In the movie, Forrest Gump, Forrest (Tom Hanks) said, “Mama always said, ‘Stupid is as Stupid does.’” How could one better describe the “historic vote” of the House of Representative on March 21, 2010?
Here are my top ten examples:
1. A Speaker of the House who barged ahead with a costly, unpopular plan leading her lemmings over the cliff into the sea of red ink, which will drown all of us in incalculable debt.
2. The former “protector of the unborn” who caved in for a promise of an executive order from the most pro-abortion lawyer/President ever. I can imagine that the “high fives” reported by Robert Gibbs in the White House were accompanied by comments such as, “We got our man, Dupedpak, or Stupidpak, for a promise that isn’t worth the paper it is written on.”
3. The AMA for not listening to their state medical societies—the doctors who actually treat patients every day, but instead followed the lead of their business interests and high-level staff. Given the history of past legislation—for example, the failure to achieve portability in HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), what makes the AMA think they will get their “permanent SGR fix”? The sustainable growth rate (SGR) method means automatic fee cuts to doctors if Medicare spending increases more rapidly than considered acceptable. But perhaps they will get to keep their lucrative monopoly on producing procedure (CPT) codes for Medicare.
4. The AOA (American Osteopathic Association) who continued to sit “at the table” purporting to represent all DOs. They thought they could negotiate and compromise. But physician integrity and autonomy are not things to compromise. And what did they get? The SGR is about to slam Medicare providers with a 21% pay cut April 1, 2010. April Fools!
5. Any doctor, who is already in handcuffs with all the rules and regulations of Medicare, holding out his hand to accept government money (and leg irons) to computerize his office, giving away the confidentiality that his patients entrusted him to protect. He will be shuffling from patient room to room bound up in all the new regulations, quality measures, and he might get to spend five minutes with the patient—with his face in his computer.
6. Tinsel Town, the land of make believe. With the great roles played by Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan and Tom Cruise playing the lead in Valkyrie, you would think they might recognize the socialist takeover of our country (Putin did, and said so in February 2009, when he warned Obama and Blair not to go down the failed Marxist path), but they just play the role.
7. The leftist news media who could report all kinds of shady deals—but don’t.
8. The American people who really believe that lawyers and politicians can improve American medicine, when the Medicare program (resisted by the AMA in 1965) is bankrupt. They believe the absurd World Health Organization (WHO) rating of American medicine as 37th – which is based on WHO’s perception that U.S. medicine isn’t “fair,” meaning equally shabby for all. In fact, people of financial means anywhere in the world choose to come to the U.S. for their medical care, as Premier Danny Williams of Newfoundland did recently for his mitral valve repair. It might not be fair to the other Canadians waiting for surgeries, but Williams said, “It’s my life and my health.”
9. Anyone who believes that Newt Gingrich is providing unbiased information. He lauds the benefits of health information technology (HIT), but does not disclose his huge financial interests in gathering all of the personal information on every American patient in the system so bureaucrats can make QALY (quality adjusted life year) determinations to see whether you are eligible for treatment.
10. Any doctor who quits medicine and leaves his patients, rather than opting out of Medicare and ALL insurance plans, so he can practice medicine the way he dreamed it would be when he started medical school. The procedure for doing this can be found by searching on “opting out,” as on www.aapsonline.org.
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Dr. Watson, President of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, practiced traditional-insurance-based osteopathic family medicine for 23 years. In 2003, he cancelled all insurance contracts and OPTED OUT of Medicare. He continues to work 100% for the patients–not the insurance companies. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the AAPS since 2006. Dr. Watson is an outspoken advocate for the practice of private medicine, the patient-doctor direct model. He has been interview by Fox News Channel and multiple networks. Dr. Watson has spoken at numerous Tea Parties and has recently testified in State of Kansas Senate hearings on amendments to the state constitution to reaffirm the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and an amendment to affirm Health Care Freedom for all Kansans. Additional information on Dr. Watson: Before medical school, George Watson, D.O., was an Air Force officer winning the Husik Trophy in Navigator Training and Air Medal with oak leaf clusters for combat missions in Vietnam in the F-4 Phantom. During medical school, at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, he completed the Air Force Flight Surgeons Course with honors, later serving in the 184th Fighter Group in F-16’s.
3 thoughts on “A Forrest Gump Look at Healthcare Reform”
My nomination: YOU and all your doctor brethren who have had years to come up with your own suggestions to fix health care but never seem to get around to it. I don’t know how any of you look at yourselves in the mirror when so many people, and especially children, go without medical care because the medical community puts profits ahead of life and health. When many doctors are making hundreds of thousands of dollars every year and hospitals are charging $50.00 for a bandaid – I really don’t think you have much credibility when you complain while people die for lack of treatment. Check your moral compass- it’s pointing in the wrong direction. You’re not helping anyone by just childishly whining.
Your response to this article is exactly the kind of sensationalist crap that put this bill into law in the first place. Do you have any idea of the sacrifice that goes into practicing medicine (especially primary care)? Dr. Watson and others spend their lives serving others and saving lives. Can you say the same? The only reprimand of physicians that is warranted is that they are not strong lobbyists (Dr. Watson and some others excluded).
This article does not suggest that healthcare reform is not needed, only that the current legislation does a horrible job at addressing the serious issues. Constitutional rights of physicians AND patients are violated in this new law. Also, even someone who is short-sighted should be able to see the devastating long-term effects (with little payout) this legislation will have on the economy and our health rights in general.
You should open up your mind and read more. Seriously.
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