Obama: To Save Healthcare, I must Impugn the Motives of those who Provide It
posted at 11:02 pm on July 22, 2009 by Slublog
At the end of his primetime press conference, President Obama was asked whether national health care would lead to reduced service and whether doctors would continue to make health care decisions. After a bit of rambling, Obama said this:
Right now, doctors a lot of times are forced to make decisions based on the fee payment schedule that’s out there. So if they’re looking and you come in and you’ve got a bad sore throat or your child has a bad sore throat or has repeated sore throats, the doctor may look at the reimbursement system and say to himself, “You know what? I make a lot more money if I take this kid’s tonsils out.”
Earlier today, my wife and I visited the offices of a pediatric surgeon. We were there to get a surgical consult for my younger daughter, who was born with an umbilical hernia. Basically, it’s a condition in which the intestine sticks out through a small hole in the abdominal muscles. It’s not life-threatening, but does sometimes require surgery to repair.
The doctor who examined my daughter did profit from our visit, but could have made a lot more money if she had recommended surgery. She did not. The doctor told us that the hernia would most likely resolve itself in a few years and that there was nothing to worry about, which came as an incredible relief to me and my wife. The thought of my daughter under anesthesia and the knife is terrifying. The doctor made a decision based on her experience and medical judgment, not on whether she would financially benefit. Little did I know that her decision would preemptively disprove a presidential statement.
My wife works in the healthcare industry, and when I showed her the video of Obama’s statement, she reacted with incredulity, because she knows the truth – those in healthcare work hard to earn the RN behind their name or the Dr. in front of it. The vast majority of them do not do so because of the paycheck they’ll earn, but because they know their work will help save or improve the lives of others. When the president suggested otherwise, he slandered the motives of every doctor and nurse who treats patients on a daily basis.
And for what? To support his ideological belief that government should pay for health care. In short, to save health care he has to demean the motives of those who provide it.
Nice work, Mr. President.
Blowback
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Well, when he called the Chrysler bondholders “speculators”, that should have been a tipoff.
cthulhu on July 22, 2009 at 11:43 PM
We haven’t elected a president, we’ve elected a buffoon. Thanks 52%.
TeeDee on July 23, 2009 at 12:58 AM
What do you call someone who needs to insult others to make you feel better about yourself? The answer is an individual who is inept and insecure with their own abilities, [e.g., a bully]. This someone didn’t get a sock in the nose earlier in their life to discourage this kind of behavior.
Obama’s pattern of behavior is to degrade and insult any or all achievers no matter what the circumstances are or occupation under discusssion. He sets up the “us versus them” argument with almost every speech presentation. I like to call it the “subject and predication of an Obama speech.” The subject, in this case was medical professionals, the verb was to attack and discredit integrity by saying MD’s & RN’s are in it only for the money and the object was to pursuade the misinformed public to accept universal health care because to government cares more for them then medical professionals. Did he succeed?
This is Obama’s “modi operandi,” if it advances his socialistic or soft tyranny agendas then he will continue to use it. He will not change this pattern of behavior until somebody socks him in the nose.
Exit questions — Are we becoming more accustomed to being insulted that we are now the problem instead of the solution? Some people are lost and are taking these insults as compliments and shouldn’t that be a bad thing? Are we to continue to allow these condemnations of our lives and livelihoods to persist by someone who’s really just a glorified used car salesman with a Harvard degree?
Americannodash on July 23, 2009 at 1:44 AM
Yeah, he took a big dump on the health care industry and local law enforcement. Not bad for an hour’s work.
Jim Treacher on July 23, 2009 at 3:46 AM
I think lots do it because of the paycheck AND because they will help others, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Obama is wrong simply because doctors don’t need to do unnecessary surgery to make money. I don’t know of any doctors hurting for work. They do just fine performing the services people really need.
Daggett on July 23, 2009 at 6:55 AM
Doctors like the drug companies are the scapegoats in the left’s scenario. The media have a great job of demonizing them as money grubbing. The stage is set and no amount of truth telling will change the minds of our dumbed down citizenry.
erp on July 23, 2009 at 7:30 AM
They must use madlibs to write their speeches at the Whitehouse. This is a standard formulation for Obama.
Fill in the blanks:
1. auto bilouts / unions / investers
2. global warming / the planet / Exxonmobile
bitsy on July 23, 2009 at 8:50 AM
The AMA is hiding in the bathroom from their members.
