PRESIDENT BILL WILSON …..AMERICANS for LIMITED GOVERNMENT
Today, ALG President Bill Wilson called upon members of the Senate Finance Committee to reject the mark-up done on the Senate version of "ObamaCare," saying that "it is a wolf in sheep's clothing that will devour America's health-care industry."
"The Baucus bill would create the equivalent of a public-private partnership like Fannie Mae, Amtrak, or the post office," said Wilson. "Invariably, just like every other public-private partnership started by the federal government, it will not sustain itself and the final bill will belong with American taxpayers."
"This is just 'Fannie Med," said Wilson, quoting Senator Jim DeMint.
Americans for Limited Government estimates that the Senate bill would cost around $122 billion a year once fully implemented, or $1.2 trillion over ten years, with 26 million receiving government-subsidized health care.
"The Baucus bill would not be implemented until 2013, which is supposed to keep the bill under the $1 trillion mark. But the American people are not stupid," said Wilson, adding, "They know this is government-run socialized medicine. They know it creates an unsustainable entitlement."
Proponents of the Senate Finance Committee version of the bill tout that the so-called "public option" has been removed, which is still a part of the House plan for which 45 million additional Americans would qualify. According to ALG's Wilson that tout is an "artless deception."
"It doesn't really matter much that Baucus has slightly watered down the bill," said Wilson. "Baucus advocates establishing government-run 'co-ops' in the place of private health options. It still contains a rationing board. It still sets up mandatory health care for individuals. It still does nothing to allow Americans to purchase insurance across state lines. It still cuts Medicare to pay for everyone else, increases taxes, and has no tort reform.
"And it is still does nothing to bring the ballooning national debt—nearly at $12 trillion—under control. Making matters worse, it will still result in a government-run health system," Wilson added.
According to Rasmussen Reports a full 50 percent of voters oppose the Barack Obama's plans to reorganize the health system."The groundswell of opposition to both the House and Senate versions of this bill tell us one thing: Congress can call this whatever they want, but the American people are not biting," Wilson concluded. The Finance Committee is expected to vote tomorrow!
WHAT DOCTORS ARE
REALLY SAYING
Here's What Obama Would Hear At Today's Doctors Event If He Invited Anyone Who Wasn't A Political Supporter
OBAMA PAGES DOCTORS TO THE WHITE HOUSE: "On Monday, doctors from around the country will join the president at the White House to show their support for passing health insurance reform legislation this year." ("Obama Marshals Physicians Mon.," Politico's "Politico 44" Blog, 10/2/09)
BUT DOCTORS ACROSS THE COUNTRY OPPOSE OBAMA'S HEALTH CARE EXPERIMENT
South Carolina Doctor Upset About "Lack Of Protection Against Malpractice Suits," Says Medicare Cuts Will Force Him To Stop Practicing Medicine. "Dr. Kenneth Orbeck ... said he has a mobile health care practice that he takes to patients' homes in rural areas of the Pee Dee region. Orbeck said he was upset by the proposed changes and by the current lack of protection against malpractice suits. 'I'm not doing this to raise a flag, but I will tell you this, if we go ahead and move health care in this direction ... I will not practice medicine ... We need Medicare and we need Medicaid; we need it. We have indigent patients laying in their beds ....'" (Claudia Lauer, "DeMint Rouses Crowd," The Myrtle Beach Sun-News, 8/19/09)
Ohio Eye Surgeon Concerned About Medicare-Like Public Option. "'One thing that concerns us is the idea that a so-called public option might be another Medicare-like program,' said Dr. Roy Thomas, an Elyria eye surgeon and president of the 20,000-member organization. ... 'We've had a lot of experience with Medicare, and we feel that that is not the direction we should go ...'" (Jim Provance, "Obama Says Reform Must Pass By '10," Toledo Blade, 7/24/09)
"One Protester, Dr. Susan Dinges, A Radiologist, Said That Obama Needed To Focus Instead On Tort Reform Because High Health Care Costs Were Caused By Doctors, Fearing Lawsuits, Ordering Too Many Tests." (Claire Osborn, "Debate Gets Lively As Protesters Join Health Care Rally," Austin American-Statesman Journal, 7/26/09)
Florida Doctor Says Care For Infants Would Suffer After Government Rationing. "Dr. Redmond Burke, director of cardiovascular surgery at Miami Children's Hospital, came to McCollum's news conference a few hours after operating on a baby with multiple complications. He said the infant 'would have been allowed to die in most countries in the world at birth. I'm quite concerned that they will be the patients that fall out of the "curve of value" that I've heard discussed by some of the proponents of this health-care reform.'" (Bill Cotterell, "McCollum: National Health Plan Bad For Fla.," Tallahassee Democrat, 9/9/09)
