White House quietly exempts pampered politicos

WOLF: Tawdry details of Obamacare

By Dr. Milton R. Wolf

If you would like to know what the White House really thinks of Obamacare, there’s an easy way. Look past its press releases. Ignore its promises. Forget its talking points. Instead, simply witness for yourself the outrageous way the White House protects its best friends from Obamacare.

Last year, we learned that the Department of Health and Human Services(HHS) had granted 111 waivers to protect a lucky few from the onerous regulations of the new national health care overhaul. That number quickly and quietly climbed to 222, and last week we learned that the number of Obamacare privileged escapes has skyrocketed to 733.

Among the fortunate is a who’s who list of unions, businesses and even several cities and four states (Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio and Tennessee) but none of the friends of Barack feature as prominently as the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

How can you get your own free pass from Obamacare? Maybe you can just donate $27 million to President Obama‘s campaign efforts. That’s what Andy Stern did as president of SEIU in 2008. He has been the most frequent guest at Mr. Obama‘s White House.

Backroom deals have become par for the course for proponents of Obamacare. Senators were greased with special favors, like Nebraska Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson and his Cornhusker Kickback and Louisiana Democrat Sen. Mary L. Landrieu and her Louisiana Purchase. Even the American Medical Association was brought in line under threat of losing its exclusive and lucrative medical coding contracts with the government.

Not only are the payoffs an affront to our democracy and an outright assault on our taxpayers, the timing itself of the latest release makes a mockery of this administration’s transparency promises. More than 500 of the 733 waivers, we now know, were granted in December but kept conveniently under wraps until the day after the president’s State of the Union address. HHS is no stranger to covering up bad news; in fact, this is becoming a disturbing pattern. Last year, Secretary Kathleen Sebelius hid from Congress until after the Obamacare vote a damning report from the Medicare and Medicaid Office of the Actuary showing Obamacare would cost $311 billion more than promised and would displace 14 million Americans from their current insurance.

For this administration, transparency promises last only until the teleprompter is unplugged.

Backroom deals and cover-ups may be business as usual for Washington, but understanding why the Obama administration protects its friends from Obamacare offers special insight into what the purveyors of the mandate themselves think about their own law. This is key: The waivers aren’t meant to protect victims from unintended consequences of Obamacare; they are meant to exempt them from the very intentional increased costs of health insurance that the law causes. Under Section 2711 of the Public Health Service Act, Obamacare increases the annual cap of insurance benefits, which sounds great - as does everything else in big government - until the bill comes due, in this case, in the form of higher insurance premiums.

In short, the administration has decided that you will face increased health insurance premiums, but special friends in the unions will not. Look closely, and you’ll see not only the White House‘s duplicity but also what the Obama administration really thinks of its crown jewel, Obamacare. White House words say that the annual insurance benefit cap is a feature of the program, but its actions say that it’s a bug.

The question remains: If Obamacare is such a great law, why does the White House keep protecting its best friends from it?

Our democracy cannot allow a president to exercise the unholy power of picking and choosing winners and losers, of choosing who must follow his flawed laws and who gets a free pass. If any American deserves a waiver from Obamacare, then all Americans do.

It was Mr. Obama himself who infamously said, "We're gonna punish our enemies and we're gonna reward our friends." This president speaks anything but softly, and Obamacare is his big stick.

It's time to give every American his own waiver: Repeal Obamacare.

Dr. Milton R. Wolf is a board-certified diagnostic radiologist, medical director and cousin of President Obama. He blogs daily at miltonwolf.com.

h/t:  Laredo Tea Party  -  White House quietly exempts pampered politicos

Bill Hemmer

Breaking News: US JUDGE IN FLORIDA REFUSES TO IMPOSE INJUNCTION AGAINST OBAMA HEALTHCARE LAW.

Obama's Plan to Change U.S. Health Care System Will Cost Nearly Two TRILLON Dollars

The latest cost estimates for health care legislation in Congress are about $1.6 trillion over 10 years, according to two Senate sources.

Two Senate staffers, one Democratic and one Republican, said the Congressional Budget Office made the estimate for the Finance Committee version of the bill. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee version would cost $1 trillion over ten years, but would only cover about one-third of the nearly 50 million uninsured.

The staffers who disclosed the latest estimates spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of negotiations over the legislation.

A Finance Committee Democratic aide, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, indicated committee members are working to lower the cost to less than $1 trillion over 10 years, a level preferred by the Obama administration.

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Health care reform is finally on the table, but there’s little agreement about the cure for the current system. And, if you ask me, it appears that what the public really wants, and what the government is willing to consider are two different animals.

