Obama - The Date-Rape of the Economy

Barrack Obama has gone on the offensive in trying to ram his health care system overhaul through the collective throat of the American public. According to a Washington Post - ABC News poll, less than 50% of Americans approve of the plan, and 44% disctinctly disapprove. Many of us, including many who serve in government, have resisted Obama's attempt to charm us into submission, resisting his advances and "all-hands" approach. But he is determined to have his way with us, at all costs, and he is getting angry. "We will reform health care," he emphatically states, and "It will happen this year." Like many men, when I was raised I was taught that "no" means "no" - so why can't Obama just back-off and behave like a gentleman?

If he would put his hands back in his own pockets instead of ours, he might take some time to take a longer and harder look at our healthcare system. I understand that roughly 12% of Americans do not have health insurance. Well, that means 88% do... not too shabby in my opinion. And those that don't have insurance still can get medical care. Many people are simply averse to purchasing insurance of any sort, and fail to purchase automobile insurace or other forms of hazard insurance. Just like there is a natural rate of unemployment, I believe there is likewise a natural rate for the uninsured.

I hear the word "reform" so often in this debate. I am not quite sure what that word means - after all, perhaps the finest medical care in the world is offered right here in the good old US of A. I think most people think that medical insurance is just too expensive, because the underlying costs of medical care are skyrocketing. Perhaps "reform" really should mean trying to lower the underlying costs of health care and consequently, health care insurance.

One of the largest expenses for any physician is his own medical malpractice insurance coverage. For many types of physicians, such as OB/GYN's, a quick Google search can tell anyone that this coverage can run as high as $200,000-$250,000 per year. (Obama could even do this late at night when he is seeking a cigarette.) This equates to roughly $1,000 per work day! With an office visit of $100 a pop, that could mean a physician's first 10 patients a day only cover this one cost - of many - that physicians must endure to be in business.

Medical malpractice insurance is so high because malpractice awards are so high. Individuals who have been hurt by a negligent physician often are awarded million upon millions of dollars - far exceeding what they might ever earn in their lifetimes. So perhaps the first place to start in lowering the cost of medical care is with tort reform. There is no price one can put on the heads of my loved ones, so why even bother? God forbid I lose someone I love, but should I get $50 million for it?

I don't claim to have all of the anwers, but I know that a rushed, thrown-together massive government healthcare overhaul that runs roughshod over our economy and picks the pockets of a small slice of America's citizens, when we are screaming "no!" is no better than date-rape. Obama needs to be a gentleman and be patient. If he is patient he may get his way, and it may feel much much better.