didn’t acknowledge is that health care coverage averages far greater than this for companies that provide it….thus a company could and economically should just pay the fine; to provide coverage often amounts to 10-15% of revenues…in other words, there would be an incentive for just paying the fine and dodging the health care coverage entirely.
He completely dodged the issue of reducing health care excesses. He made a comment about defensive medicine, but implied that it ‘may’ be responsible for increased costs…yet went only so far as endorsing what Bush proposed…a ’study’ to see if this were really true when we all know it IS true and has been analyzed already. In other words as far as tort-reform…nada.
Obama totally dodged the fact that government controlled health care does NOT improve outcomes. There exists NO believable data that government control of any program, anywhere in the world, improves outcomes. Specifically, he did not note that those countries who have government health care are NOT leaders in the major killers and problems of today, namely heart disease, cancer, pre and post natal care, and diseases/disabilities of seniors. While he mentioned bureaucratic decisions regarding health care, he offered no explanation how this system would work; in fact, the bill itself suggests that triage and therapeutic decisions will be made by committees of appointed persons. There is no explanation regarding the qualifications of these individuals and there is no guarantee that, even if they are doctors, that they will be qualified. Medicare and insurance companies are loaded with totally unqualified ‘doctors’ who don’t even understand the basics of medical care. We deal with this on a daily basis. They seem totally incapable of keeping abreast of current practice. This is especially true in heart disease and utilization of specialized diagnostic procedures designed to improve diagnostic and hence, therapeutic decision-making. Coventry would be a prime example of the incompetence of the triage system of these insurance companies who appear to desire medical practice ‘on the cheap’ without regard to quality. Imagine the results should the government hook up with that company.
There was no explanation how increased coverage and supposed increased quality of care is accomplished without increased cost….without curbs on the manufacturers and their profit margins. Improved technology has never, in any industry, come with the gift of decrease in expenditure. The same is true of the pharmaceutical companies. In fact there was no explanation in the entire speech how there were to be any savings. There has never been any….ANY…government program of any kind that saved any money! In fact it appears to me that some or much of the money earmarked for this program will come from the social security chest which is already jeopardized. After that…it’s taxes. When taxes go up…spending goes down. When spending goes down in the private sector, businesses suffer and terminate their operations. The government already owns the largest part of the automotive industry. How much more do we wish to see under government control. Look up the definition of Fascism and Communism. We seem to be not even pausing at the Socialism rest-stop, but continuing to the more radical without even realizing it. And if we protest, we are labeled as ’stupid’ by ‘important’ persons such as Bill Mahr, Kieth Obermann, Pelosi, and the media.
All his comments regarding our health care system were negative. He seems to think that all of us would rather allow a disease to progress to the most expensive of options and therefore we are all dishonest. I recollect he recently accused doctors of ignoring diabetes so they could amputate a limb (he was so ill-informed that he suggested that a doc could make $30,000-50,000 from a limb amputation and would ignore treatment or education of the patient to accomplish this bonus….the real figure is about $500-700 with a reimbursement only after an average of 120 days). Yet, he made no comment about the exhorbitant profits realized by the pharmaceutical companies. Over the past decade the largest increase in health care costs to the individual consumer have been in the realm of pharmaceutical costs…not hospitalizations or operations or catheterizations, etc….but the drugs with which we need to treat these people. Take a look at all the patent medicines we give people…on average they cost between $50 and $120 per month for the individual medications….and they are all marked up about 50-60 fold compared to their eventual generic cost to pharmacies.
Obama promised….yes…repeatedly promised…that discussions regarding health care costs would not be back-room deals and that they would be broadcast on C-span. The reality is that there were NO broadcasts on C-Span regarding the pharmaceutical discussions. In the end, those companies gave up nearly nothing as their contribution to the problem. The number quoted is impressive, but represents absolutely NO concession by those companies at all….and Obama considers it a victory even when he had his original paltry number was almost cut in half and spread out over nearly a decade instead of any immediate contribution. This is despite obscene profits by those industries over 2-3 decades. It is a fact that the pharmaceutical companies and the medical device companies’ greed is so great that one of their responses already is the elimination of thousands of mid and low-level white-collar jobs (sales representatives and educational directors) in anticipation of a depressed market. So, a loss-of-jobs result is already rampant in that industry. There can be no reason other than maintenance of a very high profit margin which, although acceptable in a capitalistic market, shows very little concern for the economy in general. In my personal experience, knowing many of these persons, most have not yet re-entered the job market after nearly 6 months. This represents a significant and potentially damaging loss of talent and training….yet the cost to the patient for consumption of these devices and drugs has not diminished!
