Barack Obama calls people against government-run healthcare “fear-mongers”, “nay-sayers”, and “Trojan horse peddlers”. Nice, huh? Doesn’t that speak to the level of expertise that the government has in healthcare? I’ve worked as a Registered Nurse for over 13 years, and recently become very active in healthcare policy advocacy. I may not be what everyone considers an “expert”…I don’t hold a PhD…YET…but I do know that when someone resorts to name-calling, they’ve pretty much run out of any reasonable defenses in a debate…

When I spoke with some of the staffers in Washington that are working at offices of Republican Senators and Representatives, I was given a lot of reassurance that they are really trying hard to participate in the healthcare reform debate, but for all practical purposes, are being purposefully “shut out”. The healthcare debate has turned into one political party taking over a sandbox and not letting anyone else play – what in the world is this??? Come on, Congress, GROW UP.

The healthcare industry is one industry that We The People CANNOT allow the government to destroy. Reform is necessary – but this reform is not the responsibility of the federal government. I have seen government run healthcare. Last year, I traveled to Darmstadt, Germany to help care for my Aunt Lilo who was dying of colorectal cancer. Germany, as you know, has socialized healthcare. At many hospitals in Germany, you have to bring your own nightgowns, your own towels. There were no gloves in the room - I had to bring my own and insist that the staff wear those gloves to prevent my aunt from getting even worse infections than she already had. The nurses were amazing – they worked so hard, and had over double the patient load that US nurses handle today. At one point, she was having great difficulty breathing because her abdomen had swollen so much that her lungs couldn’t expand. I requested that the doctors turn up her oxygen to allow her more comfort. I was told by the German physician, “if we turn up the oxygen she may become dependent on it.”

I proceeded to remind the doctor that, we are ALL dependent on oxygen. She just happens to need a little more. After threats directed toward me that I would be escorted from the hospital and my threats toward them that I would call the press and the embassy, Lilo finally got her oxygen increased.

When Lilo had pain, every dose of morphine was a fight. It’s one of the cheapest drugs in the world and we had to kick and scream for every dose. And wait, while my aunt suffered unnecessarily.

They never really said “no” to us. They just never said “when”.

There is already socialized healthcare here in the United States – the Oregon State Health Plan. You may have heard this on the news – this happened last year. Whether you have or not, now is the time to be reminded of what we face if Barack Obama’s plan is brought to life.

“Barbara Wagner was a 64 year old lung cancer patient of Springfield, Oregon. She had a cancer recurrence in May of 2008 and her doctor prescribed a drug called Tarceva – a once a day chemotherapy pill that studies showed increased survival rates by 45% and slowed the growth of this type of cancer. She was notified by the Oregon State Health Plan that they would not cover this chemotherapy, but it would cover “palliative, or comfort care, including, if she chose, doctor assisted suicide.” She was offered this even though she was not considered terminal at that time - the Oregon doctor-assisted suicide is “supposed” to only be for those considered terminal. The good news is that the private pharmaceutical company, Genentech, stepped in and provided one year of this medication to Mrs. Wagner at no charge.”

Sure, government-run health care will pay for some expenses. They will pay for you to die.

I am here today because I want you to live.

There is a huge amount of information and evidence out there that shows just how destructive government-run healthcare can be. The information I give you today is the tip of the iceberg, and I pray that it will motivate you to dig deeper, learn more, and take action to protect your health and the health of those you love.

On June 24^th, President Obama presented 3 rather nebulous aspects to his “public option”. Choice, effective treatment, and cost control. I’d like to help clear up some of this fog for you.

First, choice.

It amazes me how the chess pieces are falling into place here. A cap-and-trade bill is racing through Congress that could financially cripple this country, from the cost of keeping your house lit and warm to the cost of keeping businesses open. And it is being discussed that existing healthcare benefits, the private insurance that we enjoy now, will be taxed. If we begin paying thousands more for necessary expenses – electricity, gas – we won’t be able to afford the cost of private insurance, much less our basic necessities. Employers will have to withdraw their benefit plans in order to remain in business, meaning more jobs lost, and the hard-working people of America will be unable to afford anything else.

This is what Barack Obama calls “choice”.

Effective treatment.

Have you heard the term “Comparative Effectiveness” tossed around? It’s not just a concept. It’s already here. Obama’s plan is to cut medical costs and standardize quality of care through a national computerized medical record system tied to treatment guidelines based on this “comparative effectiveness” research. As your doctor types in your information into their government-certified medical record software, user-friendly ‘pop ups’ provide alerts in real time of what is deemed to be the best option for care, while your information is thrown in to a huge national database that compiles and analyzes patient outcomes. Doctors and hospitals are getting incentives starting in 2011 for using certified electronic records, followed in 2015 by financial penalties on those who are not with the program.

