Health care

Articles of Interest

September 14, 2009

Van Jones, Jay Leno, smoking in Kansas, Obama’s health care speech.

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Health care reform threatens anesthesiology, patients

September 14, 2009

While doctors aren’t the only source of information we should use when considering health care reform, they are on the front lines of providing care, and so their insights are valuable.

Recently, Ronald Dworkin contributed An Anesthesiologist’s Take on Health-Care Reform to the Wall Street Journal. He makes some good observations on doctors in general, and on the special nature of anesthesiology.

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Health Czar, interrupted

September 11, 2009

The Sam Adams Alliance presents another humorous look at health care reform in American. The first, Health rations and you, was very popular on YouTube. Now: “After months of Americans happily sacrificing for the Health Administration Bureau, Health Czar O’Brien holds his first press conference, ready to answer the tough questions.”

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Death goes to Washington

September 11, 2009

Wichita activist Wendy Aylworth has taken her cause, Morticians for National Health Care to Washington. This group, a tongue-in-cheek preview of the future Wendy believes we face under ObamaCare, seeks to inject a little humor and satire into the debate over health care reform.

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President Obama’s health care speech

September 9, 2009

Speaking to a joint session of Congress and the American people, President Barack Obama laid out his latest vision for health care reform.

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Health care video fails to make case for universal, “socialized” medicine

September 8, 2009

A video that’s getting some viewers on Youtube (235,000 as of this moment) serves as an illustration of how wrong the left is in its prescription for health care reform.

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Government institutions not role model for health care

September 6, 2009

One of the arguments used to promote more government involvement in the provision of health care is this: government already provides so many services, and government does it so well, that we ought to turn over medicine to it too.

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Some without health insurance are eligible

September 6, 2009

Last week we looked at U.S. Census data regarding the number of people in America without health insurance, and we saw that a large number of people are eligible for various free insurance programs, but haven’t applied. The number may be as high as 14 million.

Today’s Wichita Eagle has a story that may illustrate such a case. A family of four — two adults, two children — earns $2,000 per month, but has no insurance.

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Wichita Eagle letter promotes taxes, big government

September 5, 2009

Today’s Wichita Eagle carries a letter to the editor that, like many we’ve seen before, makes claims and espouses beliefs that are totally opposite to freedom and liberty. In today’s example, Omer C. Belden of Wichita argues that we should “concentrate on saving such successful programs as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.”

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Uninsured count needs explanation

August 28, 2009

One of the problems in the health care debate today is lack of facts — at least facts that all sides of the debate can agree on. Without such agreement, without a basic set of facts and data to reason from, we’re not likely to make any progress.

One example of a fact often used as evidence is the high number of uninsured in America. Often the number cited is 45.7 million, which is a substantial fraction of our population. The source of this number is the United States Census Bureau report Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007. Specifically, the table “People Without Health Insurance Coverage by Selected Characteristics: 2006 and 2007″ (page 22) gives this number, along with some detail and breakdown by various characteristics.

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Swiss system could be best of the big-government reform alternatives

August 27, 2009

At a recent forum on health care in Wichita, the system of health care in Switzerland was mentioned as a system that we could learn from.

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Health care talk gives alternative to big-government reform

August 26, 2009

At a recent forum sponsored by the South Central Kansas 9.12 Group, Dr. George Watson of Park City, Kansas laid out a conservative case for health care reform. His messages was different than that of most reformers: instead of more government involvement, we need less government.

“Yes, we need change,” he said. He also said that a public option will result in government takeover of medicine.

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Not all health care administrative costs are wasteful

August 20, 2009

One of the issues discussed in the health care debate today is the allegedly wasteful administrative and overhead costs of private health insurance, compared to — again allegedly — efficient government processes.

The article Comparing Public and Private Health Insurance: Would A Single-Payer System Save Enough to Cover the Uninsured? makes some useful points.

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What type of turf is a lie?

August 13, 2009

The Lone Star Times reports how, at a town hall meeting in Texas, an Obama supporter claimed to be a physician when asking a question. But she isn’t: Obama camp plants fake doc, Che fan at Jackson Lee forum.

