Ex-official, gov candidate defends Obamacare law

The Bay State doc who once headed the federal agency behind the chaotic Obamacare rollout — and now running for governor —  defended the beleaguered program on Boston Herald Radio yesterday and dodged questions about whether President Obama lied.

“Obamacare is far from a complete disaster. It’s a real step forward for the country,” insisted Don Berwick, a pediatrician and Democratic candidate who in 2010 and 2011 headed the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. He sparred with “Morning Meeting” hosts Hillary Chabot, Tom Shattuck and Jaclyn Cashman over Obamacare.

“There are apparently people, I gather, who cannot keep their policies because they do not conform to the new requirements under the Affordable Care Act, which is better coverage,” Berwick said. “Those people had policies that do not provide them with coverage when they need it.”

Berwick refused to discuss his former boss’s promise that Americans could keep their policies. At least 6 million people are losing their current plans and facing higher premiums.

“This is about justice and equity for American health care,” Berwick said. “For anyone to be focused on this comment by the president, for the relatively small number of people whose policies will now get far better health care, is misdirection.”

Berwick claimed ignorance of the technical  details behind the site’s numerous glitches.

Don Berwick reflects on health law woes - October 24, 2013 - Berwick, a Democrat, says government has a “moral” duty to protect children, seniors, the sick, and the otherwise disenfranchised. He calls Obama’s health reform a “majestic law.”

Before this guy (is he gay? so many pediatricians are...) manages to become an iconic member of the medical community, keep in mind that two things are going on here...

1) there is a certain kind of physician that does anything he/she can think of to avoid actually seeing real patients. They run for office, they become members of administration, they become active in license and other kinds of boards.

2) pediatrics is one of the few specialties that is made up of liberals. Doctors are conservative. I am frankly suspicious of pediatricians unless they are in a surgical or otherwise high-powered subspecialty in a teaching environment. TAKE YOUR KIDS TO A FAMILY DOCTOR. There are as may nuts in pediatrics as there are in psychiatry.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.