Healthy Debate

Campus Report ^ | June 29, 2009 | Mytheos Holt

[bs9021]

Healthy Debate

by: Mytheos Holt, June 29, 2009

Reacting to what some have called President Barack Obama’s recent health care “infomercial” on ABC, Representative Charles Boustany, M.D. (R-LA) recently spoke via conference call to bloggers and journalists about the emerging Republican alternative to the 852-page Democratic proposal.

At the start of the call, Rep. Boustany gave a short and optimistic statement about the potential savings and benefits which the Republican approach possessed. “We believe that we can provide near universal coverage at a fraction of the cost of what the Democrats are proposing by using what’s working today in health care and building off that,” Boustany said, adding that quality and cost, “the two fundamental problems of healthcare…are related at the fundamental building block of health care, and that’s the doctor-patient relationship.” Therefore, Rep. Boustany argued, all healthcare reform should begin “With a doctor-patient relationship that’s built on trust and a long-term working relationship that’s built on trust” and instead of focusing on providing encyclopedic care for all potential sufferers, should instead focus on “preventative” measures such as stopping cigarette consumption or reducing obesity.

When asked about the Democratic healthcare bill, Rep. Boustany characterized the administration of the Democratic public option as “Something similar to a Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac of health care.”

Rep. Boustany also mentioned several areas of the Democratic plan where clarity was needed. “Is the taxpayer on the hook for an unlimited entitlement or does the program fold?” He asked. “Let’s say physicans refuse to sign up as providers, will the secretary of Health and Human Services then coerce physicians to participate?” Moreover, despite the large scope of such endeavors, Rep. Boustany said that “how expensive that’s going to be remains to be determined.”....