I wonder if this happened at the same Sheila Jackson Lee town hall where the Member of Congress talked on the telephone while citizens asked questions. Classy.

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Astroturf, Obama style

August 12, 2009

At the recent New Hampshire town hall meeting, President Obama took a softball question from a young girl. It seemed innocent enough. Almost natural.

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The real right to medical care versus socialized medicine

August 11, 2009

In 1994, George Reisman wrote a pamphlet explaining the problems with America’s health care system. He criticized the Clinton plan for reform, and offered an alternative based on freedom and markets rather than government interventionism. It is a brilliant work, and still relevant today: “I wrote this essay to help defeat the Clinton plan for socialized medicine. In all essentials it’s as valid today as it was then. It’s a demonstration that government intervention inspired by the philosophy of collectivism is the cause of America’s medical crisis and that a free market in medical care is the solution for the crisis. I urge everyone who wants to help defeat the essentially similar Obama scheme to read it.”

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Health reform: look at Oregon

August 10, 2009

In less than 90 seconds this video highlights the upside-down priorities of Oregon’s Medicaid system. Lobbying groups have used the political process to push coverage for special-interest causes like substance abuse and weight loss treatment ahead of treatments for some kinds of cancer on the priority list.

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Eliminate all health insurance profits, and what’s left?

August 7, 2009

Those who advocate government takeover of health care and the elimination of private insurance cite the “wasteful overhead” and “high profits” of health insurance companies. But: “Net income comes to just a few cents per dollar of premiums.

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Eugene Robinson doesn’t get it

August 7, 2009

“I don’t know if you’d call it passion or manufactured passion … the uproar at these meetings is counterproductive .. and it’s organized, which I think is the most disturbing part of it.”

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Sebelius takes cover in loving union arms

August 6, 2009

“Possibly to avoid any confrontation with concerned citizens who have read the proposed health care legislation in Congress, HHS Secretary Sebelius will hold a conference call on Friday with health care activists and SEIU members.”

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Profit motive in health care is essential

August 4, 2009

I wonder: who has the greater incentive to avoid wasting money on useless overhead? The government, or a private company who can keep the money saved as profits?

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John Stossel covers Canadian health care

August 4, 2009

John Stossel covers health care, particularly health care in Canada, on the ABC television new show 20/20. Why anyone would want to bring this to the United States is a mystery. Click on Health Care: Does Canada Do It Better? to view the video. Reaction from viewers is at Reaction To Healthcare Segment.

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How will government run our health care?

August 3, 2009

Other than the source of its premiums, Medicare is no different, economically, than a regular health-insurance company. But unlike, say, UnitedHealthcare, it is a bureaucracy-beclotted nightmare, riven with waste and fraud. Last year the Government Accountability Office estimated that no less than one-third of all Medicare disbursements for durable medical equipment, such as wheelchairs and hospital beds, were improper or fraudulent. Medicare was so lax in its oversight that it was approving orthopedic shoes for amputees.

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The right to health care

July 18, 2009

Is there a right to health care in America?

If you believe in liberty, the answer is no.

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In Wichita, concern shown for direction of health care

July 17, 2009

Today, about 30 activists gathered in Wichita to express their concern over the possible takeover of health care by the government. For me, what I will remember from today is the story told by Wendy Aylworth about the death of her cousin’s daughter.

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Health rations and you

July 16, 2009

Normally I shy away from using humor when discussing such a serious issue as health care. But this is a humorous look at what lies ahead if we’re not diligent.

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Canadian health care: a personal story of tragedy

July 15, 2009

Here’s a message — much more than that, a heartfelt story — I received from my friend Wendy Aylworth. She cares very deeply about the direction America is headed regarding health care. Now her family has suffered a tragedy caused by government control of medicine. Here’s her story.

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Wichita tea party planned to protest government-run health care

July 15, 2009

Healthcare is the focus of another round of tea parties taking place this week across the country. The Kansas chapter of the grassroots group Americans for Prosperity will organize a rally this Friday in Wichita.