Let me make this abundantly clear: it is completely insane to think a computer system can make sound decisions about patient care. That is the job of a licensed physician. Ask any healthcare provider – you cannot “standardize” the human body, and cannot make treatment decisions based on generalizations. The beauty of medical practice is that it is patient-specific. Every BODY is different. I absolutely refuse to practice in an environment where the people in America are treated by “pop-ups.”

I want you to live.

Cost control.

Barack Obama thinks that “prevention” is the key to cost control. What exactly does this mean? Is the government going to pay for gym memberships for every American citizen? Will there be diet police in every restaurant to make sure that we order properly? Are doctors going to now be responsible for scolding patients for every bad health decision they make, rather than diagnosing illnesses and prescribing treatments? What happened to personal responsibility? One of the hugest problems in healthcare today is that people have totally forgotten about personal responsibility, and want a pill for every fix. We have to be diligent about how we care for ourselves. We all have our vices, our downfalls. You are looking at a bona-fide caffeine addict. And I assure you, if caffeine is outlawed by this administration, I’m moving to South America where I can pluck my coffee off of trees.

Where are these skyrocketing healthcare costs coming from? One aspect I want to emphasize here is “unnecessary” testing that President Obama loves to talk about. My question to the President : How, exactly, do you expect a physician to not order a wide range of tests to check for every possible problem when you refuse to consider any level of protection for doctors against frivolous lawsuits? If you think that doctors are ordering these tests because they get paid more, you are sadly mistaken. Doctors are held to the fire for every test they order – the insurance screams at every scan order, but if they don’t order the scan and happen to miss one little detail, they risk losing their entire life’s work and their very livelihoods. When the President met with the American Medical Association, he made it clear that he is against capping awards in malpractice lawsuits, and actually was booed by the audience – quite an unusual response to a President who is so popular and high in approval ratings, isn’t it?

Please understand that I am not saying that patients do not have a right to bring suit against someone that they feel has maliciously injured them or were negligent. What I AM saying is that it is important that doctors be protected from ridiculous and outlandish lawsuits that can swiftly run them out of business. According to ACOG, 23 states are in “Red Alert” crisis mode, meaning there are not enough obstetricians to meet patient needs. OB/GYN’s are leaving the business because they are unable to afford the skyrocketing costs of malpractice insurance premiums, being driven up every day because of the huge wave of malpractice lawsuits. A survey found that one in seven ob/gyns has stopped delivering babies, and more than 20 percent have cut back on high-risk obstetrics. In researching this, I found that women are having to drive over 80 miles to deliver their children, and there are emergency rooms in some part of THIS country that are not staffed to deliver babies.

But Barack Obama does not think this problem is important enough to include in his reform package.

I wonder if this has anything at all to do with the fact that Barack Obama and his party got about $180 million dollars from attorneys and law firms for the 2008 election, and $752 million over since 1990?…I’m just saying…

What is most disturbing is this is just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more information that you need to know – I would have to stand here all afternoon to get it to you. I charge you to do your homework, and learn what is happening. You can be certain that I am watching this situation like a hawk, and Corey Thompson of The Thirsty Quill has been kind enough to allow me to post the information I find on his blog, at www.thirstyquill.com . I’m sure there will be several more issues coming up, and I will work diligently to make sure that you are aware of what is coming and have an opportunity to try to respond to your elected officials.

Look, right now, at the person that you came with to this Tea Party. Remember how precious this person’s life is to you. Think about those you love – your spouse, your children, your parents, your friends. Then, go home and take action. Whether it be a respectful letter or phone call, you need to communicate with your elected officials – they need to know you are watching, and paying attention. Government-run healthcare cannot happen in this country. Healthcare policy cannot be written by attorneys and career politicians.

I want you to live.

References:

“A Scarlet Stethoscope” – Website for Kristie Chapman’s Blog: http://rnadvocate.blogspot.com

The Thirsty Quill: http://www.thirstyquill.com

Statistics on political contributions: http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=K01

Barack Obama’s response to the AMA regarding malpractice lawsuits: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=7843414

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/15/obama-healthcare-doctors

Barack Obama’s “name-calling” in front of the American Medical Association: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31366944/ns/politics-white_house/

Comparative effectiveness: http://health.usnews.com/blogs/heart-to-heart/2009/03/18/comparative-effectiveness-is-obama-really-calling-for-rationing.html

Statistics on obstetrics/gynecology: http://www.newsrx.com/newsletters/MD-Week/2004-09-17/091320043331115MDW.html

And http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/labor-delivery/support/ob-gyn-shortage/

Barbara Wagner story: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=5517492&page=1

http://www.kval.com/news/26140519.html

http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2009/3623oregon_pay_euthenasia.html

http://www.pccef.org/articles/art67.htm

http://www.physiciansforreform.org/index.php?id=30