This bill is off target, is too far-reaching, and is dangerous in that it turns over control of the issue to the government which has been unable through the course of history to avoid screwing up every program it has embarked upon…there has never been a government program that has failed to exceed it’s predicted costs. This bill is not even understood in detail by those who support it. It does not clearly solve the problems which are basic to the solution. Take a poll of the legislators who support the bill….how many earmarks are in the bill? Has anyone counted? Are there none? Are there a dozen? Are there more than a hundred? The most profitable solutions in big business and small business are small, simple, and unencumbered. I don’t believe this bill satisfies any of those stipulations. In fact, I believe that this bill confers unlimited powers on the government regarding the most important of all decisions for those who participate in programs designed to protect their health care costs. I believe this bill makes those who take responsibility for their own health care, responsible for the cost of those who choose to have someone else pay for their care. While, in a certain respect that is the way things are now, this bill ensures that those of us who take responsibility will pay more and have less personal directive.
Obama is a good speaker. He touches all the emotional issues well. But he does so without substance. And, so far, he has failed to deliver on any single campaign promise. He is dismantling our intelligence community so we’ll have to just take a guess as to our enemies’ plans. He is cheapening space exploration and that will result in a loss of science. He has tagged onto things he knows nothing about such as ‘global warming’…an occurrance which simply isn’t supported by science. He has hired ‘czars’ rather than appointees for his cabinet so that they will not have to undergo congressional scrutiny….and now one of them has been found out and has resigned under pressure. He hasn’t supported any energy policy yet. He has ordered the closing of Guantanamo terrorist prison….and hasn’t figured out where he’s going to put the prisoners. He has increased the debt incredibly…more than any other president in history…and just passes that by….while pardoning guilty parties. He appears to be racing to be the most ineffectual president since Carter and the difference is that he has none of the good qualities of Carter.
Seems to me he was elected not because he has done anything (in fact he hasn’t done anything even before he was elected…non-military, no record of scholarship, no confirmation of success in business, no record of financial or economic prowess, no experience even near the level of CEO in anything, a literal non-attendance record as an elected official) was elected on a ‘hope’ emotion…and appears to be wishing things rather than coming up with realistic, constructive, and well designed programs. In fact…in now nearly 9 months in office….with a Democratic congress and senate…he hasn’t done anything of significance. He has taken a lot of vacations and bought a dog. Why does it not bother liberals that we know nothing about this president? He was close friends with persons who hate our country…this doesn’t seem to bother democrats. Why doesn’t that raise a little bit of concern? He acquired a great deal of money without explanation. Why doesn’t that raise an eyebrow?
In the past 9 months our position in the Afghan war has deteriorated immensely. He appears to be uninvolved. I haven’t read anything indicating he is concentrating on that issue. How many military bases has he visited? In his campaign he asserted that the reclamation and rebuilding of the gulf coast destroyed by Katrina would be a priority on a daily basis in his administration. After 9 months there hasn’t been any relief on this issue….nothing.
So, this amounts to some of my concerns. I don’t know who this guy is. He hasn’t done anything and the health care bill is so flawed and so little studied with so little data to support it’s implementation that I just can’t believe anybody in either party is taking it seriously. It’s like the brand-new college grad who want’s the loan for the million dollar house when he doesn’t even have a job yet….and because he’s a good speech-giver, someone is going to give him the loan…not realizing that the payments will be spread out on the rest of the community. Who is Obama? Do you really know? You knew exactly who McCain was. We don’t even know Obama yet he was voted into the presidency knowing he comes from the most corrupt areas of the country politically and did nothing of consequence in the Senate. He even had the chair of a committee and (it was noted repeatedly on this blog during the campaign) never called a meeting. He was absent the majority of his voting opportunities….and people put him in the presidency! It seems incredible to me….a bad dream! He doesn’t even have the experience of running even a small company!….and he was elected. To me something is terribly wrong.