TexasJew on July 23, 2009 at 8:52 AM
Wasn’t there a weird quote about medical tests? I can’t find the exact quote, but it went something like … ‘if you go to one doctor and they give you 1 test, then you go to a 2nd or a 3rd doctor and get 2 more tests when you only needed 1 then you are being greedy and wasting money’
So, I take it that second opinions will not be allowed under Obamacare.
bitsy on July 23, 2009 at 8:53 AM
Every time I hear Obama talk about medical issues I cringe. He is not qualified to give people medical advice yet he is always trying to do so.
Blake on July 23, 2009 at 8:53 AM
Thank you, Slublog. This has been my experience as well. Doctors and nurses are generally smart enough that they could make more money, with less strain, in another profession.
mikeyboss on July 23, 2009 at 8:55 AM
I mentioned this several times earlier. I think that should be a big concern. Plus, if you’re not happy with your doctor, you can’t just make an appt with a new one. Eventually, it will be like Canada where it will be illegal.
Blake on July 23, 2009 at 8:55 AM
The AMA is hiding in the bathroom from their members.
TexasJew on July 23, 2009 at 8:52 AM
——
Hopefully, the AMA membership have long memories.
Mew
acat on July 23, 2009 at 8:56 AM
The very second that one of his kids become sick he would DEMAND that every “unnecessary” test available be performed on that child.
Perhaps he is unaware being the president & all that normal people have to sometimes wait hours to see their doctor because the doctor is very busy with numerous patients during the day. One of my doctors wants blood work on me every 6 months because of my past medical history. It’s not Unnecessary but instead a precaution.
His arrogance will precede his downfall.
poppieseeds on July 23, 2009 at 9:00 AM
Oh get off your high horses you gun toting, chattering class, Bible clinging, racists.
katablog.com on July 23, 2009 at 9:01 AM
Obama seems to have spent his entire life learning to hate just about every aspect of the American culture, its people and its success.
hmmmmmm…..
Makes you wonder what has happen to our country that we put him in the WH.
katy on July 23, 2009 at 9:02 AM
Sent this message to the AMA this morning:
I’ve been in private practice for nearly 20 years and have never been so insulted and infuriated.
BrianA on July 23, 2009 at 9:03 AM
Let’s see if we can make up a scorecard. Obama has already called out the following as enemies of the people:
Rich people
Insurance workers
Doctors
Police
Republicans
And that was just in one day, right? By the end of his term, will there be anyone left who will still vote for him?
jwolf on July 23, 2009 at 9:05 AM
I was thinking this morning, if I were an MD I would be furious at this man.
I hope you are not the only one to voice your outrage.
katy on July 23, 2009 at 9:08 AM
jwolf on July 23, 2009 at 9:05 AM
you forgot a few
profit motivated
White Grandma
Wall Street
Senior bondholders who expect a senior position
katablog.com on July 23, 2009 at 9:08 AM
As I said in another thread;
1) Obama assumes that people are too stupid to realize that they can say “no” to any procedure (unless the government gets involved and mandates it!) or ask for a second opinion.
2) Obama assumes that doctors have no principles nor ethics, because he doesn’t have principles or ethics. To Obama, doctors are apathetic, money grubbing, snake oil salesmen that will force all of their patients to have unnecessary procedures just so they can make payments on their Ferraris. What a moron Obama is, he totally disregards that doctors actually take and abide by the Hippocratic oath and the evidence is that doctors will help people regardless of their citizenship or ability to pay. Doctors usually leave the billing to their personnel and concentrate on the medicine…/facepalm
Obama and his ilk won’t even recognize that its THEM (the government and lawyers) that pose the biggest problems for our healthcare system. Defensive medicine is practiced because of the risk of litigation and the rise in insurance costs for doctors. Medicare and Medicaid don’t pay enough to cover the cost of visits, so patients with private insurance have to make up the difference, not to mention that its an unfunded obligation (how many trillions in IOUs are in those trust funds?) that politicians have been robbing from decades.
Obama YOU are the problem, not the doctors. I know you can’t understand logic and reason because you’re such a ideological hack, but tort reform will do more than ANY program you’ll ever dream up. Show us you can reform and fix Medicare and Medicaid first, since we already have mini-universal healthcare and its broken because its government run, and then we can look at government run universal healthcare. The entire history of government run programs is full of failure, so the Dems want to up the ante and expand the scope of their (doomed to fail) efforts and make even bigger failures…I have to wonder, is it stupidity or maliciousness?
