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Special Report
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You know president Obama’s health care reform proposal is in trouble when the Washington Post starts to take potshots at it.
From the Washington Post
PRESIDENT OBAMA sometimes presents health-care reform as a pain-free proposition, as simple as choosing the red pill over the blue — one that’s no more effective but costs twice as much. Asked at his news conference whether “the American people are going to have to give anything up in order for this to happen,” Mr. Obama’s basic answer was no. “They’re going to have to give up paying for things that don’t make them healthier,” he said.
This all-gain-no-pain stance may be politically advisable; people are increasingly edgy about how reform will affect their own health care. A new poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that that the percentage of those who believe they will be worse off if reform passes (21 percent) has doubled since February.
But Mr. Obama’s soothing bedside manner masks the reality that getting health costs under control will require making difficult choices about what procedures and medications to cover. It will require saying no, or having the patient pay more, at times when the extra expense is not justified by the marginal improvement in care. Mr. Obama is right that sticking with the status quo is a bad alternative, but he isn’t leveling about the consequences of change.
Take Mr. Obama’s red pill-blue pill example. What if the pricey blue pill is actually better than the cheaper red one? What if it’s better but just a little bit? What happens when a yellow pill comes along, costing twice as much as the blue? What happens if there’s a new procedure that cures the ailment, but at an even bigger cost?
Instead of taking on these hard questions, Mr. Obama emphasizes wringing waste and inefficiency out of the system. Certainly it’s there — Mr. Obama cited repetitious tests as one example — and it makes sense to change payment policies to reward better care and remove incentives for unnecessary procedures. Preventive care can save money in some situations: Mr. Obama pointed to the situation of the diabetic who obtains nutrition advice and avoids an unnecessary amputation. But mostly it doesn’t. A 2008 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded, “Although some preventive measures do save money, the vast majority reviewed in the health economics literature do not.”
More important, lowering the level of spending, although a good thing, is different from slowing the rate of spending growth. Without the second, the underlying problem persists; it will just pinch more slowly.
Conclusion
The current system is untenable and getting worse, with employers dropping insurance and premiums rising for those who still have it. Reform is essential. But Mr. Obama does the public a disservice by acting as if it will not require anything from them in return.
The president like the Democarts in Congress are doing their best to mislead the public on the true costs of health care reform in order to pass their legislation. As I have said before I am not overly enthusiastic about my HMO but I know that it is still far better than putting my health in the hands of the government.
Post #2213
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About the author
Don Irvine is Chairman of Accuracy in Media. He is active on Facebook and Twitter. You can follow him @donirvine to read his latest thoughts.
9 Comments for WaPo : Obama Avoids Tough Questions on Health Care
Yes, I stand with Barack Obama in his reforms for the health care system. There are many reasons why his reforms must be be quickly implemented, firstly more than 47 million U.S. residents have no health insurance, and the numbers keep growing. Secondly our Working families are experiencing double-digit increases in the costs of their health insurance, more out-of-pocket costs for doctor visits and skyrocketing prices for prescriptions, forcing many to delay getting needed medical care or worse…last but not least the failure of the previous health care systems will demand for new reforms such as this, playing politics at the time when millions of citizens life is at stake will certainly hamper the well-being of the country.
Interesting report below:
Link : http://en.oboulo.com/the-failure-of-america-s-health-care-system-65187.html
Fingers crossed!
raymason,
you better hope you dont get arthritis. Those fingers will be crossed for good with no help from your socialized healthcare. do you have parents or grandparents? there life will be cut short because of your fingers.
YOU WANT SOCIALIZED HEALTH CARE…MOVE TO CANADA.
raymason
Boy are you BRAIN WASHED OR WHAT. You better research this health care plan, because we are all going to have RATIONED HEALTH CARE. I guess this bill is not so important, because none of the congress people have EVEN READ IT. I can’t imagine signing a contract and not even reading it first, can you ???? raymason you better hope you don’t get sick. GOOD LUCK raymason cause you are going to need it.
You can check “the horses mouth” at http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/health_care/ or at http://www.healthreform.gov . Also – the original House and Senate bills, and proposed or adopted changes, proposed and accepted amendments, committee actions, progress, etc., can be checked out at http://www.house.gov and http://www.senate.gov
The real issue here is the rapidly rising COST of health care in America. Overall, costs have doubled in the last dozen or fifteen years – and costs are expected to double again in the coming ten years. At that rate of increase, decent health care will be self-rationing – and, ultimately, only the wealthy will have access. Additionally, for the past several years, it’s said that 80% of all individual bankruptcies have been the result of individuals or families being unable to pay medical bills.
So – unless the escalating costs being experienced by individuals, businesses, insurance companies, and the government are brought under control by whatever means that actually works – rising health care costs are simply going to price most Americans out of the market!
RE: #6
Hey T K, Nice web sites. If you believe that the Gov’T will tell you the TRUTH,, Then I am losing respect for you. Have you read page # 415, of this health care lies, I mean Bill. It says that every 5 yrs.,Seniors on Medicare, will have to take a MANDATORY class on “How to end your own life” If you get sick in between,you go again. I for one do NOT want to be Soylent Green, just so some X & Y Gener. can get a thumb transplant, from playing too many video’s Remember,, this is only my OPINION,to be taken w/dose of lo-salt,, OK??
Re: Post 7;
Read the actual bill when it’s finalized and before the final congressional votes on it. What you see is what you get if it passes both houses of congress.
And – would you say the information doled out by the “opposition” to the government is MORE RELIABLE than that doled out by the government? Not hardly.
READ THE BILL and ALL amendments and modifications to the bill – and if you’re NOT in concert with it in its final form – all you can do is indicate your disfavor to your local U.S. Rep and your two senators – and hope that it doesn’t pass final approval – or, if it does, that a president will veto it.
It’s funny that Soylent Green was mentioned here. I just wrote that to Suddenly Senior magazine. That 1973 classic movie was just aired last weekend. It brought to mind the current health care bill. I don’t want any government agency telling anyone what we can and can’t do especially guidelines our doctors will be required to follow. I have an incurrable condition (MS) and I don’t need to be told on a sliding scale how much life I predictably have left to gauge how much healthcare I should or shouldn’t receive. I can see why the bill is being stalled. Thank goodness that some have the guts to say “Hey, wait a minute, not so fast!”…
READ THE BILL!
READ THE BILL!!
READ THE BILL!!!
CAN YOU SAY EUTHANASIA?