In summary, this health care bill is strikingly inept….as Obama’s presidency has been. Passage of this bill will be the most confusing and poorly planned program in the history of the country.
To make the statements above labels me as ’stupid’. I guess I am, but I happen to work in this healthcare industry and I see nothing but increased bureaucracy telling me, as a clinician, what to do.
/TDS
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Join the rest of us who have been called, directly or indirectly, all sorts of names because we see through the smoke and mirrors of Obama.
Obama simply isn’t to be trusted.
When I called my rep today to say as I appreciate Obama’s honesty on the one topic of persons who currently carry health care, our rates or costs won’t go down as he promised in his campaign or all the rhetoric out of Dem’s before this speech, only an idiot would support this or Congress’s current plan.
When he asked for my information, I told him I was already on their list. Then I said, “well, I’m probably on a lot more lists than that now”, the guy actually started to laugh.
Have at us, at least we know we’re not bought and paid for, we’re the ones fighting for REAL change. Not a cheap hustler who wants to compromise on compromised compromises and tells himself his dirty deals are ok, because he’s getting something for it. When the extreme cost and loss is weighed against the little benefit, it’s a loss, no matter how much you wish to spin.
The last paragraph says it all:
http://townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2009/09/10/listening_to_a_liar_part_ii?page=2
CAROL HAKA
Dr. Sears,
Thank you for this excellent commentary. It gives a person who is concerned about the possibility that this monstrosity of a bill will be passed some specific ammunition to counter those hopey, changey, clueless people who voted for this person and want him to succeed.
I also appreciated very much all the other non-medical analysis.
(By the way, I hope it is not too sad a thing to be Larry’s brother-in-law.)
I second this! :O)
I need to reread this, without distraction. A lot of great info here.
Thanks Dr. Sears for writing this up!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Dr Sears.
There is so much wrong with this bill you have to wonder if the Dems in DC even like the American citizen. This bill clearly isn’t about helping people.
It is a bailout for their cash cows at the expense of real reform.
Frankly, I can’t afford that type of help, we are still dealing with damage that speculators on fuel prices caused last year. The one thing that helped to bring a lot of companies around the world to their knees and keep them there. Fed-Ex is still struggling despite Obama claiming they are doing great. While ignoring the fact his example didn’t prove the point he was trying to make.
Thanks again.
These comments hit the nail on the head.
“It seems incredible to me….a bad dream! He doesn’t even have the experience of running even a small company!….and he was elected. To me something is terribly wrong.”……My sentiments exactly.
There is only one paragraphy that I don’t totally agree with…apprx paragraph 12 that starts out with “Obama is a good speaker…” To me listening to him is like listening to someone scratch their fingernails across a blackboard; and I don’t believe that he is personally responsible for anything in his administration because more than anything he is a puppet. He appears nebulous and disengaged because he is nebulous and disengaged.
I am still looking for a good reporter who will tell the true story of his candidacy and election. I want to know who the puppetmasters are.
Lily,
A couple of obama’s puppetmasters are George Soros and Zbigniew Brezinski. You should check out this videotaped interview with historian, Webster Tarpley, which he talks about the other power elites who helped place obama in the WH and why. You should, of course, take this information and do your own independent research (while we still have an “unregulated and a no government controlled” internet!
This is Part I (about 9 minutes):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MouUJNG8f2k
This is Part II (also 9 minutes):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-KJCMWcoms&feature=related
Here is hoping that you will become a frequent writer here at NQ. It was well written and gave us good insights from a professionals points of view.
I very much appreciate your reasoned argument. I think front line health providers are some of the best resources for ideas of how to implement reform with the least amount of upheaval, cost and jeopardy to care. What I’d like to see next (if Larry would be so gracious) is if you could post a column on what you & your fellow minded health care practicioners would do to reform health insurance coverage if you were in charge.
Look what happened to education when the government stepped in through No Child Left Behind.
The focus of best practices teaching went out the window in favor of teaching to the test. Teachers who actually do the job each day suddenly didn’t know how to teach anymore or how to provide a productive learning environment, according to the government.