Health care as a cash cow may simply be too deeply entrenched in the consciousness of the industry and their paid lackeys to be able to provide what people want: healthier and more inexpensive options, and the freedom to choose; to have alternatives to dangerous prescription drugs and unnecessary surgeries.

In the video above, Congressman Ron Paul, who is also an M.D., gives his perspective on the past and future of medicine in the U.S., and the effects of government and special interests on quality, costs and access.

Big Pharma, Big Business, Big Disaster

One of the problems in our current system, he says, is the lack of competition, partly due to too much government intervention.

I would agree with that sentiment, and add that not only do we lack competition within the allopathic field, but we also lack true competition between the allopathic and alternative medicine fields. True competition will only occur once alternative medicine is embraced and fully allowed to BE an officially viable alternative to conventional treatments.

As it stands now, recent media coverage has shown you just how dire your situation can get if you dare refuse conventional medical treatment and opt for other less dangerous alternatives.

A recent slew of articles also indicate there might be an organized campaign underway to undermine the validity and effectiveness of alternative medicine in the mind of the public.

And doctors are intimidated beyond reason to fall in line with pharmaceutical cartels’ agenda.

Is it any wonder that we’re fighting an uphill battle?

Not really, because as I’ll show you a bit later in this article, Big Pharma is at the very core of this mess, and so far no one is addressing the underlying paradigm that is the crux of our current health care problem.

Why are U.S. Health Care Costs so High?

If you didn’t already know this, American medical care is the most expensive in the world. The U.S. spends more than twice as much on each person for health care as most other industrialized countries. And yet it has fallen to last place among those countries in preventing avoidable deaths through use of timely and effective medical care.

That the system is fatally flawed and in need of a radical overhaul is self-evident.

According to a 2008 report published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 90 percent of Americans believe our medical system should be “completely rebuilt” or that “fundamental changes” are required.

A recent article on the WIP.net web site points out numerous reasons why health care costs have run amok. One major problem that is inflating costs is the staggering number of medically unwarranted surgeries being performed each year.

Topping the list of the most over-utilized surgeries in the U.S. are cesarean sections and hysterectomies.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, more than 31 percent of the 4.3 million births in 2006 were surgical, at a price tag of anywhere between $2,000 and $200,000 each. Planned cesarean births cost an average 76 percent more than a vaginal birth, according to a 2007 report published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.

And the rate of hysterectomies in America is nothing short of appalling.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one-third of American women have had their female organs removed by the age of 60.

By the age of 65, HALF of all women have had a hysterectomy!

But that’s not the most shocking part of the statistics. In her WIP article, Nora Coffey states:

“Findings from more than 850,000 counseling sessions at the HERS Foundation in Philadelphia puts the percentage of hysterectomies that could be avoided with conservative treatment (or no treatment at all) at about 98 percent.”

More than $17 billion a year is spent on direct doctor and hospital charges for hysterectomies – most of which are completely unnecessary!

Clearly, unwarranted surgical interventions are costing tax payers billions of dollars each year, in the form of Medicare/Medicaid payouts or higher insurance premiums.

Who benefits?

Doctors and hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies, of course.

Are YOU Ready to Root Out the Driving Force Behind Skyrocketing Costs and Falling Health Statistics?

The truth is that the terrible health statistics of the U.S. are primarily caused by the drug cartel and the food industry. Worse yet, it’s not by accident, nor by ignorant oversight, which is why no politician will likely ever be able to fix it.

The drug industry has been able to manipulate and control the U.S. Congress to pass just about any and every law they need to increase their profits. Once you understand how they control the government, you realize how they are diverting hundreds of billions of dollars for their hyperinflated drug prices. This money goes into their own pockets and has nothing to do with making you healthier.

There is NO PILL that can make you healthier! They can only mask symptoms, and more often than not cause additional health problems.

It is this diversion of funding that is the primary reason why American health is so poor. If these funds were spent wisely and not used for products that don’t work and that aren’t safe, there is no doubt in my mind the United States would lead the world in health stats.

So, the question I ask myself when I watch this ongoing drama with politicians squabbling over private- versus government-funded health care insurance plans is:

Will Any Of The Options On The Table Fix The Underlying Problem?

Will a government-sponsored health plan reduce the number of unnecessary prescriptions? Will there be fewer unwarranted surgeries? Will it reduce costs by focusing on prevention, and offering less dangerous and more inexpensive alternatives?

I believe the answer is no.

The focus is still on allopathic medicine; the ability for everyone to afford its conventional therapies and treatment protocols.

So whether a public health care plan is a good idea or not is almost beside the point, because what we REALLY need is a radical change in consciousness about what health and health care really is.

