Comments on: WSJ Continues To Fear Monger Against Health Care Reform http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/12/31/wsj-mass-attack/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:42:01 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: stateofthedivision http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/12/31/wsj-mass-attack/comment-page-1/#comment-3446 stateofthedivision Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:01:52 +0000 http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/12/31/wsj-mass-attack/#comment-3446 Of course the WSJ is opposed to the Transportation Department's insuring airlines per Bush's December 23rd Executive Order: http://peureport.blogspot.com/2009/01/bush-says-no-bare-planes.html Of course the WSJ is opposed to the Transportation Department’s insuring airlines per Bush’s December 23rd Executive Order:

http://peureport.blogspot.com/2009/01/bush-says-no-bare-planes.html

]]> By: stateofthedivision http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/12/31/wsj-mass-attack/comment-page-1/#comment-3406 stateofthedivision Fri, 02 Jan 2009 01:34:56 +0000 http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/12/31/wsj-mass-attack/#comment-3406 The WSJ reflects corporate America, the group that wants ever so badly to dump that pesky health insurance benefit. Watch for sleight of hand in how "universal health insurance" is implemented. Look for the race to the lowest global common denominator on pay & benefits to continue. Insurance is financing for health care delivery. Look for Obama's pay for performance to cause the same distortions as Wall Street executive incentive pay. Doctors are just as smart as CEO's. What's not mentioned is supply. It takes as long to train a doctor as it does to develop an oil or gas well from scratch. Yet, Bush didn't do squat on America's doctor training mix. America needs lots more primary care doctors than it's currently training. I don't hear anyone talking about this. Hospital beds are more like public utilities. Costs change some if they're staffed or not, but the major cost is in having capacity. The IHT had a piece on struggling hospitals. After major hurricanes, safety net hospitals have struggled to reopen. Some never did. It's a long way to say, they're more considerations to health care reform. Watch the players and the bills. It'll say much about who's driving reform. The WSJ reflects corporate America, the group that wants ever so badly to dump that pesky health insurance benefit. Watch for sleight of hand in how “universal health insurance” is implemented. Look for the race to the lowest global common denominator on pay & benefits to continue.

Insurance is financing for health care delivery. Look for Obama’s pay for performance to cause the same distortions as Wall Street executive incentive pay. Doctors are just as smart as CEO’s.

What’s not mentioned is supply. It takes as long to train a doctor as it does to develop an oil or gas well from scratch. Yet, Bush didn’t do squat on America’s doctor training mix.

America needs lots more primary care doctors than it’s currently training. I don’t hear anyone talking about this.

Hospital beds are more like public utilities. Costs change some if they’re staffed or not, but the major cost is in having capacity. The IHT had a piece on struggling hospitals.

After major hurricanes, safety net hospitals have struggled to reopen. Some never did.

It’s a long way to say, they’re more considerations to health care reform. Watch the players and the bills. It’ll say much about who’s driving reform.

]]> By: Betsy McCall http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/12/31/wsj-mass-attack/comment-page-1/#comment-3394 Betsy McCall Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:38:03 +0000 http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/12/31/wsj-mass-attack/#comment-3394 The public/private model is needed to ensure long term viability of universal health care in the US, along with some form of national review to set standards for promoting evidence based health care and controlling costs. Both of these concepts instill fear in the hearts of those who have profited from the current health care mess. The public/private model is needed to ensure long term viability of universal health care in the US, along with some form of national review to set standards for promoting evidence based health care and controlling costs.

Both of these concepts instill fear in the hearts of those who have profited from the current health care mess.

]]> By: jps http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/12/31/wsj-mass-attack/comment-page-1/#comment-3390 jps Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:01:44 +0000 http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/12/31/wsj-mass-attack/#comment-3390 The sad fact here is that the retiring Baby Boomers are, without adjustments beyond the Obama and Daschle plans, going to feel like they are being rationed access to gerontologists and general family practitioners because they are in such short supply. It's so much more lucrative to be a specialist physician. Adjusting reimbursement rates and student loan forgiveness can help, but without increasing enrollment at medical schools, there's no way around it. Instead of paying medical schools to limit the number of physicians they graduate, we need to use that same money -- and perhaps a lot more -- to directly fund tuition scholarships for bright and talented students who might otherwise chose a career in, for example, opinion journalism with the <i>Wall Street Journal</i>. The sad fact here is that the retiring Baby Boomers are, without adjustments beyond the Obama and Daschle plans, going to feel like they are being rationed access to gerontologists and general family practitioners because they are in such short supply. It’s so much more lucrative to be a specialist physician. Adjusting reimbursement rates and student loan forgiveness can help, but without increasing enrollment at medical schools, there’s no way around it. Instead of paying medical schools to limit the number of physicians they graduate, we need to use that same money — and perhaps a lot more — to directly fund tuition scholarships for bright and talented students who might otherwise chose a career in, for example, opinion journalism with the Wall Street Journal.

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