I had not seen that statement. But
here are some related thoughts, documented and repeated many times by
me over the last 35 years, orally and in print. (See the relevant
sections of my web site, particularly the "
Health Law" and "
Managed Care" sections).
(www.asthma-drsprecace.com).
- "Rationing" or prioritization will occur because it must occur in
a system where the demand (wants vs needs) will very soon greatly
outstrip the supply. This already exists in every health care
system in the world, but hidden in various ways.
- ObamaCare is a massive Christmas tree that addresses only the
wants of the constituents and not the needs of the patients and of
their "providers".
- Any government-run system will definitely include cost analyses
of health care treatments. "Evidence - Based Medicine", the nirvana of
government analyses, not only considers the experience of Clinical
Medicine over decades as low-level evidence and suspect, but itself
includes cost-benefit determinations. This provides the context
(pretext) for practice of Medicine by bureaucrats instead of by
physicians.
- Physicians are the enemy in this scenario, because they know the
truth and are willing to fight for it in behalf of their patients...but
only to a certain point.
- "The first rule of service is
Survival". No physician is required or expected to destroy
himself in the process of protecting his patient. This is
especially true when only the patient - public, and not the politically
impotent physician, has the power to effect needed change.
- But, to motivate the patient-public to action, he or she must
feel his own "pain". Physicians have tried for too long to shield
their patients from the pain that they themselves have been exposed to
for the last 30 years. No more. That's what allowed
ObamaCare to be passed.
- Of one thing the public can be assured: if his physician is
prevented from practicing Medicine in the way he knows is needed, the
physician will leave the practice of Medicine. The first rule of
a physician is: "First, Do No Harm".
- At that point, you're on your own.
GS