As long as the focus of our health care is on drugs and surgical interventions, we will never see the fundamental changes that are so desperately needed.

No politician will be able to accomplish this feat, so sitting around waiting for it is futile. It can only be done by YOU changing how you think about health care and your health.

It can only be accomplished one person at a time, until so many people refuse the unnecessarily dangerous and counterproductive solutions currently offered by conventional medicine that there will be no option left but for the system to change to your will.

But we cannot dawdle too long.

Some are already blowing their warning trumpets, showing why, when it comes to demanding health care insurance coverage for all, you should be careful what you ask for.

A Natural Health Line article by Peter Chowka reads:

“… we have a date for the official end of alternative medicine, and for the medical freedom on which alternative medicine is based: October 2009.

On June 12, 2009, the U.S. press reported that President Obama wants a universal health care bill on his desk by next October. The Democrats in Congress are promising to give it to him. Not only will such legislation unalterably change the practice of medicine (including exponentially expanding the role of the anti-alt med federal government), it will force all Americans to carry conventional allopathic medical insurance, whether they want it or not.

Now, consider that alternative medicine has been able to grow and thrive in recent decades because people have had the ability and choice to pay for it themselves, almost exclusively out of their own pockets. Many people who are of independent mind and who are better educated have chosen not to invest in conventional medicine, including bloated insurance for medical care they don’t want.

Instead, they often direct their personal resources to healthy lifestyles and primary prevention (such as organic food, nutritional supplements, etc.) and to non-toxic, traditional, unconventional, or alternative treatments.

When all Americans (except those who can prove poverty to a government apparatchik) will be required to pay thousands of dollars annually for allopathic insurance, the ability to choose alternatives will be severely if not totally impaired.”

This scenario may become the unfortunate reality for many, and makes universal health care coverage part of the problem, not part of the solution.

I agree with Congressman Ron Paul in that health insurance should be for major emergencies only. It doesn’t need to be the sole route for every problem, which is turning out to be a financial catastrophe.

If You Demand It, They Will Follow

Doctors, that is.

It’s very easy to cast blame on doctors. After all, medical errors are the leading cause of death in the U.S.

However, whether or not doctors succeed in upholding the Hippocratic Oath – the promise to Do No Harm – is not always entirely in their own hands.

The conventional medical system is simply not designed to give them that freedom. It’s VITAL that you understand that regardless of their personal opinions, many times they’re simply not allowed to offer you any other alternatives than what the “standard protocol” demands.

Unfortunately, that does place a certain amount of responsibility onto you, the patient. Because although there may be much safer means to help with your ailment, if you go to a conventional physician, he or she is likely not going to tell you about them unless you ask, and ask in an appropriate way. This previous article highlights this issue and offers guidance on how you can best work WITH your doctor to get the best care.

Medical Doctors are Leaving the Profession in Droves

The fact that many American doctors are as fed up with (and victims of) the system as you are, is evident by the fact that:

• One U.S. physician commits suicide each day. On the average, death by suicide is about 70 percent more likely among male physicians than among other professionals, and 250 percent to 400 percent higher among female physicians
• Half of all physicians want to quit practicing three years after receiving their degrees

Why do so many doctors want out?

One major factor is “factory medicine” and the subsequent loss of autonomy to make the best decisions for each patient on a case-by-case basis, as discussed by Dr. Pamela Wible in the July issue of Spirituality & Health Magazine.

Based on her own frustration with the system, followed by depression and wanting to quit, she developed a brand new community-based health care clinic that includes what her community said they wanted from “the clinic of their dreams.” (To read more about this pioneering doctor, who took matters into her own hands rather than giving up, please see her website.)

She believes many doctors are literally dying to be allowed to truly care for their patients in a space of cooperation and trust.

Nearly every available index shows that the current multitrillion dollar investment in disease-care is a miserable failure.

Isn’t it time to realize that some of the best ways to improve your health are very inexpensive? Some are even free. And leave major medical insurance for actual emergencies.

Related Resources:

• Health Care Costs Threaten American Businesses
• U.S. Paying Through the Nose for Poor Quality Health Care
• Thinking Differently About Health Care
• Alice in Medical Care
• ObamaCare Isn’t Inevitable
• Canadian Healthcare Coming Soon to the USA
• Get Both Sides of the National Healthcare Story
• Here Comes Health Care Rationing
• Power Grab
• Catastrophe or Catastrophe CD
• Glenn Beck's Common Sense

Doctors Boo Obama In Chicago… Analysis: Tough Road Ahead

WASHINGTON (AP) — Barack Obama isn't used to hearing boos.