The same will hold true for medicine.
The insurance industry needs reforming to be more accessible. The government needs to keep it’s hands off the actual practicing of medicine.
Obama seems to not know the difference.
Comment by BUZZIESBACKLATTE; The focus of best practices teaching went out the window in favor of teaching to TEST. Teachers who actually do the job each day, suddenly don’t know how to teach anymore….. that is exactly right and the truth. Sad things that our children don’t know anymore how to study. They became bored, don’t pay attention, start to hate going to school, (specially those little 6-10 years old) complaining the hours are to long.(8 O”clock in the morning until 3 O”clock PM) Why in America, like in any other Countries in the world where the schedule for elementary school children( class 1-4) is 8 AM to 12,30 PM. Teach them the BASICS, rading, writing and math., in concordance with their age. (ages and stages). So, they won’t cry almost every morning, refusing to go to school.
Thank you very much Doctor!
Your post is very impressive! I read it in it’s entirety twice.
You are expressing what so many of us feel, especially those of us who have confronted illness personally and also stood by our dying parents and siblings!
God bless you, and I hope your voice will matter in the days ahead!
Thank you, Dr. Sears.
I am reminded of the movie Chicago, when Richard Gere does that wonderful “Razzle Dazzle ‘Em” number in the courtroom. Well, that’s basically what we saw with Thee One’s speech last night. O’s razzle-dazzle was in full glitzy bamboozle mode: what a phony song-and-dance! And then somebody yelled “You lie!” and for a split second time froze. Imagine if that occurred in the movie–the judge behind Gere would grimace with indignation (as did Nancy Pelosi), and the courtroom would gasp.
And then Richard Gere would go on with the “Razzle Dazzle ‘Em” number, scarcely missing a beat, as did Thee One.
As a health care provider, I agree with Dr. Sears’ assessment of the health care speech and of Obama. As I have been saying for a year now, he is all style, little substance.
As a health care provider, I agree with Dr. Sears’ assessment of the health care speech and of Obama. As I have been saying for over a year now, he is all style, little substance.
This is an excellent piece!Hope it is circulated/distributed to those morally bankrupt politicians who are thinking of passing a bill they have not even read and is terrible because someone could no longer refrain from calling Mr. O a liar at that farce of a talk last night. Sorry the man apologized for telling the truth.
And by the way, forget civility. There is no civility in politics and there definitely needs to be bare knuckles with all the heinous things going on with this administration.
Dr. Sears:
Thank you for that brilliant piece. Obama never answers any questions nor does he get specific about his plans.
He’s Mr. Generality.
My father worked at the Mayo Clinic for 40 years, and I am going to send him your article. I believe he would agree with your points 100%.
Larry’s lucky to have a brother like you.
I hope we see more of your opinions on NQ.
I quite agree with this! I could use you in My Family Sir with my A Fib, etc! Lucky Larry! :-]
Larry is ruled by my sister, the true autority in the clan. Actually, Larry did subscribe to a couple of my suggestions ( a nightly cigar and a couple of scotches). Otherwise, he’s like a border collie…nobody really owns him and if he doesn’t have something to do he becomes psychotic. I love him. It’s my sister who is the lucky one.
TDS
Read the Union Health-Care Label
Get ready for Detroit-style labor relations in our hospitals
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203440104574400571702189240.html
Yes, and remember the Republicans suggested taxing “cadillac” health insurance policies but that idea was shot down by the Democrats. Well, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that many who have cadillac policies are union members who overwhelmingly support Obama. So of course, they don’t want to pay taxes or have reduced benefits nor does the Obama Administration want to force them too since they need their financial and legislative support.
Larry,
Could you make this article of yours into a format that we could mail to the legislators? I think if we could generate even 200 pieces of stamped envelopes to each house and senate members, all mailed at about the same time, it should get their attention.
I’ve been wondering what the lawyer/doctor ratio is among the people who crafted this legislation; 50 to 1? 100 to 1?
Wouldn’t it be great if 100 doctors and 1 lawyer could get together and craft tort reform legislation? And while they’re at it, create legislation that will guarantee all of us free and universal legal services and advice; from traffic tickets to divorces and lawsuits. Of course, the lawyers would need to be paid only a fraction of their usual fee, much the same way doctors are re-imbursed by medicare. What’s good for the goose…..
