Well, last night’s news was surely interesting. I wish I could be more enthusiastic about it, but support only a limited number of items in the 2700 page tome. In no particular order, here are some of my concerns:
- Our country is already
very broke! Who will pay for this multi-trillion dollar bill?
- Every major poll in this country showed that the majority of Americans do not want this bill. For something so important, shouldn’t this matter? Is it a fact that 37 states do not want this bill, and are positioning to sue Uncle Sam so they can “opt out?!”
- It seems that one of Obama’s campaign promises was practiced throughout this saga -- the one of transparency. In the last few months, Americans have witnessed corruption like we’ve never seen before. The vote-buying frenzy in the last few weeks was ugly and in the open, leading many to really see how politics works in this country. The “legally corrupt” lobbyists performed brilliantly: The Business Roundtable, Big Pharma, AHA, AMA et al will all get nice bonuses this year…and years to come.
- It’s notable how many medical professionals voted against this behemoth. Have you read or watched any of the testimonies from the senators who are medical doctors? Senator Tom Price spoke eloquently last night about the bill, expressing serious concerns about the sanctity (my word) of the doctor-patient relationship, and how this new plan will compromise that relationship. A similar position is held by the North American Spine Society – here’s an excerpt from one of their advocacy communications:
NASS expressed opposition to H.R. 3590 for the following reasons:
- Creation of a new Independent Payment Advisory Board, which would make arbitrary cuts in physician reimbursement with little or no Congressional oversight.
- Expanding the role of the federal government in determining quality of care standards.
- Failure to permanently repeal Medicare's flawed sustainable growth rate, or SGR, formula.
- The lack of proven medical liability reforms.
While NASS is strongly supportive of efforts to increase access to specialty care, health care reform must be done the right way.
- What protection is there that will limit insurance premium hikes? The people in Taxachusetts have seen their medical costs skyrocket over the past few years with “RomneyCare,” as parodied in
this cartoon. How this relates to the new health bill is unclear, but many say it’s a sign of things to come.
- There’s already a frightful shortage of doctors in this country. Hundreds of thousands of people (some not citizens) continue to use the ER to receive medical care. And more than 32,000,000 people will soon receive insurance coverage? How’s that work? How will everyone receive equitable care? Sure, it takes some forethought to craft and execute
arm-twisting strategies to win votes; but it is infinitely more difficult to deliver these promises of healthcare to a new population of people. Think about it: it’s 10% of the US population!
- This is a highly complex, but personal issue to many. Everyone will find bits and pieces to support or lament. One of the things I noticed is there will be cuts in Medicare Advantage, something my elderly parents rely upon for their medical care. They’re not wealthy, so who will help them with their medical bills?
Well, I could go on for hours, but I have to get back to work. I hope I didn’t offend anyone here with my thoughts and observations. If nothing else, you see that I tend to be hopelessly practical while keeping an eye on the big picture. As well as all the
little details in the picture…
