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Context, adorno.

Yeah, context. Which is precisely why I commented the way I did after reading the whole article.

His wife is eminently qualified to work as a doctor in the U.S., and there are barriers preventing her from getting into the practice, including the unavailability of residency openings throughout the U.S.

Most of the doctor's remarks do attack Obamacare, however, this portion of his remarks are not exactly about how damaging Obamacare would be: Now, wouldn't one imagine that if the administration were really serious about this, the first thing they would have done would be to take some of that initial trillion dollars of "stimulus" money and fast-track the creation of new residency programs for all the doctors trying to get their licenses? Maybe they would even eliminate some of the residency requirements altogether and foster more reciprocity agreements, so that more foreign-trained medical graduates could legally work in this country.

To me, that sounds like the doctor is saying, Obamacare would not have been so bad, if only some of the stimulus money had been used to facilitate the creation of new residency openings, where his wife might then have a chance to start towards practicing medicine in the U.S. That to me sounds like, if only Obama had made things easier for his wife, things might not seem as damaging as they do now. It's all a matter of, "what's in it for me (or my wife)".

Question:

Does anybody believe that, if the careers of doctors were not as threatened by Obamacare as they are from the law as written, that those doctors would care about how damaging Obamacare would otherwise be to the economy and to healthcare in general? In other words, if doctors were guaranteed that, their careers wouldn't be affected in any way, and the only effects would be to the healthcare industry and to the economy and to patients, would the doctors and doctors to be, express as much concern as they are now? Sure, there would be a certain percentage who would care about how the patients would be affected, but, in general, would most doctors care, if their careers were basically unaffected?

In other words, if doctors were guaranteed that, their careers wouldn't be affected in any way, and the only effects would be to the healthcare industry and to the economy and to patients, would the doctors and doctors to be, express as much concern as they are now?

Your hypothetical is specious. Doctors are part of the healtchare industry.

"In general, would most doctors care, if their careers were basically unaffected? "

Yes, I think. Basing it on an admittedly small sample: my primary care physician, my rheumatologist, and my orthopedic surgeon --- the doctors with whom I have personal contact.