Permit me to rephrase slightly: “what is the ambulance-chaser to doctor ratio among the people who crafted this legislation?” Now that ambulance-chasing has gone national on television, it’s pretty much impossible to watch prime time TV without seeing an ad something like this: “Have you ever taken prescription “x” and experienced symptoms “a, b, c, or d” (”d” being something like “depression”)? If so, call our offices at Blight, Mildew, and Smut for a free consultation. Operators are standing by. Call now, ‘cuz you know we can’t do this all day!”
“Ambulance-chaser” is a good edit oowawa. I might have thought of it if I weren’t so sleepy this AM. I watched the speech last night so I had trouble sleeping. I can only assimilate a certain number of lies before my head starts spinning.
Actually, I believe the law offices of Dewey, Scruim & Howe are running a similar ad.
Dewey, Scruim & Howe
That’s a keeper!:)
Didn’t they used to be the Law Offices of Dewey, Cheatem and Howe?
Aww, I believe they represented my ex in the divorce.
Larry,
Could you make this article (with permission from the authoer) into a format that we could mail to the legislators? I think if we could generate even 200 pieces of stamped envelopes to each house and senate members, all mailed at about the same time, it should get their attention.
How like Obama to blame the other party yet offer no specifics. The MSM seems to be going along for the ride.
How hard would it be to point out that the Dems control all three branches? Why not acknowledge that the Dems have a super majority in the House and Senate and can pass any bill they choose? Instead accusations and blame are the order of the day.
Thank you doctor, as one in the trenches, for your insights. Too bad no one in DC seems to be listening.
Hello, Doctor! I am more than willing, if you are interested…I have been faxing letters, flyers, etc. against the Health Care Reform to senators and congressmen- if you want, I will fax a copy of this article for you- feel free to let me know if you are interested- you have things to say that these folks should hear!
Reply to my post and we can move forward from there-
Barb
Barbara…..they won’t read it, but you have my permission. I believe, perhaps, that someone who hasn’t actually been dealing with the problems really won’t understand anyway. I have little faith in most elected officials..after all there is a reason they were elected and the story is not ordinarily pleasant. Most of our elected officials have made too many compromises…and have come to a point of being to beholden to ‘interest groups’. I apologize for seeming cynical.
TDS
Dr. Sears
Thank you so much for this comprehensive analysis from someone who is on the front lines of our healthcare industry.
I currently have a son in medical school and all of the students are watching what is happening right now in D.C. and are all extremely concerned about their future and their ability to practice in the profession of their choosing in the way they are being taught.
I found it ironic that Obama has the audacity to call his critics “liars” when in fact I stopped counting at a dozen lies he stood up there and told himself.
I have been most angry over how Obama and his amateur ideologue supporters have called our healthcare system “failed.” What evidence of that is there at all?
The two biggest issues I see are the excessive nuisance malpractice lawsuits that comes from John Edwards type ambulance chasers. Obama never mentioned just how high malpractice insurance premiums are or why doctors and hospitals do extra procedures just to protect against such a lawsuit.
The second issue is how to make health insurance more available and lower in cost. The answer is to get rid of government regulations including state mandates that prevent competition. Just like with telecom and airline deregulation, once you open up the free market prices come tumbling down and services start benefiting consumers more.
I found Obama’s speech last night as angry, highly partisan and accomplished nothing. Congressman Wilson was the best part of the speech and spoke for hundreds of millions of Americans.
An outstanding post, Doctor
Thanks for your informative post. I truly enjoyed reading it.
My sister and I the two AA women in our large family who refused to support Mr. Obama in the primaries or in the general election were stunned that so many Americans would vote for a person who clearly had no experience at running anything, and no expertise in anything. In short, as I always tell my sister Mr. Obama doesn’t know anything about anything. What does he know about the entire health care issue? Nothing. About foreign policy? Nothing. About energy issues? Nothing. He doesn’t know anything about anything, which is why the far left gave him the democratic nomination which he did not win. They wanted an inexperienced pawn they could control. Whatever happens in the long run with the health care issue, I am already bracing myself to pay a great deal more for health care and get less in return. I once heard a politican say something like, “Whenever people start talking about reform, I hold on tighter to my wallet.” I guess he might have a point after all.
obama and his chicago thugs are trying to bring america to its knees (and is fast accomplishing it) so that at some point people will become so desperate that we will be happy to let the government take over everything. theyve already taken over the auto industry, banking,etc. now they want to take over the healthcare industry. where will it end? i believe this has been their plan all along and obama is just a puppet they can lead by the nose with promises of historic glory. he is just a glorified salesman.
