It is nothing more than a massive and unprecedented pursuit of power and control during a period in history when your liberal stars have aligned, and the timing for such an endeavor may not be better. And so it begins.
by Michael DeLuca
Memo to Speaker Pelosi, et al.:
As you stump for healthcare ‘reform’ during your summer recess, it would not be advisable to refer to salt of the earth Americans as ‘Un-American’ or to compare them to Nazis. This may actually have a negative affect, as you may have begun to witness. It would be advisable that you prepare for the relentless grass-roots onslaught being brought forth by every-day American Patriots who understand the difference between tyranny and liberty. It would be advisable that you conduct yourself in a manner consistent with the office that you hold; with honor, dignity, integrity, and class. What’s that you say? Don’t have time for this banter with the ‘little people?’ Just as well, we have the time; in fact we have all that you lack. And we’re just getting started, Madam Speaker.
Now, to you and your 534 colleagues, and to the President, here are some thoughts and ideas for ‘fixing healthcare’ – a term that has been thrown about. Ironically, it’s not the care that needs fixing, as we have the finest healthcare on the planet. It’s the cost that must be attacked. Also, please understand that I am not a member of the elite class, do not run in the circles with intelligentsia, did not attend an Ivy League school via affirmative action or otherwise, do not share Al Gore’s carbon footprint, and will never utter the words, “Do you know who I am?” Still, I would appreciate if you would take a few moments out of your schedule, perhaps in between Gulfstream jet requests, to read and try to comprehend what follows.
First, let’s be clear. Health insurance is not a right. For that matter, neither is a job, housing, an automobile, or a lobster dinner paid for with a welfare card. Look it up. Sorry, I forgot, those of you in Congress aren’t big on reading. You’ll have to take my word for it, or have one of your aides read the relevant part of the Constitution to you. Yes, we do have to care for those who can’t care for themselves. Of course, this is our obligation as a compassionate and moral society, and we do so gladly. But make no mistake. What is being pushed upon the American people by you and the rest of the liberal left on Capitol Hill is not about caring for the less fortunate. It is not about the panacea of guaranteeing affordable health care for all. It is nothing more than a massive and unprecedented pursuit of power and control during a period in history when your liberal stars have aligned, and the timing for such an endeavor may not be better. And so it begins. Unfortunately for you and your ilk, you are transparent, and it is abundantly clear that your far left policies seek to excoriate American values and Constitutional principles under the guise of reform, compassion, and tolerance. You, our esteemed Speaker, and other leftists, appear surprisingly stunned – that we, the chattering class, (which includes – sshhh.. even some Democrats) – every day people from every walk of life are standing up and not having any of what you’re selling. The plain truth is that we believe our children deserve better than the likes of you and your cohorts in Congress and what you peddle; no less than the country that has provided hope and dreams to us and to our parents – through hard work and perseverance, not through entitlements and apathy. You may speak for a few, but YOU DON’T SPEAK FOR US. Let’s get started.
Malpractice/Tort Reform
President Obama’s budget reads:
“One of the other big drains on family budgets and on the performance of the economy as a whole has been the increasing costs of health care. Yet the evidence suggests that substantial reductions in costs could be achieved without sacrificing the quality of health care delivered.”
Absolutely true. What you in Congress and the President should do is implement the Texas model of tort reform, which has been an overwhelming success. There, medical malpractice awards have been capped and frivolous lawsuits against doctors greatly decreased. The result is over 7,000 new doctors have moved to Texas in 3 years. Doctors and hospitals have been able to cut costs and actually care for patients. Charity care has increased. I say again – charity care has increased. Money previously spent defending bogus lawsuits and paying huge insurance premiums is now helping to care for the poor. Yes, caring for the poor. Those damn Republicans do have a heart after all.
This would not cost the taxpayers a dime. Who would suffer? Well, you and your colleagues in Congress and the Lawyer lobby. The fact is, from 1998 – 2008, total contributions to Congress from Lawyers and Law Firms exceeded a staggering $800 Million. (Source OpenSecrets.org – Center for Responsive Politics). This was the most of any industry during this time. Isn’t this is good place to start?
