Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Obama's Misguided Approach to Healthcare

Yesterday Obama had the audacity (of no hope!) to lecture doctors for ordering too many tests, thereby driving up the costs of healthcare.

Is he really that clueless?

Doesn't he realize doctor MUST order multiple tests to avoid being sued for malpractice? In our current sue-happy society, aided and abetted by the Democrat's protection of the American Trial Lawyers Association...one of their largest supporters, we have forced our healthcare providers into a constand C.Y.A. mode of practice.

A doctor friend told me awhile ago that in 95% of his cases he could order one test to confirm his diagnosis, then proceed with treatment. But in the current liability climate, and the demands of his medical malpractice insurer, he has to order a multitude of tests to just to protect himself from potential liability.

But costs don't end there. Malpractice and product liability costs drive up the price of EVERYTHING in medical care by orders of magnitude, as manufacturers are forced to take a belt and suspenders approach to everything they provide to our doctors.

Yet discussion of tort (the area of law within which malpractice falls) reform is off the table, as far as Obama is concerned.

And that's before we even get into government mandates that further hobble our healthcare providers. And that's all before this Administrations current round of proposals for MORE regulation and digital record-keeping requirements.

It's exactly this type of myopic view of major problems that is causing this administration to drive us down the road to ultimate economic oblivion.