Stunning post, Dr. Sears. I’ve emailed it to a list of people already.
Just to warn you though, I am also a moron, stupid, Nazi, Independent…
Thank you very much.
obamas big speech last nite (tho i couldnt bear to watch it and just saw the recap) was just his way to try and embarass and shame those who dont follow him in lockstep. i despise the way he always looks down his nose like he’s smelling something bad .could it be the stinking rot of his soul? seems he called (demanded) a meeting of the joint sessions of congress just because he could. he does that a lot. after all “he won”. tho deep down he knows he stole it. his arrogance is beyond belief!
First…
Bravo bravo!!!
I am giving you a standing ovation at my laptop, only you can’t see it. You can trust me, I’m not Obama.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for a well stated and very informative article. Yes, Yes, you did!
Thank you for the plaudit. Makes me want to have a cocktail. But….I’m on call tonite….all nite….so I’ll have to forgo the pleasantries until tomorrow. Have one for me….I prefer Dr. Daniel’s….I think his name was Jack…with coke or water on ice. That’s my ’southern’ side taking over.
TDS
Great article, Dr. Sears! Thanks so much for your informed insight. Too bad they’re not into that in Congress and the White house. I don’t have health insurance and I see no prospects for getting any if we don’t deal with the actual problems you so clearly delineate. Why should Big Pharma make out like bandits at our collective expense? Oh… forgot…they make huge campaign contributions. My bad.
Dr. Sears, Thanks for your perspective as someone who is in trenches of this debacle.
I have not spoken to even one medical professional that is not extremly concerned about the circus that passes for sober debate and analysis on the topic of healthcare Insurance reform.
To my way of thinking, having anyone or anything between the sound judgement of a medical professional and the patient is not acceptable.
Yet today insurance company do it for profit and tomorrow the government will do it to ration the healthcare dollars.
Hey! Welcome to my world, the year is 2008…
This guy is only shoring up power for himself. And the bleating masses are just going along with this crap.
Dr. Sears, thank you for that. It basically underscores all my own misgivings. I wish we had more doctors coming forward, making their voices heard. Because the average citizen still listens to those in trenches, dealing with these problems everyday.
I’ve read your clear statement. I’ve heard several specialists express the same. But there haven’t been enough voices to block what I see as a reckless and not thoroughly thought out plan.
Instead what we get is: the AMA is on board and enthusiastic. The Nurses Association is strongly supporting Obamacare. And this morning, I read that the Mayo Clinic had turned on a dime and has endorsed Obama’s healthcare plan.
People sit up and listen when medical professionals give their opinion based on day-in-day-out experience.
We need more public expressions of this type. Or, I fear, we will all handover our most personal and important issue, our health and wellbeing, to a dysfuntional government and a particular Adminstration that would trade our healthcare for political purposes and monetary gains.
Thanks for the essay! It needs to go viral.
Btw, I want healthcare reform. I think we need to contain costs in this country and extend coverage. But, as you stated, you don’t do that by making backroom deals with the parties who created the problem.
Peggy Sue, Do you know if Obamapalooza has been endorsed by the American Nurses Association or just the California Nurses? Even so, the ANA is to nurses what the AMA is to doctors. It’s not those guys and gals in the trenches.
That’s my point, Clara. The vast majority of people listening to these endorsements think: Oh, if “all” the doctors and nurses agree to this craziness, it must be a good idea.
I think statements from Dr. Sears and other medical professionals are incredibly important. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen enough statements of this sort to turn the tide of opinion.
PS: the endorsement was from the American Nurses Association.
a CRITICAL point you and Clara make. Well said both of you.