The Cost of Healthcare for Illegal Aliens
A recent AP article put the total number of uninsured at 46 million. Of these, 20%, or roughly 10 million are estimated to be illegal aliens. So, since recent estimates of TOTAL illegal aliens in the United States put the number at about 20 million, this means that roughly half of all illegals actually have health insurance. How is this possible? The fact of the matter is, whether or not they have insurance, they are still receiving care – and what is important is that we, the taxpayers, are footing the bill. This increases everyone’s cost. According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, the cost of treating illegal aliens amounts to nearly $11 billion a year. I have an idea. Why not insure only people who are here legally? What’s that you say – ‘undocumented workers’ provide a valuable service in executing the mundane tasks that Americans can’t bothered with? Wrong. There are many unemployed Americans who would gladly work if only given the opportunity. What your ‘undocumented workers’ represent is a valuable voting base down the line in your next ‘reform’ endeavor – immigration. Very clever. Don’t worry, no one will see THIS coming.
I have another idea. Since most of these illegals wire money out of the country, benefiting from our system while contributing little or nothing to it, I propose a mandatory 20% tax on all outgoing wire transfers to be collected at the point of origin. This revenue would go to offset health care or other costs subsidized by – you guessed it – me. Think of it as a sort of modified “value added tax”, where the value is added to my wallet. We’ll even pretend it was your idea, so you can have a press conference and take credit for it.
More Doctors, not More Patients
Imagine the ramifications of changing a system by injecting tens of millions of new patients into it, with the same or fewer doctors as we now have. It would be chaos. We would likely lose doctors in the process as they realize that in addition to huge patient loads and skyrocketing malpractice premiums, the government would dictate what they could charge to provide care. Wait times for basic and critical care would increase to levels seen in Canada and the U.K., maybe beyond, and the quality of care would suffer. We need more doctors, not fewer. Here’s a real example of socialized medicine at work. My aunt in Italy was in great pain and needed rotator cuff surgery. After waiting months to get a surgery date, she was called and the procedure was performed. The cost of the surgery, hospitalization, and medications were covered. That’s where it ended. She had to foot the bill for her own food and anything else provided in the hospital. And, when it came time for physical therapy, that was also 100% out of pocket, twice a week for 6 months. She’s one of the lucky ones.
In Canada, surgery was postponed indefinitely for 1,000 Kelowna, B.C. patients because the Interior Health Dept. ended its contract with the private operating facility that was to perform the procedures. (April 8, 2008 – The Globe and Mail)
About 70 per cent of Quebec’s dentists have opted out of the public health-care system.
The dentists opted out after demands for more money were not met by the provincial government. (March 28, 2008 CTV.ca)
The average wait time for a Canadian awaiting surgery or other medical treatment is over 18 weeks, with some areas a high as 27 weeks. (October 15, 2007 – CBC News Canada)
Would you be willing to accept these conditions for your own care, Madam Speaker?
Reduce Costs via Interstate Commerce
Currently, if I want health insurance I have to buy it from one of a handful of companies who offer it in my area. Well, a little more competition could go a long way.
Here’s a simple yet brilliant idea that’s been floated about: Allow Americans to buy health insurance from companies nationwide. How Capitalistic! Thanks to you and your colleagues, we now find ourselves at the mercy of the legislators and insurance commissioners in our own states. People are forced to buy health insurance policies that not only cover catastrophic illness and hospitalization, but also anything from podiatry, acupuncture, massage therapy, osteopathy, and chiropractic care. Why can’t we just buy what we need? These mandates, when combined with having a small pool of insurers from which to select, add to the cost of policies. In addition, community rating is a failure and should be scrapped. The fact that people pay the same price regardless of age and health status is ludicrous.
Now, I understand that there may be some pushback on this whole ‘competition’ thing from certain companies like BlueCross/BlueShield, for example – who would probably list more competition as their biggest fear – but this is exactly what needs to happen to help bring costs down. What’s that you say – BlueCross/BlueShield and companies like it provide an extremely important and valuable service to millions of subscribers? Yes, I know, especially to Congress. In fact, BlueCross/BlueShield is one of the top all-time donors to Congress, donating nearly $11 million since 2000. (Source OpenSecrets.org – Center for Responsive Politics). But, I understand that this in no way influences your thinking.
