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 nearly 800 U.S. hospitals are at risk of shutting down

    Harry Severance, MD
  • Innovation is moving too fast for health care workers to catch up

    Tiffiny Black, DM, MPA, MBA
  • How pediatricians can address the health problems raised in the MAHA child health report

    Joseph Barrocas, MD
  • How reforming insurance, drug prices, and prevention can cut health care costs

    Patrick M. O'Shaughnessy, DO, MBA
  • Bundled payments in Medicare: Will fixed pricing reshape surgery costs?

    AMA Committee on Economics and Quality in Medicine, Medical Student Section
  • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

    Joshua Vasquez, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why primary care doctors are drowning in debt despite saving lives

      John Wei, MD | Physician
    • How federal actions threaten vaccine policy and trust

      American College of Physicians | Conditions
    • Are we repeating the statin playbook with lipoprotein(a)?

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • When the clinic becomes the battlefield: Defending rural health care in the age of AI-driven attacks

      Holland Haynie, MD | Physician
    • mRNA post vaccination syndrome: Is it real?

      Harry Oken, MD | Conditions
    • Putting food allergy safety on the menu [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • COVID-19 was real: a doctor’s frontline account

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Conditions
    • Why so many doctors secretly feel like imposters

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • Confessions of a lipidologist in recovery: the infection we’ve ignored for 40 years

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • A physician employment agreement term that often tricks physicians

      Dennis Hursh, Esq | Finance
    • Why taxing remittances harms families and global health care

      Dalia Saha, MD | Finance
  • Recent Posts

    • Putting food allergy safety on the menu [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why transgender health care needs urgent reform and inclusive practices

      Angela Rodriguez, MD | Conditions
    • Why “the best physicians” risk burnout and isolation

      Scott Abramson, MD | Physician
    • Why the Sean Combs trial is a wake-up call for HIV prevention

      Catherine Diamond, MD | Conditions
    • Why real medicine is more than quick labels

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician
    • New surge in misleading ads about diabetes on social media poses a serious health risk

      Laura Syron | Conditions

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

    • Why primary care doctors are drowning in debt despite saving lives

      John Wei, MD | Physician
    • How federal actions threaten vaccine policy and trust

      American College of Physicians | Conditions
    • Are we repeating the statin playbook with lipoprotein(a)?

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • When the clinic becomes the battlefield: Defending rural health care in the age of AI-driven attacks

      Holland Haynie, MD | Physician
    • mRNA post vaccination syndrome: Is it real?

      Harry Oken, MD | Conditions
    • Putting food allergy safety on the menu [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • COVID-19 was real: a doctor’s frontline account

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Conditions
    • Why so many doctors secretly feel like imposters

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • Confessions of a lipidologist in recovery: the infection we’ve ignored for 40 years

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • A physician employment agreement term that often tricks physicians

      Dennis Hursh, Esq | Finance
    • Why taxing remittances harms families and global health care

      Dalia Saha, MD | Finance
  • Recent Posts

    • Putting food allergy safety on the menu [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why transgender health care needs urgent reform and inclusive practices

      Angela Rodriguez, MD | Conditions
    • Why “the best physicians” risk burnout and isolation

      Scott Abramson, MD | Physician
    • Why the Sean Combs trial is a wake-up call for HIV prevention

      Catherine Diamond, MD | Conditions
    • Why real medicine is more than quick labels

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician
    • New surge in misleading ads about diabetes on social media poses a serious health risk

      Laura Syron | Conditions

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...