Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

10 ways United States health reform may fail

Richard Reece, MD
Policy
January 26, 2010
Share
Tweet
Share

One, develop a plan that the presently privately insured Americans, estimated at 200 million, pay more in premiums, and to just make sure you succeed, immediately starting raising taxes by $400 billion over the next decade.

Two, alienate those over 65, the most dependable voting bloc, by promising to cut Medicare by $500 billion over the next ten years with the false promise, which you know you cannot fulfill, of not cutting benefits.

Three, turn young voters, who supported you in droves in 2008, by mandating they buy insurance or face financial penalties of $750 or more, or 2% of their incomes, to be enforced by the Internal Revenue Service, or by a new bureaucracy.

Four, ignore polls of the American people, which now, on average, run +12.6 percent against your plan, as they now understand it, and dismiss those who attend tea parties, mass rallies, and marches on the Capitol as “misinformed,” “liars,” or “fascists.”

Five, exclude the political opposition from the debate, vote against their amendments, hide their alterative suggestions from public view, call them the party of “No,” and remind them they have no voice in a matter of such “historic” and “moral” magnitude.

Six, dominate and control the debate through pronouncements from intellectuals, policy wonks, and ivory tower dwellers, of known political persuasions, and through media filters and denial of media access, as if there were no other legitimate or credible points of view.

Seven, mandate everything in sight – from individuals, to employers, contents of health plans, to market options for obtaining coverage – to assure the government remains in the catbird’s seat and to make sure it is your way or the highway.

Eight, create the illusion, even the reality, that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely by buying votes or promising permanent political favors that Congress persons cannot resist, even if those favors lose elections for recipients of those favors and drive up federal deficits, already at a record high.

Nine, defy the wishes of Founding Fathers, the American Culture, and the Constitution, all designed to create checks and balances against an overly authoritative federal government run by the intelligentsia and to the elite and to give more power and a greater say to common people.

Ten, pay no attention to evidence that America outperforms socialist countries in medical innovations, market developments such as retail clinics and worksite clinics, superior results in treating cancer, heart disease, other life or lifestyle threatening disorders, and to health empowering information technologies.

Richard Reece is the author of Obama, Doctors, and Health Reform and blogs at medinnovationblog.

Submit a guest post and be heard.

Prev

Are doctors ready to accept remote medicine?

January 26, 2010 Kevin 6
…
Next

Extended military deployments to combat areas increase stress, anxiety and depression among families

January 26, 2010 Kevin 1
…

ADVERTISEMENT

Tagged as: Public Health & Policy

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Are doctors ready to accept remote medicine?
Next Post >
Extended military deployments to combat areas increase stress, anxiety and depression among families

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Richard Reece, MD

  • What matters in an optimal consumer health care market

    Richard Reece, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Medicaid is Obamacare’s sleeping giant

    Richard Reece, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Ebola: We suffer from unrealistic expectations

    Richard Reece, MD

More in Policy

  • Why direct primary care (DPC) models fail

    Dana Y. Lujan, MBA
  • Why doctors are losing the health care culture war

    Rusha Modi, MD, MPH
  • The smart way to transition to direct care

    Dana Y. Lujan, MBA
  • Bearing witness to the gun violence epidemic

    Michelle Weiss
  • The false link between Tylenol and autism

    Anonymous
  • Why doctors are leaving insurance-based care

    Dana Y. Lujan, MBA
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • A doctor’s letter from a federal prison

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are losing the health care culture war

      Rusha Modi, MD, MPH | Policy
    • The hypocrisy of insurance referral mandates

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • A cancer doctor’s warning about the future of medicine

      Banu Symington, MD | Physician
    • How to stay safe from back-to-school illnesses

      Kevin King, PhD | Conditions
    • A doctor’s promise after a patient’s suicide

      Vikram Madireddy, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Rethinking the JUPITER trial and statin safety

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • The ignored clinical trials on statins and mortality

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • How one physician redesigned her practice to find joy in primary care again [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • I passed my medical boards at 63. And no, I was not having a midlife crisis.

      Rajeev Khanna, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors must fight for a just health care system

      Alankrita Olson, MD, MPH & Ashley Duhon, MD & Toby Terwilliger, MD | Policy
    • The silent disease causing 400 amputations daily

      Xzabia Caliste, MD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • How to stay safe from back-to-school illnesses

      Kevin King, PhD | Conditions
    • The burden of the eldest daughter

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • A doctor’s letter from a federal prison

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Physician
    • A surgeon’s reflections on God, intelligence, and being a good cell in the universe [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • A doctor’s tribute to her father

      Manisha Ghimire, MD | Physician
    • Can AI help physicians tackle health care’s most pressing challenges?

      Microsoft & Nuance Communications | Sponsored

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 14 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • A doctor’s letter from a federal prison

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are losing the health care culture war

      Rusha Modi, MD, MPH | Policy
    • The hypocrisy of insurance referral mandates

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • A cancer doctor’s warning about the future of medicine

      Banu Symington, MD | Physician
    • How to stay safe from back-to-school illnesses

      Kevin King, PhD | Conditions
    • A doctor’s promise after a patient’s suicide

      Vikram Madireddy, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Rethinking the JUPITER trial and statin safety

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • The ignored clinical trials on statins and mortality

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • How one physician redesigned her practice to find joy in primary care again [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • I passed my medical boards at 63. And no, I was not having a midlife crisis.

      Rajeev Khanna, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors must fight for a just health care system

      Alankrita Olson, MD, MPH & Ashley Duhon, MD & Toby Terwilliger, MD | Policy
    • The silent disease causing 400 amputations daily

      Xzabia Caliste, MD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • How to stay safe from back-to-school illnesses

      Kevin King, PhD | Conditions
    • The burden of the eldest daughter

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • A doctor’s letter from a federal prison

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Physician
    • A surgeon’s reflections on God, intelligence, and being a good cell in the universe [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • A doctor’s tribute to her father

      Manisha Ghimire, MD | Physician
    • Can AI help physicians tackle health care’s most pressing challenges?

      Microsoft & Nuance Communications | Sponsored

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

10 ways United States health reform may fail
14 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...