How about this angle – interstate commerce in health insurance would actually help our economy. Currently, many people are scared to relocate, change jobs or start their own businesses for fear of losing their current health insurance. Imagine if those obstacles were removed. People could move on and move up, start new businesses, make more money, drive the economy, and yes, even deliver more tax revenue. Think about it.
A 2008 study showed that interstate health insurance competition would reduce premiums and the number of uninsured. From the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research:
“Two University of Minnesota health economists, Stephen Parente and Roger Feldman, presented their new analysis of the impact of state laws and regulations on health insurance premiums. Parente and Feldman analyzed three scenarios for insurance competition: among the five largest states, among all fifty states, and within four geographical regions. They found that the most plausible scenario could produce a net increase of more than 11 million newly insured individuals. In addition, states with the largest regulatory burden (for example, New Jersey and Massachusetts) would experience the greatest movement of their resident insurance customers to insurers based in a less regulated state.”
Reduce Medical Office Administrative and Paperwork Costs
The cost of providing care is also being pushed up by system inefficiencies linked to paper processing in medical offices. These offices deal with a never-ending flow of invoices, checks, statements, and records. A New England Journal of Medicine report that noted that paperwork and administrative costs account for 31% of the total cost of healthcare. Offering private sector innovators incentives to create more efficient digitally-based medical administrative systems, while offering incentives to physicians to use these systems, would reduce the cost to practice and free up dollars better spent in other areas, like patient care. What do you think?
Incentives to be More Healthy
Congress should urge companies to follow the lead of Steven Burd, CEO of Safeway Inc. Rewarding healthy behavior has helped keep Safeway’s health care costs flat while other companies’ costs have increased some 38% in 4 years.
Burd testified before Congress on June 11, 2009, and authored a Wall Street Journal article the following day. He wrote:
“The big difference between Safeway and most employers is that we have pronounced differences in premiums that reflect each covered member’s behaviors. Our plan utilizes a provision in the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act that permits employers to differentiate premiums based on behaviors. Currently we are focused on tobacco usage, healthy weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
At Safeway, we are building a culture of health and fitness. The numbers speak for themselves. Our obesity and smoking rates are roughly 70% of the national average and our health-care costs for four years have been held constant. When surveyed, 78% of our employees rated our plan good, very good or excellent. In addition, 76% asked for more financial incentives to reward healthy behaviors. We have heard from dozens of employees who lost weight, lowered their blood-pressure and cholesterol levels, and are enjoying better health because of this program. Many discovered for the first time that they have high blood pressure, and others have been told by their doctor that they have added years to their life. We reward plan members $312 per year for not using tobacco.
By our calculation, if the nation had adopted our approach in 2005, the nation’s direct health-care bill would be $550 billion less than it is today. This is almost four times the $150 billion that most experts estimate to be the cost of covering today’s 47 million uninsured.”
When Possible and Applicable, Consider Alternative Remedies.
Doctors are often reluctant to even discuss alternative, drug-free remedies because the FDA is not involved in formal approval, for fear of lawsuits, or because the pharmaceutical lobby uses its influence in Washington to ensure that expensive drugs are considered the end-all and continue to flow and be distributed from doctor to patient. From 2000 – 2008, total contributions to Congress from the pharmaceutical industry exceeded $123 Million. (Source OpenSecrets.org – Center for Responsive Politics).
The fact is that many safe and effective herbal supplements have undergone extensive clinical trials by independent organizations, medical centers, and universities. If doctors were more open-minded about this and didn’t have the litigation concerns they have today, perhaps they would be more apt to research and suggest natural and less expensive and damaging treatments for certain aliments and diseases outside of FDA-approved drugs. While there certainly are many wonder-drugs that have helped people and likely saved lives, there are instances where the effects of a drug has proven to be worse than the illness or disease it’s intended to treat. It is in these situations where there are opportunities to both help patients AND save real dollars, and perhaps lives, in the process.