Geministorm on July 23, 2009 at 9:10 AM
katablog.com on July 23, 2009 at 9:08 AM
Thanks, I knew I was short a few items. Keep that list growing!
jwolf on July 23, 2009 at 9:11 AM
There are about 800 or so pediatric surgeons in a country of 300 million. They and many other doctors like ENTs have more work than they can do in a day (and middle of the night), I doubt they are trying to operate only for the money if it is not necessary. But if demonization is your weapon of rhetorical choice, then that is what you fall back on when your substantive argument fails.
txmomof6 on July 23, 2009 at 9:13 AM
I think it’s the greatest quote ever. I’m a nurse. I can guarantee that doing unnecessary surgery is a quick way to get sued or to get one’s license taken away.
Not only is he demonizing doctors with this quote, he’s demonizing nurses who question doctor’s treatment plans to ensure good care. Apparently all people who work in healthcare are amoral Nazis who act more like Mengele than Florence Nightingale. That’s good to know.
If that’s the view of the government in Obamacare, than I’ll be quitting, thank you very much. I will not work in a country that my job is treated like that.
mjk on July 23, 2009 at 9:17 AM
DON”T BE A DAMNED FOOL SLUBLOG!
That pediatric surgeon is just grooming your little girl now, so she’ll be able to get her hands on her tonsils later.
Kasper Hauser on July 23, 2009 at 9:22 AM
It’s a natural instinct amongst liberals to assume that everyone who doesn’t work for govt is either incompetant, or evil.
MarkTheGreat on July 23, 2009 at 9:22 AM
I will second this. When I had skin cancer a few years ago, I was told that as an extra precaution they could remove a lymph node but that due to the early stage of the disease it wasn’t entirely necessary and that if I wanted to save the money I could quite safely do so. In fact of all the medical treatment I’ve had in this country, I have not once been pressured to have anything done that wasn’t entirely necessary, nor have I ever felt that a doctor was “money grubbing.” I have no doubt that this goes on in rare cases but as usual, the left uses the rogue exceptions to tar and demonize the majority, just as they do with the police and the military.
Sharke on July 23, 2009 at 9:23 AM
I must admit by the time I made this statement I had turned over to a sports channel to avoid hurling my dinner at the TV. I have never heard him accuse the medical profession of greed driven medicine other than making the decision to have one more test before performing a procedure. Normally he blames the insurance companies and with over 30 years in the industry, I heard enough of that bs to tune it out. However, notice he never says a thing about the activities of ambulance chasing attorneys that have forced medical practiioners into the practice of mandating that one additional test to protect himself in the event of a suit. Lets disbar 50% of all attorneys in the country and lets see what the effect of that would be on the cost of health care.
georgeofthedesert on July 23, 2009 at 9:32 AM
Oh my, I’d like to print a string of special characters but will resist the temptation. My hubby is an ENT doc who takes great personal satisfaction in treating his patients wisely and appropriately. He makes teaching appropriate self-care to patients a priority. This includes the use of effective OTC meds where appropriate rather than prescription meds. This includes recommending trials of less invasive options before more invasive ones. I did medical transcription for the four years he was in med school, including for the NIH, Nat’l Cancer Inst. and for docs in private practice and have worked as a health educator and on legislative issues for local and state medical society auxiliaries. I don’t know personally of any physician who approach what they do any less earnestly than I have described. To have the president paint the profession in such terms that are so foreign to my experience — well he just lost any microscopic shred of credibility he might have hoped to have with someone like me. I’m forwarding Grassfire.org’s “Fax 101 key lawmakers” option today to everybody I know. If you’re interested in the letter I drafted to send, let me know.
mubando on July 23, 2009 at 9:33 AM
I think he’s confused. When I was a kid in the 60′s, it was almost a “fad” to get your tonsils removed. I still have my tonsils (only because my sister hemorrhaged when her’s was removed) and I refused to get mine taken out.
When my two daughters were younger, I asked our doctor about them having theirs removed and he said they don’t remove them anymore.
