Blogger Conference Call Notes: Health Care
I just finished participating in Kevin McCarthy’s bi-weekly blogger conference call. This week’s call focused mostly on health care, with some focus going towards the war supplemental that’s morphed into another porkfest opportunity.
I had the first question. I asked whether these gentlemen would agree with my characterization that single-payer is a “race to the bottom”. Jack Kingston cited two startling comparisons on cancer survival rates.
The survival rate for breast cancer in the United States is 84%; in Britain, it’s 69%.
The survival rate for prostate cancer in the United States is 92%; it’s only 51% in Great Britain.
That last statistic was a jaw-dropper for me. Think of the difference between 9 men in 10 surviving in the United States vs. 1 in 2 men dying of prostate cancer in the UK.
Does anyone think that the American people would settle for the Democrats’ plan if they knew these statistics? Not a chance.
Rep. Kingston said that that disparity didn’t just pertain to cancer survival rates, either. He said that that disparity applied to almost ever life-threatening disease.
Later, in the next round of questioning, I highlighted the AMSA study that I cite so often. I cited the part that says that, while single-payer is good at providing perscription medication to more people, it’s also true that AMSA’s own study said that “the corresponding drop in revenue for pharmaceutical companies could lead to a reduction in overall research and development, slowing down technological advancement.”
Rep. Kingston said that he’d be interested in the study. I’ve already forwarded it to Nick Bouknight, who will in turn forward it to Rep. Kingston.
The reality is that President Obama’s health care plan is dying. The more people understand it, the more people that vehemently oppose it. Let’s remember that President Obama was booed yesterday at the AMA convention:
Barack Obama isn’t used to hearing boos.
For all the young president’s popularity, the response he got Monday from doctors at an American Medical Association meeting was a sign his road is only going to get rockier as he tries to sell his plan to overhaul the nation’s health care system.
The boos erupted when Obama told the doctors in Chicago he wouldn’t try to help them win their top legislative priority — limits on jury damages in medical malpractice cases.
Let’s also remember that statistics matter. The statistics I’m focusing on right now is the CBO statistics that say ObamaCare would cost an additional $1T and would only drop the uninsured from 46,000,000 to 30,000,000.
Technorati Tags: Reform, Kevin McCarthy, Jack Kingston, Tom Price, Health Care, cancer Survival, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, AMA Convention, President Obama, Race To The Bottom, ObamaCare
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog
June 16th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Trial lawyers are licking their chops. The resultant early deaths will be the fault of our incompetent physicians and hospitals!!! Obama received applause at the Chicago AMA meeting yesterday when he stated he would be for easing the legal climate, then the next sentence, after his obligatory pauses and “uh” before resuming, hold on, hold on guys, I didn’t say I would help the legal climate.
June 16th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
I wouldn’t place too much emphasis on the prostate cancer statistics. This link (http://www.surgerydoor.co.uk/livingwith/detail2.asp?level1=Living+with+Prostate+problems&level2=Surgerydoor%20asks%20the%20specialist) explains it, but basically the US screens much more thoroughly for prostate cancer, so finds it earlier and more widely than the US. Most men will have prostate cancer cells during their lives; the great majority of them won’t ever get cancer. So the US is much better at diagnosing people with a disease they don’t really have, and you know what? The survival rates for diseases you don’t have are generally outstanding.
June 16th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
I think many Americans are willing to ignore statistics just so they can get the government to take care of their health care for them. They will justify it by claiming to not believe it, or it is biased etc. Bottom line, America threw in the towel on Nov 4th 2008. its a shame.
June 17th, 2009 at 1:10 am
Mickey, They might’ve thrown in the towel last year but they’re fighting back THIS YEAR!!! In case you hadn’t noticed, Californians rejected tax increases to pay for more irresponsible spending. There’s this thing called the Tea Party Movement that’s gaining momentum each week. There’s offshoots like the Patrick Henry Movement, which is a pro-Tenth Amendment movement.
I posted last week about Norm Ornstein, a common sense, good government liberal, essentially telling the Democrats that they’d better straighten up or they’d get hurt in 2010.
Let’s remember that the 3 most important issues this election will be the economy, the economy & the economy. When people look at their depleted 401(k)s, they won’t be in hopey, changey mood. When 11+ percent of them are unemployed going into the election, those voters won’t be in a hopey, changey mood.
Don’t lose the faith, my friend. Better days are coming.