Obamacare is a bailout of the insurance industry and pharma who conjointly created a failed market system. They are now to be rewarded by millions of new customers and mandates to individuals and employers who must participate or be fined/taxed. To say that medicare “reforms” will produce the savings to pay for this is hysterical. Dems will get a long lease on insurance and pharma corporate pockets while retaining all the benefits they already have from labor, Wall St. corporate America.
Get ready for a long hard expensive ride.
Thank you Dr. Sears for confirming through your experience and expertise what we already knew and believed—we are being screwed.
Thank you for sharing your very real perspective of the issue at hand. I’ve been astounded that more doctors and nurses are not sought out for their input. It’s disturbing to hear Obama repeatedly say that “he’s got all the doctors and he’s got all the nurses on board”. That’s a lie.
As a nurse for 30 years, I’ve been tuned in to the nursing shortage for a long time. There is currently a shortage, critical in some regions, and only due to become dire as we oldsters retire. A recent article by the President of the Virginia Nurses Association painted yet another disturbing picture when she wrote that, as the economy begins to improve and finances stabilize, there will likely be a wave of retirements. She feels that many nurses who may have otherwise retired are staying on a little longer to have a job in a “safe” profession. This would coincide with the implementation of any new health care bill. I know there are doctor shortages, but I’m not as familiar with which specialties are in need except for primary care docs.
From my vantage point, the problem of defensive medicine is from the group we refer to as ‘primary care’ physicians. The often do not understand the indications for tests of various sorts, and as a specialist, I daily encounter inappropriate testing requests. My perception is not a specific number of particular specialty or sub-specialty docs but rather a damper on the fear of involvement in lawsuits. The most common test in ED’s across the country today is a blood test to determine if there has been any cardiac damage…a serum Troponin test. This test is usually ordered in triplicate and unfortunately is ordered on anyone with a chest….irrespective of the history. It is the most over-utilized test in the country now by a factor of almost three-fold. Other examples of over-utilized tests are echocardiograms for the diagnosis of endocarditis and the repeated performance of the same test in persons who mistakenly have acquired ‘Heart failure’ as part of their diagnostic summary list. Improved education of the docs should be implemented country-wide to have an impact on waste, redundancy, and defensive medicine. Tort reform would have to figure in this equation. When our president accuses us of fraud, however, my neck-hairs stand up. I have not observed fraud except in a couple of instances of over thirty years in practice in a highly acute and complex sub-specialty. Doctors don’t have enough time for fraud unless they are incompetent. And only a few are. So, Obama’s comments along this line are simply dishonest and uninformed….a seeming trademark for his presidency to date.
TDS
Dr. Sears, thank you for taking the time to express your thoughtful opinions on the health care issue. My husband is also a physician (radiologist), and has been talking about the points you made. He agrees that the focus should be on (1)deregulating insurance to promote competition similar to when telephone coverage became competitive, (2) tort reform (3) renegotiating what prices drug companies can charge. He’s very concerned about the number of healthcare professionals who will be expected to provide for additional patients.
It seems obvious that the people who designed this monster of a plan have done little to assess feedback from the ones who will be most affected by its implementation.
[...] Obama Health Care, etc. : NO QUARTER [...]
“in other words, there would be an incentive for just paying the fine and dodging the health care coverage entirely.”
It’s amazing that a Law Review Editor, from Chicago no less, chooses to ignore this. It’s basically the University of Chicago theory of torts, and the rationale for punitive damages. ‘Corporation A will pay the costs of accidental death lawsuits rather than pay the higher costs of preventing accidental deaths in the first place.’ Under the Chicago theory, that’s the result they want — it’s called ‘allocative efficiency.’
Setting the fine so low reveals an allocative agenda to kill off employee-based health insurance. In the private sector, we’d call this predatory pricing.
One key I see is the culture of employment. Will the talent pool take jobs that don’t provide health benefits? Young people are already getting used to the idea of jobs without benefits. If health benefits aren’t needed to compete for talent, then say hello to single payor.
Larry–I have been canvassing the internet for reactions to Mr. Obama’s maunderings last night and this one is far and away the best.
I just saw Obama’s address to the Nurse Association he did yesterday via Scrubsmag.com. I must say, was there a point, other than to schmooze and find another venue to address his blurry speech?