Mo docs in DC say slow down health reform train
From left, Dr. Geoffrey Beale, Michelle Burke, Dr. John Krause, Dr. Dennis Munson
WASHINGTON — A Washington Post poll this week showed that Americans have warmed to a public option in health insurance overhaul (57 % supported it) and liberal lawmakers are pressing to insert a government-run plan in legislation being hashed out.
But the message was much the opposite this morning on the U.S. Capitol lawn from a trio of Missouri physicians, accompanied by a fearful patient, aligned with the Coalition to Protect Patient Rights.
The coalition, which calls itself a nonpartisan grassroots organization and claims 10,000 members, has delivered a consistent anti-public option message and urged a deliberate pace in altering the health insurance system.
“This sure looks like a fast train to nowhere,” said Dr. John Krause, an orthopedic surgeon from Chesterfield, noting that his nine years in the military (Air Force) left him aware of potential problems of more government involvement in health care.
Echoed Des Peres dentist Dennis Munson: “The government wants you to step aside from your personal responsibility and they will take care of you.”
Concern about care is what prompted Michelle Burke, of St. Louis, a heart patient for nine years, to join more than 100 physicians and nurses, many clad in their professional whites.
“I have a great relationship with my doctor,” she said, adding her worry that deeper government involvement in medicine could end it.
Dr. Geoffrey Beale, a radiologist from Columbia, said he understood one of the speaker’s exhortation for Congress to start all over in crafting a new health insurance system.
“So what?” he asked. “Isn’t it more important to get it right than get it fast? We know that if we don’t get it right, government is not going to turn right around and fix it.”
Beale and the others planned to take their messages to offices of Missouri senators and several House members.
Negotiations are underway that could lead to legislation with a public option — an as-yet undefined government entity that would compete with health insurers. A much-publicized Senate bill that passed the Finance Committee earlier this month did not contain a public option.
But a move is afoot to add the public provision in negotiations, and moderate Democrats are being pressured to accept a version of a public plan perhaps with a provision allowing states to opt out.
Clearly…these people are all racists.
WAPO poll skewed question and the # of democrats polled. Rasumussen poll shows majority still oppose “public option”.
Wonder if Charlie Dooley considers these people “HATERS” too?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4pmSI7OxFw
hmm… a bunch of rich people that don’t care that health care is unavailable to a great many Americans, causing bankruptcies galore and 40,000 deaths each year. color me unsurprised.
And, Carl, your “statistics” are d-mned lies as the saying goes. EVERY reputable poll out there shows that most Americans support health care reform, probably because they know that leaving it up to the vampiric insurers is NOT an option at this point.
Wow, three whole doctors? Of course, if you actually poll doctors, as the New England Journal of Medicine did, you find that over 63 % support a public option: http://healthcarereform.nejm.org/?p=1790 (it’s actually over 73% if you include the doctors who prefer a single payer system). What a ridiculous political stunt.
Well said, Brian.
What I’m still trying to figure out is why anyone really cares. After all, if there’s a public option, you don’t have to subscribe to it. Of course now it’s been watered down sufficiently enough that it no longer does anything but require you to have health insurance, which is another win for insurance companies.
Even if this were perfectly crafted and would positively drive down costs and create competition, insurance companies and they politicians they donate money to will be fighting it tooth and nail. If people did not already know, insurance companies do not care about patient care, they care about profits. I worked for Blue Cross and Cigna collectively for 8 years. Trust me, I have seen medical care that was very much helping cancer patients and other serious illnesses denied for not medically nescessary or experimental, and have seen people who are very healthy trying to get individual policies be either denied coverage or told they would have to pay high risk deductibles of around 700 dollars a month for their premiums.And if you want to see death panels, just look up what it is that a managed care/medical management department, an appeals department or the insurance company medical director really does and read between the lines if the job description is coming from an insurance co. Also, if you want to see paying more for healthcare, I work in HR as a benefits specialist, and this year there is a trend for many companies to pass the increased costs on to its employees by increasing deductibles and copays as well as premiums. I had to get out of the insurance industry because it was very frustrating, and something definately needs to be done about it,I just hope the course Washington is taking is the right one. Guess we will soon find out. One thing i guess is positive, anyone looking for a job, health insurance copanies always have opening w/ a pretty decent wage for customer service reps to defend their crap policies when members call up p.o.’d about a bill.
Clearly these people are tools of the health insurance companies spouting focus group approved ‘concerns’ about the pending legislation in order to try and kill reform. There’s lots of concern using the code words, ‘government involvement with health care’ is simply meant to scare people.
Medicare is government health insurance. It is that bogyman ‘government involved in healthcare.’ So is the VA which has a higher satisfaction rating and lower costs than private care.
My question is, “Why are these people interested in protecting the profits of the private health insurance companies instead of trying to modify the system so we can provide good, affordable health care for all Americans?”
Can you please change this misleading title to, “THREE Mo docs in DC say ….”
Liberals love big government control over everyone’s lives…