Former Georgia Medical Association President Says Dems Will Create "Interference In The Physician-Patient Relationship." "[Dr. Michael] Greene, a family doctor and past president of the Medical Association of Georgia, is not a fan of what he's heard or read ... Greene's biggest issue with the plans? 'From a physician's standpoint, the interference in the physician-patient relationship ... We're handing over a tremendous amount of power to an appointed branch of government... It creates a monstrous level of bureaucracy.'" (Rodney Manley, "Middle Georgians Weigh In On Health-Care Reform," The Macon Telegraph, 8/16/09)
Virginia Cardiologist Says Medicare Cuts Will Force Him, Other Small-Town Doctors To Close Their Offices. "The cuts would be 'impossible' for some small-town cardiologists who rely on Medicare patients, said Zia Roshandel, a heart doctor in Culpeper, Virginia. The town of 10,000 people is about 60 miles southwest of Washington ... If the proposal stands, 'the bottom line is I'm going to close the office,' he said. 'This is impossible for me to survive.'" (Alex Nussbaum and Lisa Rapaport, "Cardiologists Crying Foul Over Obama Medicare Cuts," Bloomberg, 8/28/09)
New York OB-GYN Rips Obama's Tort Reform Initiative As Only For Show Because "There's No Intent." "Lustberg said 'tort reform' - capping awards in malpractice lawsuits - would be the single biggest thing legislators could do to lower health care costs because doctors would no longer feel compelled to order every test. But he is gloomy about its prospects. In his speech last week before Congress, President Barack Obama said he would authorize demonstration projects in some states to look at ways to reduce malpractice insurance. 'He threw a bone at doctors,' he said. 'But there's no intent.'" (Ridgley Ochs, "For Huntington Doctor, Malpractice Insurance Too High," Newsday, 9/15/09)
Alabama Nephrologist Says "Government-Run Health Care Would Add Bureaucracy ... Take Away Patients' Choice." "Dr. J. Daniel Gifford practices medicine in Decatur. As a nephrologist, he takes care of patients who suffer from kidney failure, hypertension and other ailments. ... 'The government-run health care would add bureaucracy, a lot of regulations, it would take away patients' choice of physicians and hospital... It would limit what they could do, and would eventually probably ration health care ...'" (Amber Stuart, "Group Of Alabama Physicians Opposes Government-Run Health Care," WHNT-TV, 7/28/09)
Indiana Anesthesiologist Says Government-Run Health Care Is "Socialized Medicine." "Other physicians are more skeptical of expanding government-run health care. Dr. Stephen E. Fraser, an Indianapolis anesthesiologist, wrote a letter to Sen. Evan Bayh calling Obama's proposals 'socialized medicine' that would ration health care and reduce care for seniors. 'Senator, I guarantee that I personally will do everything possible to inform patients and my fellow physicians about the dangers of the proposed bills you and your colleagues are debating,' Dr. Fraser wrote." (John Russell, "The Cost Of Dying," The Indianapolis Star, 9/13/09)
Virginia Physician Says Medicare Cuts "Would Be Fatal." "One Virginia physician, Dr. Steve Degray, M.D. said he had not heard the president's speech, but had some thoughts about his ideas. 'We make a profit about the same as a grocery store, about one percent as best... And he is talking about cutting reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid. ... It would be fatal,' he said of any reductions. 'The only way we could make it up is to raise prices on everybody else.'" (Greg Jordan, "Docs Offer Differing Diagnoses On Obama Plan," Bluefield Daily Telegraph, 6/16/09)
West Virginia Doctor Says Medical Professionals In Government-Run Systems "Don't Really Care What Happens To Their Patients." "A Princeton physician, Dr. Philip Branson, said one major concern he had with President Obama's proposals 'is just understanding what Obama's ideas are.' In a government-dominated health care system, doctors that are 'bureaucratic and don't really care what happens to their patients will do just fine while doctors who care about what happens to their patients will struggle and have a hard time doing what they know needs to be done for them...'" (Greg Jordan, "Docs Offer Differing Diagnoses On Obama Plan," Bluefield Daily Telegraph, 6/16/09)
And Says Malpractice Reform Needs More Attention. "Problems with malpractice are not receiving the attention they need, he added. 'The unwillingness to address the malpractice issue is a sign that Obama is not really serious about health care reform and addressing the ills of the health care system...'" (Greg Jordan, "Docs Offer Differing Diagnoses On Obama Plan," Bluefield Daily Telegraph, 6/16/09)
Mississippi Gastroenterologist Wants To Use What Works, Doesn't Want Canadian Or English-Like System. "'I don't think there's any physician or health care provider that will tell you there's no need for reform,' said Tupelo gastroenterologist Dr. Barney Guyton, who also serves as the chairman of the Antone Tannehill Good Samaritan Free Clinic ... 'I don't want a Canadian or English health care system,' because there is rationing and delayed care, Guyton said. 'I don't want to go backwards ... we need to use what we have.'" (Michaela Gibson Morris, "Northeast Mississippi Doctors Weigh In On The Health Care Reform Debate," Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 8/2/09)
