A train looking for a track. MRC A Media Reality Check.
If we truly want health reform, we need to rethink the process.
I did not have my computer this past weekend, however I reverted to an older edition of my ‘software’….#2 yellow pencil and a yellow legal pad.
Thoughts flashed through my cranial space.
“ObamaCare”………..whose care is it, anyway? Obama is not delivering the care, so why should his name be on it.? The plan was orchestrated by Ezekiel Emanuel, a well known authority and academic expert on health policy matters. also elder sibling of Rahm Emanuel, known for his family traits of high achievers, and lack of humility or ability to be diplomatic. Rahm and Zeke used to go at it, something like this,
Emanuel and his brother Rahm frequently argue about healthcare policy. Emanuel mimics his brother's end of the conversation: "You want to change the whole healthcare system, and I can’t even get SCHIP [State Children’s Health Insurance Program] passed with dedicated funding? What kind of idiot are you?"[8]
Dr Emanuel spent thousands of hours and several years developing the plan. He was head of the NIH at one time as well. He was pretty high up in medical organizations and must be an expert on health care, yes? NO ? He has an outstanding bibliography having written papers on euthanasia, rationing, death panels, end of life and other optimistic and positive views on life.
I don’t believe he has seen a patient in many years, nor ever operated a medical practice business. The law rightly should be named after the author, let’s call it “Ezekiel Care”, or “Emanuel Care”. That sounds holy and authoritative. After all the law is over 1200 pages long, only slightly shorter than my bible at 1400 pages.
Obamacare is written much like the bible….a multitude of The Secretary of HHS shall………it does sound a bit biblical, indeed. Many ‘thou shalt’s under penalty of ……. Obamacare reads a bit like hail and brimstone. And it will truly end with an apocalypse. I am still figuring out who the 7 horsemen will be in this apocalypse.
However, as usual I digress…
Health Reform is too important to be in the political arena, nor reformed by the ingrained establishments of Congress, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) or the Center for Medicare Services (CMS).
Americans are now highly suspicious about both parties and see much self interest in Congress, progress bogged down by process and parliamentary. There is little if any creative thought going on in those mighty buildings.
In order for Americans to have faith and trust in a health system, the system cannot be devised or run by those in Washington, D.C. Perhaps even a referendum must be organized to win approval of a totally new organization.
Health is a ‘like no other’ service. It involves life or death matters (not only) with almost a religious sense of ethics, priorities and privacy matters.
Reform must be proposed by neutral agnostic non political principals. Who will be these leaders? That in itself will determine the ultimate outcome, success or failure of what is proposed. It will take Jeffersonian creativity to accomplishment and a strong believer in the Constitution. It has a great deal to do with freedom and individual rights.
All of our leaders and Supreme Court Justices are sworn to uphold the U.S. Constitution, however often fail to deliver on their oaths.
The task is awesome to develop a consensus among patients, providers, insurers, hospitals and regulators.
Empty Mandates are worthless, the proposal must have genuine timely deliverables to succeed. It should not be a ‘ Ponzi scheme’ dependent upon the early success of capitalization to work.
We need to begin again….Repeal Obama Care.