According to various media sources, President Obama was not able to guarantee that health care reform won't change how Americans get medical treatment. In other words, the President, like other politicians, has no idea whether or not the creation of a public option and health insurance exchange will help or hurt the average American family. Change for the sake of change.
The speech came off more as an attempt to scare Republicans into supporting this catastrophic bill, especially as he focused on how health care costs are continuing to increase and ‘bankrupt’ the country, while denying coverage to millions.
The President was attempting to support his proposal in which experts would make decisions based on the best medical treatment, not accountants attempting to save money or doctors prescribing treatments that bring the highest fees. But who exactly are these experts going to be? What qualifies their experience as experts? Do we really need government deciding what the best medical treatment is?
Public opinion for most Americans is that they are happy with the current system, and that the only thing needed is to make it less expensive and more accessible. Does that mean overhaul? I guess to Democrats it does…it must be easy to forget about 1994.
In order to forget about the dismal efforts in the past, Obama focused on rescuing the American economic situation by rebuilding
He added that the public option a way to "keep the insurance companies honest." What he really meant is that insurance companies will require physicians to pay higher rates on their insurance plans for their employees and at the same time get less for re-imbursement thus forcing them into the government option.
Even though he did not have any research or statistics to support his comments, he acknowledged that the benefits of his plan, would offer "security" and "stability" to sick and healthy Americans by:
– Preventing insurance companies from dropping your coverage if you get too sick.
– Security of insurance if you lose your job, move, or change your job.
– Limiting the amount your insurance company can force you to pay for your medical costs out of your own pocket; and covering preventive care.
Essentially, President Obama is saying that small business and companies will be forced into providing these plans through taxes to payroll and on employee wages. The President also confirmed that he supported the creation of an independent group of doctors and medical experts empowered to eliminate waste and inefficiency in Medicare, in an attempt to "ensure the long-term financial health of Medicare," Obama said. Perhaps the President is thinking beyond MedPAC, which is supposed to recommend cuts in costs for Medicare. Recent reports have shown that even with MedPAC’s advice, that Medicare spent over $100 million in fraudulent and wasted claims last year.
Obama also endorsed the House committee's plan to fund part of the new program by imposing a surtax on families making over $1 million a year – but insisted he would not support any bill that helped fund the $1 trillion plan with a tax on middle-class families. What Obama did not realize is that physicians, specialists, and small business owners who make over $1 million a year will now lose more of their income.
He mentioned that Americans are "going to have to give up paying for things that don't make them healthier." Did we miss that Obama is a physician too? What is this code for does this mean surtaxes on fast food, soft drinks and beer? Are politicians going to start telling Americans what exams and appointments they need to make? Will we be setting up a new branch of government “Office of Healthcare Security”
For now, the Senate announced there will be no vote prior to September, especially with Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) dropping out of the talks Wednesday, saying he could not agree to the compromises under discussion.
The comments last Thursday from Congressional Budget Office Director Doug Elmendorf that the House and Senate health committee bills would not improve the long-term fiscal outlook have slowed the negotiations.
Interestingly, just minutes before the press conference, the White House released a list of visits by health care executives. The public interest group which requested the records, Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington, filed suit earlier Wednesday over the denial. This list could provide an idea of just what players are supporting Obama.
This speech should tell Americans one thing—if public opinion polls for Obama’s approval rating have not already—Obama is starting to realize his push and shove tactics, are over.
We need reform in smaller steps that addresses the concerns of providers, industry, and small businesses who will be forced to pay for this reform.
Before we can throw more insured people onto the examining table, we need to take into consideration not only where the money is coming from, but who the money is being taken from.
Squeezing everyone into a new agency and health care plan has the potential to destroy our advances in science and medicine, and scare research funding and private practice care to go elsewhere. Reverse Healthcare…fewer resources, more demand and less supply….
Comment:
According to President Obama, the whole point of reforming our health care system is “to encourage changes that work for the American people and make them healthier.” We should start by examining how our physicians are compensated. Until we completely change the way the U.S. payment system is structured — and move away from a volume-based payment model — we’ll never be able to bend the cost curve of health care spending. In addition, sound payment reform can improve the quality of health care across the board. The approach of some — simply hacking away at rising costs — can have dire consequences, and will fail to create the savings we need for a sustainable, quality-driven health care system.
-Dr. Jack Lewin, CEO, American College of Cardiology