Mississippi Physician Says Public Option Tied To Medicare Rates "Unacceptable For Physicians." "New Albany family physician Dr. Jason Dees, who serves on a national committee for the American Academy of Family Physicians, said he sees the need to reform the way health care is paid for every day in his clinic. ... 'I am concerned a public plan tied to Medicare rates... It's unacceptable for physicians. The current system doesn't value primary care.'" (Michaela Gibson Morris, "Northeast Mississippi Doctors Weigh In On The Health Care Reform Debate," Northeast Mississippi Daily Journ al, 8/2/09)
Georgia Neurologist Says House Dems' Bill Would Ruin Doctor-Patient Relationships. "David Scott was in a hurry, as congressmen often are. The Atlanta Democrat was hustling to a vote last month when a smiling man fell in step with him. Dr. Todd Williamson wasted no time. President Barack Obama's proposed health care reform, the Lawrenceville neurologist said, could prove fatal to doctor-patient relationships. It would rob patients of their physicians' time and attention. In time, it would ruin the practice of medicine." (Mark Davis, "Doctor's Orders: Change Minds," The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, 8/2/09)
Louisiana Executive Physician Says Government-Run Health Care Would "Take Away [His] Ability To Practice Medicine." "Dr. Andy Blalock, an executive physician at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center, called the Obama reform plan 'the biggest health care crisis to face this country in the last 50 years. Health care that's run like the post office is not good medicine...' Blalock said a government-run insurance system would 'ruin' the U.S. health care system by escalating costs and limiting patient choice and access. 'Government takeover of health care will take away my ability to practice medicine,' he said." (Jeff Moore, "Health Care Forum Draws Overflow Crowd," The Daily Advertiser, 8/18/09)
Indiana Oncologist Says Government Involvement "Huge Part Of The Problem In Health Care," Worried About Growing Costs. "'Government involvement is a huge part of the problem in health care,' Dr. John Crawford, an oncologist and former Fort Wayne city councilman, said. Crawford, strongly opposed to proposed changes in health care, said that costs rose faster as more and more forms of insurance, especially government coverage, accelerated 'the separation of the purchaser from the payer. ... Medicare will be bankrupt and insolvent by 2017 unless government raises taxes or cuts benefits ... At this point, Congress should do only incremental reforms at low cost...'" (Bob Caylor, "Health Care Views Aired At IPFW Town Hall," The News-Sentinel, 8/29/09)
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Past AMA Leaders Criticize Obama's Health Care Experiment While Louisiana Governor, Former HHS Official Bobby Jindal Outlines Common Sense Solutions
PREVIOUS AMA PRESIDENTS RIP OBAMA'S "GOVERNMENT OVERHAUL" OF HEALTH CARE, PROMOTE PATIENT-BASED INCENTIVE
What We Would Have Told Obama
From The Wall Street Journal
By Donald J. Palmisano, William G. Plested II And Daniel H. Johnson Jr.
October 4, 2009
"We aren't among the doctors invited to a Rose Garden event today to 'join the President in pushing for health insurance reform this year and [who] have offered their help and support,' as a White House press release put it. It's unfortunate only supporters of the president's plans will be there. Mr. Obama has missed an opportunity to learn more about the real issues facing patients and doctors and to formulate a plan that truly puts patients in control with doctors as trusted advisers.
"The United States has the best health care in the world today, and thanks to the ever-expanding frontiers of science and medical innovation the brightest days are ahead. It is true that there are Americans who fall through the cracks of our medical system every day--and as a caring nation, we must do what we can to expand access to medical care to those who need it. But this can be accomplished without a costly and inefficient government overhaul of the entire system. One easy reform would be to enable individuals to buy policies offered in any state, not just where they live. This will enhance competition. But more government-run health insurance will only lead to disaster.
"Today, Medicare already reimburses doctors less than what many of their treatments cost to provide. Now the government is saying that additional Medicare cuts are coming--thus forcing doctors to try and make up the difference in volume, by seeing more patients. If you ask patients about this, they understand that more volume means less time with the doctor. That's something that all patients and doctors should oppose. In time, it will be difficult to find a physician ...