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European health care rationing boards: coming to America?

July 14, 2009

Returning to a letter in the Wichita Eagle written by Brad Beachy of Wichita: He’s making the case that nationalized health care of the type found in Europe is both cheaper and better than what we have in America.

Cheaper, yes. Better? Let’s take a look.

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World Health Organization ranking biased, not reliable

July 13, 2009

A letter in the Wichita Eagle written by Bread Beachy of Wichita makes the case for “so-called socialized medicine” to be brought to the United States. Part of Beachy’s argument relies on a ranking produced by the World Health Organization. That ranking has a number of problems.

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Obama-style health care: the effects in England

July 9, 2009

In the debate of what to do about health care, advocates — such as President Obama — cite countries that spend much less than the United States. An example is the United kingdom.

The president believes that if we can control costs through better medical practice and efficiency gains, we too can have more health card provided at less cost.

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Articles of interest

June 22, 2009

Chemical security, national health care, global warming cost, school order.

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In Wichita, protest of ABC’s Obama coverage

June 21, 2009

Here’s a message from a local patriot and activist. She is rightly concerned about ABC News — the national organization, not the local affiliate — and its upcoming coverage of the Obama administration.

Protest in Wichita in front of ABC affiliate KAKE news TV at 1500 N. West St., Wichita this Wednesday, June 24th starting at 4 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. Please join us! We are protesting the fact ABC is propagandizing the American public and deceiving them.

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Government health care rations by making patients wait

June 10, 2009

David Gratzer, a physician born and raised in Canada, gives us in the United States a preview of what government health care is all about: the waiting. He ends up asking “Why are [Americans] rushing into a system of government-dominated health care when the very countries that have experienced it for so long are backing away?”

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Government-run health care focus of June 6 demonstration

June 2, 2009

This Saturday, Wichita-area citizens will have an opportunity to let their fellow citizens and the Obama administration know of the dangers of government control of health care. The event will be on Saturday, June 6, 2009, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.

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Demonstrating against government control of health care

May 24, 2009

America Protests 2009-05-24 08

Today a dedicated group of citizens worked for two hours to get out the message that government control of our health care is not in our best interest.

Another protest will be held on June 6.

One of the banners (and an adorable puppy) promoted the website Free Market Cure.

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Sedgwick County industrial park chasing uncertain industries

May 21, 2009

Sedgwick County is considering becoming a developer of an industrial park. The county is limiting itself to deals described as a “home run,” meaning a company that plans to hire more than 1,000 workers.

The problem is that there are few of these deals each year. Maybe just five to eight. But Sedgwick County’s policy makes those odds even worse.

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The audacity of hopelessness

May 18, 2009

By Gregory L. Schneider

President Barack Obama has had his way with business in his first hundred days in office. He is the only president in American history to fire a CEO of a private business, Rick Wagoner of General Motors. He called bondholders of Chrysler Corporation speculators after they refused a government-financed deal that would have paid them one-third or less of what they are owed; they would rather go through regular bankruptcy proceedings. Recently, out of fear of a nationalized health care system, private insurance trade associations and health care providers have pledged to the president that they will reduce $2 trillion in health care costs over the next decade. It might be the audacity of hope for President Obama, but it’s hopelessness for the private sector.

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Government-run health care focus of May 24 demonstration

May 17, 2009

Next Sunday, Wichita-area citizens will have an opportunity to let their fellow citizens and the Obama administration know of the dangers of government control of health care.

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Is it greed when someone else pays?

May 15, 2009

A letter to the editor in today’s Wichita Eagle under the title “Greed rules” states, in part: “There is no reason that the United States remains the only civilized nation in the world not to have a single-payer health system except that greed rules our country.”

I wonder: Is it greed to want someone else to pay for your health care?

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Walter Williams on the housing crisis

April 22, 2009

Economist Walter E. Williams explains the causes of the housing crisis. Then, why would we let these same people who caused the housing crisis take charge of health care? Short and worthwhile viewing.

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