(crossposted at GOPaint)
When you were a kid, you probably played monkey in the middle. You know the rules, two kids try to pass something (a ball usually) between themselves and the "monkey in the middle" tries to intercept the ball. Well, if you listen to the Conservative talking points, you'd think that this is what progressives are trying to do to your health care.
It's a tired old refrain by now: "We don't think it's right to put a bureaucrat between you and your doctor". Today, it was Senator Tom Coburn who spewed this mental vomit:
If you look at VA even though VA is improving, it’s still not up to the level of health care in the rest of the country. The idea that a bureaucrat somewhere will make decisions about health care and coverage I think is untenable to most Americans
Coburn's statement is just one in a line of GOP leaders who keep saying the same thing. Not surprising considering this is Talking Point #4 on the "THE 10 RULES FOR STOPPING THE
"WASHINGTON TAKEOVER" OF HEALTHCARE" written by Dr. Frank Luntz (GOP pollster/talking point maker) in an effort to frame universal health care in a negative manner:
(4) The arguments against the Democrats’ healthcare plan must center around "politicians," "bureaucrats," and "Washington" ... not the free market, tax incentives, or competition. Stop talking economic theory and start personalizing the impact of a government takeover of healthcare. They don’t want to hear that you’re opposed to
government healthcare because it’s too expensive (any help from the government to lower costs will be embraced) or because it’s anti-competitive (they don’t know about or care about current limits to competition). But they are deathly afraid that a government
takeover will lower their quality of care – so they are extremely receptive to the anti-Washington approach. It’s not an economic issue. It’s a bureaucratic issue.
But wait, there's more, rule #7 states:
(7) "One-size-does-NOT-fit-all." The idea that a "committee of Washington bureaucrats" will establish the standard of care for all Americans and decide who gets what treatment
based on how much it costs is anathema to Americans. Your approach? Call for the "protection of the personalized doctor-patient relationship." It allows you to fight to protect and improve something good rather than only fighting to prevent something bad.
Do you see the picture Luntz (and by proxy, GOP leadership) is trying to paint:
Now, anyone who has ever had or currently has health insurance AND has an ounce of critical thinking skills can see the idiocy of this talking point. The way the system is currently constructed, there already ARE bureaucrats between you and your doctor. IF you can even afford healthcare in the first place. We call these bureaucrats "insurance industry accountants" or "insurance CEOs". Or in picture form:
Who exactly does Senator Coburn think makes decisions about whether or not your policy will cover your illness? Who rejects millions of people for "pre-existing conditions"? Who decides to jack your premium up 20-30% a year, putting your doctor so far out of affordable reach that you could fit a room full bureaucrats in between? Who decides that your prescription won't be covered by your existing policy? Who decides which doctors you can go to? It sure as shit isn't the GOVERNMENT. It is for-profit bureaucrats. You know the "we need to maximize profits at all costs" types. How do you think insurance companies make their insane profits? By DENYING CLAIMS. For-profit companies are driven (by definition) by...you guessed it...profit motive. And the only way to make a profit in the healthcare biz is to gouge people on premiums and deny, deny, deny claims.
But wait....Senator Coburn wasn't finished. He unleashed this doozy:
the fact is, is the government hasn’t proven itself responsible in any health care program that is run so far.
This is even more incomprehensible than the first part of his pile of verbal diarrhea. Two thoughts immediately come to mind:
- Most veterans, most SENATORS (that's you Mr. Coburn) and government officials LIKE their health care. You know, the government run program they have.
For example from an excellent article at the Washington Monthly
"The quality of care is outstanding," says Peter Gayton, deputy director for veterans affairs and rehabilitation at the American Legion. In the latest independent survey, 81 percent of VHA hospital patients express satisfaction with the care they receive, compared to 77 percent of Medicare and Medicaid patients.
Want more proof? From a 2006 study:
This better care also comes at a higher perceived quality and lower actual cost. A telephone survey performed by the National Quality Research Center determined patient satisfaction levels on a scale of 100. The VHA scored 83 and 80 on inpatient and outpatient care, respectively. This compares to scores of 73 and 75 nationally (Stein, 2006). An average of $5000 is spent per patient in the VHA system, as opposed to a $6300 per patient national average
- Are you, Senator, implying for-profit healthcare companies have been acting responsibly? How about "Billion Dollar" Bill Maguire, investigated by the IRS and SEC, who took home a cool $1.6 BILLION upon leaving his post as CEO of UnitedHealth. How'd he make that money? Easy:
UnitedHealth and other managed care providers have essentially become medical brokers, making money at the expense of an inefficient system.
They may allow doctors to make treatment decisions, but they ultimately decide who gets paid and who doesn't. They are the arbiters of capital in the medical community, and for that, they extract a hefty price.
On Wall Street, brokers get their price from us in the form of commissions. On Med Street, it's in the form of premiums.
What exactly is "responsible" about premiums outpacing wage growth at such an obscene rate:
If Senator Coburn is serious about the government being "inefficient" and "irresponsible", perhaps he could put his healthcare where his mouth is. He, and his fellow Republicans should all opt out of the government run program and enlist in the for-profit industry.
Somehow, I doubt that will happen.