"There are many other ways to expand access to health care for uninsured Americans. We could strengthen incentives to purchase low-cost health savings accounts, provide tax credits for individuals and families buying health policies on their own, and extend subsidies for those who need financial help. Also, the right of patients to privately contract with physicians to ensure they have the medical care they want, without penalty--regardless of what the government pays--must be recognized and protected. Today, if a doctor wants to bill a patient for additional payment over the Medicare reimbursement, he has to withdraw from Medicare entirely for two years. A patient who agrees with this arrangement can't receive any Medicare money for that service, either. ..." To View The Entire Article, Please Visit:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471504574449513730221946.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_opinion#printMode
WITH AMERICANS SOLIDLY AGAINST OBAMA'S EXPERIMENT, GOV. BOBBY JINDAL (R-LA) OFFERS 10 COMMON SENSE SOLUTIONS FOR HEALTH CARE
The Conservative Case For Reform
From The Washington Post
By Bobby Jindal
October 5, 2009
"... But memo to Washington: The debate on health care has moved on. Democratic plans for a government takeover are passe. The people don't want it. Believe the polls, the town halls, the voters ...
"Democrats may march forward anyway, but they will do so without the people, and at their own peril ...
"So here are 10 ideas to increase the affordability and quality of health care ...
"Voluntary purchasing pools: Give individuals and small businesses the opportunities that large businesses and the government have to seek lower insurance costs.
"Portability: As people change jobs or move across state lines, they change insurance plans. By allowing consumers to 'own' their policies, insurers would have incentive to make more investments in prevention and in managing chronic conditions.
"Lawsuit reform: It makes no sense to ignore one of the biggest cost drivers in the system -- the cost of defensive medicine, largely driven by lawsuits ...
"Require coverage of preexisting conditions: ... Companies should be incentivized to focus on delivering high-quality effective care, not to avoid covering the sick.
"Transparency and payment reform: Consumers have more information when choosing a car or restaurant than when selecting a health-care provider. Provider quality and cost should be plainly available to consumers, and payment systems should be based on outcomes, not volume ...
"Electronic medical records: The current system of paper records threatens patient privacy and leads to bad outcomes and higher costs.
"Tax-free health savings accounts: HSAs have helped reduce costs for employers and consumers. Some businesses have seen their costs decrease by double-digit percentages ...
"Reward healthy lifestyle choices: Providing premium rebates and other incentives to people who make healthy choices or participate in management of their chronic diseases has been shown to reduce costs and improve health.
"Cover young adults: ... Permitting young people to stay on their parents' plans longer would reduce the number of uninsured and keep healthy people in insurance risk pools -- helping to lower premiums for everyone.
"Refundable tax credits: ... Redirecting some of the billions already spent on the uninsured will help make non-emergency care outside the emergency room affordable for millions and will provide choices of coverage through the private market rather than forcing people into a government-run system ...
"In short, ideas matter. The public is interested in solutions that will improve America's health-care system, not dismantle it ..." To View The Entire Article, Please Visit: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/04/AR2009100402003_pf.html
PREVIOUS AMA PRESIDENTS RIP OBAMA'S "GOVERNMENT OVERHAUL" OF HEALTH CARE, PROMOTE PATIENT-BASED INCENTIVES
What We Would Have Told Obama
From The Wall Street Journal
By Donald J. Palmisano, William G. Plested II And Daniel H. Johnson Jr.
October 4, 2009
"We aren't among the doctors invited to a Rose Garden event today to 'join the President in pushing for health insurance reform this year and [who] have offered their help and support,' as a White House press release put it. It's unfortunate only supporters of the president's plans will be there. Mr. Obama has missed an opportunity to learn more about the real issues facing patients and doctors and to formulate a plan that truly puts patients in control with doctors as trusted advisers.
"The United States has the best health care in the world today, and thanks to the ever-expanding frontiers of science and medical innovation the brightest days are ahead. It is true that there are Americans who fall through the cracks of our medical system every day--and as a caring nation, we must do what we can to expand access to medical care to those who need it. But this can be accomplished without a costly and inefficient government overhaul of the entire system. One easy reform would be to enable individuals to buy policies offered in any state, not just where they live. This will enhance competition. But more government-run health insurance will only lead to disaster.
"Today, Medicare already reimburses doctors less than what many of their treatments cost to provide. Now the government is saying that additional Medicare cuts are coming--thus forcing doctors to try and make up the difference in volume, by seeing more patients. If you ask patients about this, they understand that more volume means less time with the doctor. That's something that all patients and doctors should oppose. In time, it will be difficult to find a physician ...
