Asking Questions That Democrats Don’t Want to Talk About
Steve Gottwalt, my adopted representative in the St. Paul, has been asking some tough questions about real, sustainable health care reform for some time. It isn’t surprising that the Democrats nationally aren’t answering those questions. The questions mostly pertain to the federal health care reform plan but Steve has asked some of the questions during committee hearings, too. I’m pleased to list Steve’s questions on this blog because Steve’s questions deserve answering.
How much will this really cost and who will pay for it?
Will I lose choice?
Will I lose access to quality specialty care?
Will I eventually lose the coverage I have now?
What will be covered for me and who will decide?
If every socialized health care system in world history has used some form of care rationing to control costs, why is it wrong for me to be worried about that?
Is there any increased risk I will be left out when I get too old and frail?
Is HR3200 sustainable?
Are there better solutions to be found in market based, consumer driven reform proposals? Why aren’t we hearing about those?
Section 122 of H.R. 3200 is written in such a way as to give unelected bureaucrats the wiggleroom they need to set the minimum standards just high enough to drive all but the people with the best policies into the public option, meaning most insured Americans will lose their current policies.
I’m sure the liberal blogosphere will criticize Steve for asking whether people will have their care rationed if the Democrats’ plan is implemented. Whatever. While the term rationing isn’t found in any of the legislation, it’s inevitable if Congress passes President Obama’s announced Medicare cuts.
Steve asks whether people will lose specialty care. In Canada, the average wait for a primary care doctor is 17 weeks. The average wait for a specialist is even longer. That’s a potential death sentence for people who’ve been diagnosed with cancer. Various Democrats, including Sen. Sherrod Brown, have said that Medicare is proof that government-run health care is efficient.
Once price controls are implemented, which is inevitable, what’s the incentive for young people to go through the rigors of med school, run up a 6-figure debt from student loans, then go through residency, only to have your wages capped? The inevitable outcome is the doctor pool dries up. Once that happens, which will happen, why shouldn’t we think that specialty care doctors will be in short supply?
Let’s remember that Canada’s health care system is imploding:
SASKATOON — The incoming president of the Canadian Medical Association says this country’s health-care system is sick and doctors need to develop a plan to cure it.
Dr. Anne Doig says patients are getting less than optimal care and she adds that physicians from across the country, who will gather in Saskatoon on Sunday for their annual meeting, recognize that changes must be made.
“We all agree that the system is imploding, we all agree that things are more precarious than perhaps Canadians realize,” Doig said in an interview with The Canadian Press. “We know that there must be change,” she said. “We’re all running flat out, we’re all just trying to stay ahead of the immediate day-to-day demands.”
The pitch for change at the conference is to start with a presentation from Dr. Robert Ouellet, the current president of the CMA, who has said there’s a critical need to make Canada’s health-care system patient-centred.
Here in the United States, doctors are already overworked and nurses are understaffed. How will things work if 50,000,000 new people get dumped into an already fatigued system?
Simply put, the Democrats’ health care legislation is counterproductive. They should scrap their legislation and start over. Part of starting over must include taking the Republicans’ proposals seriously. It also includes admitting that single-payer systems will never work. Canada is finding that out the hard way.
It’s time that the Democrats stopped being so arrogant. It’s time that they stopped with their ideology-driven attempt to totally revamp a great health care system. It doesn’t need the type of total overhaul that Democrats have in mind. They’ve been spreading hysteria that our system is in crisis. It isn’t.
Finally, it’s time that Democrats start answering Steve’s questions and their constituents’ questions. They’ve ignored people far too long. If they don’t stop ignoring their constituents, they’ll find out that there’s a steep price to pay for their stubbornness.
Technorati Tags: Rationing, Medicare, Accessability, Specialty Care, Primary Care, Canadacare, Regulations, Democrats, Steve Gottwalt, Republicans
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog