DJP Update 3-15-2010 Shell games and the health bill; PAC donations of “health professionals” by organization; President Obama’s speech today in Strongsville, Ohio
ITEM ONE: Shell games and the health bill
Yes, the “reconciliation bill” released last night is a shell. Sort of a place-holder. The final version has not been posted. Yet we are told the bill must be rushed through this week! And now the deals begin. Remember the old movies and the “shell game”? Guess where the pea is. But slight-of-hand gives the win to the dealer of the shells. Hard to get rid of that memory as one watches the drama unfolding in D.C. But be VERY CAREFUL reading what is in the “shell” as some of those items may remain. Instead of trust but verify, one should consider: don’t trust promises, verify every item in the bill to be voted, assuming it does get a true vote rather than the “Slaughter Solution” which would bypass a vote on the actual bill. Watch for the deals and the failure to remove some of the shocking deals placed in the Senate bill. Be on the lookout for replacement of the Brooklyn Bridge, adding to Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, and on and on. But I jest. I certainly hope so. But be on the lookout for retention of the Senate special favors. I do predict the SGR will not get a permanent fix. I can hear it now, “It just couldn’t be done at this time, Doctor. Keep donating to our party and we will continue to work on it. And get some knee-pads when you come to pay homage to the power-brokers in Washington, DC. That helps when you genuflect. We have the power and we command loyalty and a show of obedience.”
Speaking of donations, that will be in Item Two.
Meanwhile, check out this Weblink to the Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/14/AR2010031401388.html?wpisrc=nl_pmopinions
It gives the opinion of Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee. He gives his criticism of the current bill and the reconciliation game, offers alternatives, Patients’ Choice Act, as well as his own plan, “A Roadmap for America’s Future, and then ends with this:
“If this debate had actually been about health care, we could have worked together to get a grip on costs, make quality care more accessible, address exclusions for preexisting conditions and realign the incentives of insurance companies with those of patients and doctors. Yet this process — including its embarrassing conclusion — demonstrates that the debate has never been about health-care policy but, instead, paternalistic ideology.
“Should the Democrats’ health-care train wreck make it to the president’s desk, it will be a pyrrhic victory, and its devastating consequences will take their toll on our health-care system, our budget and our economy.”
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ITEM TWO: PAC donations of “health professionals” by organization as reported on page 34 of January 11, 2010 issue of Modern Healthcare. Twenty organizations are listed. The info comes from the Federal Election Commission on July 17, 2009 for Jan. 1, 2007 to Dec. 31, 2008.
Check it out. Here are a few examples. The #1 donor is the American Dental Association ($1,923,390). Note that the dentists are not covered under most of the onerous government provisions physicians are. 55% of donations went to Democrats. #2 is the American Medical Association ($1,464,450) and 56% went to Democrats. The American College of Cardiology is listed as #13 and gave $678,416 of which 59% went to Democrats. Note the “limited-license” folks:
American Podiatric Medical Association gave $658,500 and 72% went to Democrats. The American Nurses Association gave $562,466 and 86% went to Democrats. Interesting, for sure. Does any of this increase the interest in “scope of practice” issues when these groups go to Washington? Does the proposed new legislation increase the power of these groups? You decide.
What the article doesn’t mention is the donations from the trial lawyers as they are not health professionals. I don’t have the time to do the research and compare apples to apples but if you have nothing to do, you can research it yourself. A quick look on the Federal Election Commission Website ( /www.fec.gov ) shows, for a different period, the following for the new name of ATLA “American Association for Justice” PAC: $3,252,346 distributed for the 2009-2010 cycle. See http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/cancomsrs/ But to be fair, research the same dates. As for cash on hand, see this link http://www.fec.gov/press/press2009/20090415PAC/documents/27top50tradecash2008.pdf and note AAJ is #5 and AMA is #23 as of Dec 31, 2008.
Enough of this diversion.
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ITEM THREE: President Obama’s speech today in Strongsville, Ohio
President Obama, as usual, made effective use of the rhetorical device “Anaphora”, the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of a series in his speech today in Ohio. See Page 89 of the Communication chapter in my book, “On Leadership…” for other examples of anaphora used by President Ronald Reagan and Winston Churchill. Churchill example: “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight in the fields, …”. President Obama does anaphora well. President Obama today also said, “We need courage!” “This is not about elections.” “…waiting for us to lead!” “Do what’s right!” “I don’t know about the politics.”
I certainly agree with the statements of ” We need courage”; I certainly agree with “Do what’s right!” I certainly agree that Congress and the President should do what is in the best interest of the patients and the USA. What I don’t agree with is the current bill that Congress is trying to pass. So we can all be for covering the uninsured. We can all be for putting the patient in charge. We all can be for reducing the cost of medical care. But we must examine the bill to see if it does that or merely makes the situation worse and leads to fiscal disaster and loss of access to care. So words are great but one must have the proper policy to make those words come true and get to the destination stated by the words. You can’t get to the French Quarter in New Orleans by swimming across Lake Pontchartrain to the North Shore. Wrong direction!
Let every organization interested in this health system reform debate reflect on “Courage” and “Do what’s right!”. And forget the politics and seats at tables. Do the right thing and no one can criticize you for whatever happens if you stay true to the policy and principles of the organization. And there comes a time when someone in an organization has to speak up and not fall prey to “groupspeak” or “true believer” status. Emulate Dr. John Snow of London in the Cholera epidemic and follow the facts no matter what the “leaders” say you must do. That is how progress is made and lives saved. The Nation waits. The Nation watches. This is the final play in this drama. May each and everyone sleep well at night knowing they entered the arena, they fought the good fight, and at the end they were unbowed.
On Thursday through Saturday, Robin and I attend a meeting, the International Conference on World War II, March 18-20, at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, http://www.ddaymuseum.org/
We are inspired always when we attend seminars there. Men and women who had the courage to fight and die for liberty and freedom in the Second World War. Lots of sacrifices made then. We all should keep in mind that courage. I also will start back with interviews tomorrow and hope that all doctors can speak out, do interviews, and reach out to the Representatives in Congress. Don’t let the folks in Congress said, “If only you had contacted me.”
Oh, yes, don’t forget to drop the AMA Board a note about your views. Easy to reach them. As I have stated in previous emails, put first name period last name AT ama-assn.org
Examples:
President: James.Rohack@ama-assn.org
Chair: Rebecca.Patchin@ama-assn.org
You can get the list of all on the Board at AMA Website. Go to: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/about-ama/our-people/board-trustees/our-members.shtml
Effective two-way communication is essential for leadership. Remember, this is the week!
Stay well.
Donald
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