I've so had it with opposition without purpose

I've decided what's wrong with our government. It's the toddlers. Oh, no, not the nation's ACTUAL toddlers but the bevy of lawmakers who run about shouting "NO" regardless of whether they're offered a cookie or a spanking.

You see, after age 4, it's anticipated that humans will learn to weight options and make careful decisions about saying no. But that's not the case with the average Republican lawmaker. No...even when they campaigned as a friend of a good idea, when the day for the vote comes, they shout "NO" and tantrum their way back into the headlines. Well, I now echo the democratic leaders as I say:

"Republicans are going to oppose health care reform, no matter how many
concessions Democrats make...There's simply no need for bipartisan talks...and
Obama and Democratic lawmakers should stop chasing GOP cooperation that will
never materialize."

Just like any good parent, it's time to stop asking the toddlers for their opinion. Sometimes, things are just good for the toddlers, whether they tantrum about it or not. After all, you don't let a toddler touch a hot stove just because he or she screams "NO" when you stop the wayward hand. You don't let the toddler rush out into traffic just because he or she will toss onto the sidewalk and scream in opposition if you halt the life-devouring act. So, the day has come to accept the Republican temper tantrum and still do what's best for the nation.

Here are some facts for the reality-based:

1. Healthcare rationing is already a way of life.

I deal with this every day. Insurance companies decide which drugs can be prescribed, which doctors can be seen, which procedures are logical, and which specialists may be consulted. I work with a disease called Cystic Fibrosis. Every best practices document in the world repeats that a dietitian is a vital part of CF treatment. But can the children see me? Nope. Not a covered benefit. If the family wants, they can "pay out of pocket" but when families face hundreds of dollars in copays, they don't add on the service. This is healthcare rationing. The industry is deciding what healthcare you can have. So, here's the real question: do you want an executive with a balance sheet determining if you get proper treatment or would you like some say? Do you know that 80% of the care YOU RECEIVE is contrary to best practices for your condition? It is...and a huge reason for that is that your HMO, PPO, or medical group won't authorize the proper treatment.

Personally, I like public programs. My kids on public programs (Medicare, California Care) are much healthier, get better and more rapid care, and have access to anything mentioned as a best practice. That's how government programs run - they are mandated to provide the care deemed appropriate by national health groups. Huh. That sounds like a good practice. It sounds like what people would want.

So - bullshit now called on the "healthcare rationing" tantrum.

2. No one is going to kill granny.

Really. Idiots. Is Medicare killing granny? No. So, it's unlikely that we're going to start now if we've let all these grannies live to ripe old ages for the past 30 years.

Oh & by the way - my medical insurance once had a "death squad" on my behalf. I had an extreme cluster headache that failed to respond to pain medication. My doctor wanted an MRI to rule out anything truly scary, like a tumor. I wasn't dying - that was obvious - but we couldn't stop the headache. The doctor submitted the request for authorization and was told, "Patient may not be viable (aka having capacity for life). Please resubmit authorization once viability established." In other words, my insurance company was betting on my death and wanted to save itself a few thousand dollars rather than diagnose my impending doom.

So, the reality is that when you get expensive sick, your insurance company stops paying. That's their version of a death squad and I see it over and over and over again here at the hospital - by denying care, they deny life. Personally, I'll take Medicare since I've watched Medicare grannies and kids on Medicaid yanked back from death until they sign paperwork saying they're ready for it - that's much nicer than some businessman who has never met me trying to save himself a buck by encouraging me to die.

While I'm on the subject...that's another bullshit call for the "don't kill granny" tantrum.

3. Capitalism means that if we create a better product, the entire industry will evolve to provide the better product. It's good for business to have competition.

The claim is that a public option will drive private insurers out of business and that is anti-free market economics. Okay, the first part is likely true. HOWEVER, the second part is pure tantrum. It's pro-capitalism to create a better, cheaper, more effective product and let the market readjust. The insurance companies have had 30 years to do this on their own - they opted not to do so because, dangit, the profit was too good! So, the time has come to create that better product. There needs to be a shift towards the better, cheaper, more effective product so that the market can readjust. That's capitalism. You know, that thing that supposedly Democrats don't understand (major BULLSHIT there since we're the group that wants EVERYBODY to have an equal voice!)...but in capitalism, the better product gets the customers. Toyota drove the American cars out of business because it built better cars for less money. The public option may drive the private insurers out of their cushy pensions for a while, but then the market will readjust and the private companies will begin to make a better product (or die, as the American car makers chose to do until this recession finally woke them up a little).

So, I have to call BULLSHIT on this confusion of facts. It's just another tantrum.

4. Quality will likely improve with a public option.

Do you know that Medicare is the medical insurance plan with the highest patient satisfaction and best outcomes (despite the fact that 100% of its beneficiaries die - they're just old, folks) in the nation? Guess what has the lowest satisfaction...private insurance plans!!!

Also, guess which countries boast the highest satisfaction and best outcomes? It ain't the US of A, my friends. It's France with its completely socialized system that has somehow led to extremely long lifespans despite terrible lifestyles and Germany with the hybrid system (part private, part public) we're trying to enact here. You see, they're healthier than we are. They get better care. They focus more on prevention and so the public is happier and lives richer lives. And that bullshit about wait times? Guess what - Americans wait longer than Canadians for most appointments and surgeries. Oh, and Canadians are happier with their healthcare than we are.

So, we call bullshit on the "poor quality" argument...reform will likely create better care that will satisfy us more. Sorry, Republicans, but this one is just another tantrum.


I could go on for a really long time because it's all just tantrumy bullshit. We need to change the system and we need to stop letting wealth determine health - because that's bad business. The time has come for Papa America to ignore the whines of his little herd and just do the right thing for the family. Really - the time is past.

But that said, none of us have much hope. The truth is that America is focused on the whiners. That's why a group of the smartest minds in medicine sat around a table the other day with heads in hands lamenting the foolishness of the American people. As practitioners, they see the truth - they are limited in bad ways by insurance companies and only reform can restore them to the way they need to practice in order to improve lives. But that's not likely to happen because Republican tantrums have already effectively terrified the easily swayed public. The dream of Obama has past - in the end, Americans are just whinerbabies who would rather run headlong towards healthcare disaster than face the fear born of progress.

Of course, the medical professionals in question would love to be proven wrong. Please. Prove us wrong. Ignore the tantrums and help the people...help yourself...by choosing reform.