"There are many other ways to expand access to health care for uninsured Americans. We could strengthen incentives to purchase low-cost health savings accounts, provide tax credits for individuals and families buying health policies on their own, and extend subsidies for those who need financial help. Also, the right of patients to privately contract with physicians to ensure they have the medical care they want, without penalty--regardless of what the government pays--must be recognized and protected. Today, if a doctor wants to bill a patient for additional payment over the Medicare reimbursement, he has to withdraw from Medicare entirely for two years. A patient who agrees with this arrangement can't receive any Medicare money for that service, either. ..." To View The Entire Article, Please Visit:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471504574449513730221946.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_opinion#printMode
WEST WING MUST-READ -- L.A. Times A1, 'Obama is quietly seeking support for public option: The president reaches out to moderates to find a version of the idea that won't kill a healthcare bill,' by Noam N. Levey and Janet Hook: 'Despite months of outward ambivalence about creating a government health insurance plan, the Obama White House has launched a behind-the-scenes campaign to get divided Senate Democrats to take up some version of the idea for a final vote in the coming weeks. ... In the last week, ... senior administration officials have been holding private meetings almost daily at the Capitol with senior Democratic staff to discuss ways to include a version of the public plan in the healthcare bill that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) plans to bring to the Senate floor this month, according to senior Democratic congressional aides.
'Among those regularly in the meetings are Obama's top healthcare advisor, Nancy-Ann DeParle; aides to Reid; and staff from the Senate Finance and Health committees, both of which developed healthcare bills. The measure that goes to the floor will be an amalgam of the two committees' bills, put together by Reid and key Democrats. The health committee bill contains a national government plan; the finance committee version does not. Obama has also been reaching out personally to rank-and-file Senate Democrats, telephoning more than a dozen in the last week to press for action. The White House initiative, unfolding largely out of public view, follows months in which the president appeared to defer to senior lawmakers on Capitol Hill as they labored to put together gargantuan healthcare bills. It also marks a crucial test of Obama's command of the inside game in Washington in which deals are struck behind closed doors and wavering lawmakers are cajoled and pressured into supporting major legislation. ...
'Obama is lavishing attention on moderate lawmakers while he continues to talk up the public option. He has met repeatedly in private with Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), who has floated a 'trigger' proposal that would allow states to set up government plans as a fallback if commercial insurers did not control premiums. The president has also personally discussed healthcare at least three times recently with Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), one of the most outspoken Democratic critics of the public option. When Obama spoke by phone with Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) last week, he made a point of the breadth of support for the public option, she said in an interview. Cantwell authored a proposal to let states set up public plans, which Democrats added to the Senate Finance Committee bill on Wednesday. And when Pennsylvania Democrats came to the White House recently to celebrate the Pittsburgh Penguins' Stanley Cup win, Obama pulled some of them aside and reiterated his commitment to the public option even as Baucus was preparing a bill without one.' http://www.politico.com/
RNC RELEASES RADIO ACTUALITY BY DR. TOM PRICE (R-GA) ON PRESIDENT OBAMA’S MEETING WITH “DOCTORS FOR AMERICA”
WASHINGTON – The Republican National Committee (RNC) released the following radio actuality by Dr. Tom Price (R-GA) regarding President Obama’s White House meeting with “Doctors for America.” Radio stations and websites wishing to use the audio for broadcast can find it attached. Transcript of audio recording is below:
“Hello, I’m Congressman Tom Price representing the Sixth District of Georgia. Before coming to Congress, I was a physician, practicing orthopedic surgery for more than two decades.
“Today, the President wants you to believe that the medical community supports his government takeover of health care. Don’t be fooled. “As a doctor, I can tell you that I have spoken to thousands of my colleagues across this nation who reject the President’s plan. “In fact, the President is doubling down on the same government meddling that is driving so many doctors out of medicine. Rather than restoring the doctor-patient relationship, the President seeks to hand even more control to Washington.
“My patients used to bristle over the notion that Washington had to be consulted when prescribing treatments. And now, the President proposes not only telling doctors what procedures are permissible, but telling you what your health care plan must look like, destroying personal, private coverage; slashing Medicare; and levying huge taxes.
“All of these things mean fewer choices and a lower quality of care for patients.
“Doctors appreciate the need for health reform, but that doesn’t mean turning the system over to Washington. If the President really wants to gain the support of doctors, he should worry less about photo-ops and more about preserving the doctor-patient relationship. “I’m Tom Price, thank you so much.”