Here is a real-world example. My mother has liver problems. She has Hepatitis-C and was later diagnosed with liver fibrosis, with very high liver enzymes. Having already undergone treatments of Interferon and Rebetol (Ribavirin), two very strong drugs which rendered her weak and barely able to walk due to low blood cell counts, she was reluctant to go through that process a second time. We discussed it as a family and were unaware of other options at the time. So, she decided to proceed at the advice of her physicians. After several tests, she was again placed on a treatment of Interferon and Rebetol. She became so weak that she was admitted to the hospital for several days. Her blood cell counts plummeted, and she nearly died in the hospital. The treatments were stopped. During this time, I started researching other remedies for liver problems and came across an herbal supplement called Milk Thistle. I read testimonials, clinical trial information, and any other information I could find. It was found to be very effective in helping the liver function properly, especially helpful to Hep-C and fibrosis patients, and had no side effects. There was no downside. When we asked mom’s doctors about the Milk Thistle, only then did they admit that, as an alternative, it could help. When pressed as to why it was not suggested by them earlier, they explained that they could not recommend non-FDA approved supplements. When I printed pages and pages of positive documentation on the subject and brought it to my own PCP for an opinion, he discounted it and said he didn’t have time to read it. Mom began taking the supplement, and with no side effects, her liver enzymes returned to normal within months and the fibrosis stopped advancing. This treatment cost $30/month, and we still have mom. The point here is this. Thousands upon thousands of dollars were spent for blood work, various tests, specialists, hospitalization, and drugs – all of which in this case – was not only unnecessary, but almost killed my mother. In a nation of 300 + million, how many people have been in similar situations with various ailments? Probably more than just a few. The potential savings could be staggering. If a paradigm shift can be realized such that doctors are more open minded to other avenues of treatment, again – when possible and applicable – consider how much money could be saved in healthcare overall by refraining from making the first course of action be traditional, ultra-expensive drug-based treatments, and instead at least exploring other potential natural cures. And more importantly, someone’s life could be prolonged or saved.
No Radicals, Please
This may be the most frightening of all. Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel is the brother of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. He has been appointed to two key positions: health-policy adviser at the Office of Management and Budget and a member of Federal Council on Comparative Effectiveness Research. He wrote: “Vague promises of savings from cutting waste, enhancing prevention and wellness, installing electronic medical records and improving quality are merely ‘lipstick’ cost control, more for show and public relations than for true change.” (Health Affairs Feb. 27, 2008).
In the Journal of the American Medical Association, June 18, 2008, he wrote:
“Doctors take the Hippocratic Oath too seriously, as an imperative to do everything for the patient regardless of the cost or effects on others.”
In a Hastings Center Report from November 1996, Emanuel implies that medical care should be reserved for the non-disabled:
“Services provided to individuals who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens are not basic and should not be guaranteed. An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dementia. A less obvious example is guaranteeing neuropsychological services to ensure children with learning disabilities can read and learn to reason.”
Translation – if you’re elderly or disabled, you’re out of luck.
He even professes discrimination against older patients: “Unlike allocation by sex or race, allocation by age is not invidious discrimination; every person lives through different life stages rather than being a single age. Even if 25-year-olds receive priority over 65-year-olds, everyone who is 65 years now was previously 25 years” (Lancet, January 31, 2009).
We don’t need panels and radical experts placing a value on human life and suggesting that doctors place less importance and emphasis on their oaths. This is not only un-American, it is inhuman. Yet, these are the types that Obama is surrounding himself with. This ideology is not only accepted, it is promoted by the statist intelligentsia. This is not openly advertised by the liberal statists – it cannot be – it must be stealthily implemented if it is to succeed to support their agenda.
It has been said that you get the government you deserve. Well, what if you don’t get the government you deserve? What then? We certainly deserve better. That’s when we have to fight with everything we have. Complacency and apathy will only result in regrettable failure and an unthinkable America. What we need is an Administration and Congress who will truly and in fact – not just in lip service and sound bites – represent OUR collective will. We need Executive and Legislative branches who will not be allowed to create a lesser society in the name of remaking America or for political expediency and advancement. This is the ultimate injustice – and one that we cannot and will not stand for – at any cost.
If you’re an American citizen and well informed, you have cause for concern.
If you’re an American citizen and not concerned, you’re not well informed.
Only relentless conservatism, knowledge, and unending determination will allow us to win these battles – and the war has just started. Please stand up and fight.
-Michael DiLuca