It really is tiresome to have to hear his facts that he’s just pulling out his butt.
moonsbreath on July 23, 2009 at 9:43 AM
I am embarrassed that my country is lead by this churlish ignoramus who does not seem to be capable of engaging in reasoned debate, but only of making snide and false comments about people who actually are leaders in their chosen fields. I call him “President Cheapshot”.
drunyan8315 on July 23, 2009 at 10:02 AM
It’s all about taking down Big Doctor.
LibTired on July 23, 2009 at 10:29 AM
My daughter also had a relatively large umbilical hernia.
It resolved itself overnight. Literally overnight.
She went to sleep with an umbilical hernia and a really big ‘outie’ and woke up with an ‘innie’.
Prayers that your daughter’s resolves so perfectly.
kimsch on July 23, 2009 at 10:48 AM
Obama thinks doctors are in it for the money instead of the desire to help people, because as a politician he is in it for the power instead of to help people. He can’t understand why you would want to help someone if you don’t get a kickback. Tool.
sammypants on July 23, 2009 at 11:07 AM
Thanks. We’re not worried about it. Her pediatrician just wanted a specialist to take a look at it to make sure no surgery was needed.
Either that, or like Kasper Hauser says above, it’s all about getting a glimpse at the tonsils for future harvesting.
Slublog on July 23, 2009 at 11:23 AM
Hear, hear, Brian. If I were still a member, I would quit.
mikeyboss on July 23, 2009 at 11:37 AM
Had the EXACT same thing happen to me yesterday. It was my daughters 2 month check up. She also has an umbilical hernia. The doctor said it would probably clear up on its own.
Little did he know that he passed up an opportunity to make $$$$. Could have tossed in a tonsillectomy for just a few bucks more.
MagicalPat on July 23, 2009 at 11:42 AM
I live in a land where lawyers are calling doctors profiteering opportunists. Where the hell am I?
mchristian on July 23, 2009 at 11:50 AM
Last week this moron was praising the AMA for getting on board his plan. This week he’s changed from ‘healthcare reform’ to ‘healthcare insurance reform’. Last week it was the insurance companies standing in the way, now the doctors and the whole medical community are the problem. Just like a courtroom, divide and conquer. Since the pharmaceutical companies already kissed the ring, he has eased up on them. Now he’s insulted every single hardworking police officer in the country, or worse, put them on notice they are not to do their jobs. But, where do you suppose he and Meanchelle will go for their Friday date night? AF1 is standing by for his beck and call.
24K lady on July 23, 2009 at 4:54 PM
I guess when you are someone who lies and cheats, makes illegal deals, pays to play, and hangs out with race baiters, and bombers you assume everyone else is crooked too.
sarainitaly on July 23, 2009 at 6:19 PM
Hmmm….one day, that man is going to need a doctor, and a doctor is going to give him a piece of his mind.
ted c on July 23, 2009 at 6:29 PM
Okay, reduce payments to doctors. Then, smear their integrity. See what you reap–you’ll have some untrained clinician with some cracker jack certification lacerating an artery in the back of the throat of some little child. Nice, really nice—hack away at the quality and morale of some of the most technically skilled and professional people in our society today. The people who are trained to put sharp things down your throat and then send you home happy tomorrow. My daughter needed her tonsils out, not because of allergies you fricking toolbag, it just so happened that they were double the size of normal and were occluding (that’s shutting off for you toolbags in DC) her airway (that’s the pipe she breathes through you pudwhack). Dr. Poole in Savannah, GA did a marvelous job on her and she’s been great ever since. Physicians like that are heroes and improve the lives of children and parents. They should be receiving our thanks and not denigration.
ted c on July 23, 2009 at 6:33 PM
In Soviet Russia, and soon to be Soviet America, doctors earn the same as factory workers.
steveegg on July 23, 2009 at 6:45 PM
Glad to hear your daughter is ok Slu. Good post.
Dash on July 23, 2009 at 7:15 PM
I’ve had my share of experiences with pediatricians and a few pediatric specialists, unfortunately. It’s only unfortunate because each time I had to visit one of these fine people, it meant that one of my kids wasn’t at their best. But each and every time, we have had wonderful care. I’ve never doubted for a moment that decisions were made with my child’s best interest at heart. I have a lot more faith in my pediatrician to make decisions regarding my children’s health than I do in some government pencil pusher who has never even met them.
TX Mom on July 23, 2009 at 8:21 PM
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