Posted on 08/20/2009 7:05:20 PM PDT by Kaslin
Reading the transcripts of President Obama's "town hall meetings" this month on heath care reform is painful. He's preaching the right gospel, but the parishioners are getting restless. The harder he tries to sell his program, the louder and angrier the debate gets — and the more the general public tunes out the politicians.
It reminds me of the polarizing Iraq debate of several years ago. Forgive the analogy between war and health care, but maybe Obama needs the medical equivalent of a Gen. David Petraeus — that is, a professional who can break through the political chaff and describe a strategy for reform that can unite the country.
I have a nomination for the medical commander role, and it won't surprise anyone who follows this issue: Dr. Denis Cortese, the chief executive of the Mayo Clinic. He's already doing what the nation needs — that is, providing high-quality health care at relatively low cost.
Every time I listen to Cortese explain what's wrong with the system, I have the same reaction: Let him and other smart health professionals lead us out of the political morass. Talking to Cortese this week, I heard two themes that cut to the heart of the current debate.
First, he thinks Obama has made a mistake in moving toward the narrower goal of "health insurance reform" when what the country truly needs is health system reform.
Imposing a mandate for universal insurance will only make things worse if we don't change the process so that it becomes more efficient and less costly. The system we have now is gradually bankrupting the country; expanding that system without changing the internal dynamics is folly.
(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...
Bump!
Obammy is a naive IDIOT!
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