Saturday, July 25, 2009

Why ObamaCare Will Fail


Obama has good things to say about the Mayo Clinic: "One of the things I’m going to be discussing with the health and the finance committees is how can we change incentive structures so that, for example, places like Mayo Clinic in Minnesota are able to provide some of the best health care services in the country at half or sometimes even less of the costs than some other areas where the quality is not as good.”

But the Mayo Clinic is not as enthusiastic about ObamaCare:

"[T]he proposed legislation misses the opportunity to help create higher-quality, more affordable health care for patients. In fact, it will do the opposite. In general, the proposals under discussion are not patient focused or results oriented."

Denis Cortese, President and CEO of Mayo Clinic (also a physician), has a very interesting perspective. He shared his thoughts on the Charlie Rose show on Wednesday. Please take a few minutes to watch. It's well worth your time.

Unfortunately, Cortese is not opposed to more centralized government intrusion into the health care industry, but he understands the limitations of government imposed health care reform and he knows the rush to implement ObamaCare is doomed to fail.

Here are his most interesting points:
  • We already have several public plans including Medicare, Medicaid, TriCare, the VA system, and the Federal employees health care plan. Why are we wasting time trying to build another?
  • The question is not how to get everybody ensured...Massachusetts has shown that there's at least one way to accomplish that goal. The fundamental problem is designing a delivery system that can provide health care value.
  • Health care value takes quality and cost into account.
  • Congress is focused on cost, there is almost no discussion about quality.
  • An efficient and effective health care system will define value, measure it, and reward it.
  • We must acknowledge that Congress cannot design a health care delivery system, let alone one that provides good health care value. Congress is busy with the job of representing the people, they not selected to be a board of directors for an insurance agency.
  • We have to "get health care stuff out of congress."

Very good points all. There are there many intelligent people in the world of health care who understand the need to get government out of health care. Unfortunately, they don't always see that the way to do that is to turn health care over to the hardworking people and the brilliant minds of the free market.

It is our responsibility to help them see more clearly.


More


Free speech is killing Obama's agenda so Dems are killing free speech

Attack on the First Amendment

Obama's disapproval rating 51% for the first time

A health care reform plan that makes sense.

"Patient Dumping" Scheme Involving First Lady Michelle Obama: Video

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13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lets call a spade a spade. This so called health care reform is actually a health care takeover by our government! Anyone with a brain knows that other countries that have socialized medicine is no where near the quality that the US has now. But it seems that Obama wants to cut the costs of health care rather maintaining quality! This is no more than another power grab to go along with the administrations control of the banks and auto industry. With these acquisitions we will, before long, be calling the president "FUHRER"

dmarks said...

The Mayo Clinic is one of the crown jewels of medical research and care in the world. I've long thought that this was no accident, and any major effort by the Federal Government to tamper with or take over health care might wreck Mayo.

So now Mayo has chimed in against Obama's efforts.

Wrecking Mayo is bad for America, and the world.

Maye is one of the many things that is good with America's health care system, which as it is now works for most Americans. I oppose any effort at "reform" which trashes the entire system.

Focus on fixing it where it does not work. And only there.

RightKlik said...

RIR: I agree absolutely. Democrats (including Obama) have had multiple opportunities to enact good health care reforms over recent years, but because those proposals didn't result in more power for the federal Government.

dmarks: What the healt care system needs most is LESS government

Z said...

I heard the Mayo people were talked to recently and have agreed with the new healthcare plan!? I am SO hoping I WAS WRONG..?

RightKlik said...

They've apparently been placated to some extent by the IMAC plan.

This is why mixing politics and health care is such a bad idea. The health care people don't know much about politics and the politicians don't know much about health care.

It's like an arranged marriage.

Jason said...

The fact that Obama is losing a policy debate this early in his presidency sends a strong signal of things to come. This man was the most popular man on the planet and is losing because people are seeing him for what he truly is -- a statist, radical liberal that wants to transform America into his image. No Thank You.

Once again, Liberals can't govern.

WomanHonorThyself said...

and the Dhimmicrats still defend this madness..arggggggggggggg!

RightKlik said...

Jason: Exactly right. How the people managed to miss the fact that Obama is a dangerous narcissistic statist is beyond me, but I'm glad they finally opened their eyes.

WHT: Support for ObamaCare is diminishing, and Obama's popularity is plunging.

JINGOIST said...

Good post RK. You wrote:
"Unfortunately, they don't always see that the way to do that is to turn health care over to the hardworking people and the brilliant minds of the free market."

Here's the beauty of this statement. The free market doesn't even REQUIRE brilliant minds! It works a dozen times better than socialism based on hustle and dexterity and innovation alone. The Invisible Hand rules the day, and that's Natural law for you!

dmarks said...

The invisible hand of capitalism vs the iron fist of Socialism.

RightKlik said...

JINGOIST: Thank you. It's so hard for statists to appreciate the power of the invisible hand...and it's so easy to caricature. They talk about "do-nothing Republicans", "anti-tax anti government teabaggers", and the social anarchy of libertarianism... But of course it's not about anarchy. The free market is not a passive, chaotic phenomenon. It's active, dynamic and constructive, and it can bring out the best in all of us. Conservatives have to do a better job of emphasizing those points.

dmarks: It should be an easy choice.

Jon said...

Thanks for your post. We've just got to keep up the heat on this.
I just posted on nationalizing medicine at http://nwrandomizer.blogspot.com

RightKlik said...

Jon: Thanks for stopping by.
We have a great opportunity during the month of August to kill ObamaCare.