President Barack Obama gave his 29th speech on healthcare reform tonight to a joint session of Congress. Two things really struck me about Obama’s speech – his new insistence that you can keep your own doctor and his new insistence that his plan won’t add anything to the budget deficit (a deficit that Obama has pushed to $9 trillion dollars through his various social programs).
First, Obama’s claim that: “If you have insurance…nothing will REQUIRE YOU to change the plan or doctor you already have.” Well, yes and no. For a speech in which he challenged Republicans to honesty, I was really disappointed by this spin from Obama. First, it’s true. There are no explicit words in the bill that will force you to change your doctor under penalty of death. It doesn’t exist. But you also probably won’t be able to keep your doctor. In fact, it’s happening already.
Let’s look at Medicare. There’s nothing in the Medicare laws and policies that force you to change your doctor. So Obama’s right. But you try to find a doctor who takes Medicare. This isn’t partisan. Take it from the New York Times – doctors are dropping Medicare like a hot potato. Let me give you my own experience. I recently tried to find an oncologist who takes Medicare in my area. The first 12 doctors I called would NOT accept Medicare. So, you have the Government picking up the tab for your healthcare, but you can’t actually get care. [By the way, I’m still searching for a good oncologist in the Eastern Pennsylvania area that takes Medicare – let me know if you know one.]
Second, Obama has claimed that he will not add a dime to the federal deficit. After, he’s added another $7-13 Trillion (depending on who is doing the counting); President Obama has decided that enough is enough. He’s not going to add any more to the federal deficit…and he’s not going to cut care for Americans. Personally, I’ve heard this dozens of times from various President’s over the last 50 years. “We’re going to trim the waste out of the system.” How? Is he going to trim “waste” like diagnostic test for colorectal cancer? For those who don’t know, earlier this year, Obama’s Administration pressured CMS to not cover virtual colonoscopies for America’s seniors. Obama’s actions speak louder than his words.
Like nearly all of America, I turned into the Obama’s speech expecting to hear something new – leadership. President Obama did look and sound very Presidential. But I was left with a “where’s the beef?” feeling. I didn’t hear anything out of Obama’s mouth that I haven’t heard before. It was a broken record experience for me. I was hoping for some fresh ideas and some real leadership, not tired partisan politics with a healthy dose of Bush bashing.