For all the young president's popularity, the response he got Monday from doctors at an American Medical Association meeting was a sign his road is only going to get rockier as he tries to sell his plan to overhaul the nation's health care system.

The boos erupted when Obama told the doctors in Chicago he wouldn't try to help them win their top legislative priority — limits on jury damages in medical malpractice cases.

But what could they expect? If Obama announced support for malpractice limits, that would set trial lawyers and unions — major supporters of Democratic candidates — on the attack. Not to mention consumer groups.

Every other group in the health care debate has a wish list and a top priority. Insurers don't want competition from the government. Employers don't want to be told they have to offer medical coverage to their workers. Hospitals want to stave off Medicare cuts. Drug companies want to charge what the market will bear.

Obama can't give all of them what they want. Instead, he's got to figure what's just enough to keep as many groups as possible on board — without alienating others. It's a fine line for him — and sometimes for them.

"It's a coalition issue," said Robert Blendon of the Harvard School of Public Health, an expert on public opinion and the politics of health care. "No major group is able by itself to sink health reform. But if numbers of them come together for different reasons, it could really hurt the direction the president wants to go in."

The doctors were only Obama's first house call. He'll be making his case to the other groups — and to the nation at large — in an increasingly energetic campaign to get a bill passed by the end of his first year in office.

AMA insiders shouldn't have been surprised by Obama's upfront refusal to consider malpractice caps.

The group couldn't get that idea passed by a Republican Congress and president a few years ago. Some states have such curbs, but anyone who can count votes knows the chances for national limits are slim to none with Democrats in charge of Congress.

Instead, Obama left the door open to some kind of compromise on malpractice.

The president said he's willing to explore alternatives to taking doctors to court. In the past, he supported special programs in which hospitals and doctors are encouraged to admit mistakes, correct them and offer compensation. Studies have shown the approach can work, because doctors' refusal to acknowledge mistakes is one reason many families file suit.

Doctors have special reasons to be wary of the president's plans to overhaul the health care system.

Not long ago, doctors' decisions were rarely questioned. Now they are being blamed for a big part of the wasteful spending in the nation's $2.5 trillion health care system. Studies have shown that as much as 30 cents of the U.S. health care dollar may be going for tests and procedures that are of little or no value to patients.

The Obama administration has cited such findings as evidence that the system is broken. Since doctors are the ones responsible for ordering tests and procedures, health care costs cannot be brought under control unless they change their decision-making habits.

"Change is scary," said Dartmouth University's Dr. Elliott Fisher, a doctor turned costs researcher. "I think there is a fear of loss of autonomy, that someone is going to tell you what to do." Fisher collaborated on research that showed wild differences in health care spending around the country — and no signs of better health in the high-cost areas.

But Obama did not blame the doctors. Instead, he tried to woo them, much as he has done with recalcitrant foreign leaders.

"It's the equivalent of international diplomacy. He's got to make them feel like it's possible to have dialogue about what the future looks like," said Blendon. "I think he's starting out with the AMA, but before the summer's over he's going to reach out to a lot of the other groups."

Obama assured the doctors that his plan would provide them with objective information on what treatments work best, with new computerized tools to better manage their patient case loads, and with support for harried solo practitioners to form networks.

He promised that Washington would not dictate clinical decisions. And he asked the doctors to imagine a world in which nearly every patient has insurance coverage and they can devote their full attention to the practice of medicine.

"You did not enter this profession to be bean-counters and paper-pushers," Obama said. "You entered this profession to be healers — and that's what our health care system should let you be."

That line got him an ovation.

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR – 2 hours ago - reports on health care policy for The Associated Press.

Obama needs to take time and give Congress and the American People time to examine all the options and do the needed research about American Healthcare Reform, not push through another nightmare (costing 1 Trillion Dollars over 10-years), like the TARP and Omnibus Bills without reading or researching with the gun of immediacy to all our heads. Obama also needs to stop rewarding the organized labor, who spent $80 Million dollars getting Obama and the Democrats elected. Doing something just to fulfill your uninformed campaign promises is not a good enough reason to spend another Trillion Dollars and to do this wrong!! This time around is everyone's job to get this right and to stand up to the Obama Administration and Congress to get it right, or let it go until we have our ducks in a row and can afford the needed decisions. - Ask/Marion – Daily Thought Pad

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OBAMA BOOED BY DOCTORS IN ILLINOIS TODAY

Seems pretty funny to me that doctors booed the Obama and it was told by CNN today and it's not on the internet yet. Doctors in Illinois didn't like what he had to say and it was big on CNN. Thought I'd look into the Liberal side and see what was happening.

Oh, and what he meant about having it costing less as it goes along - is the Government going to make sure the elderly get their coverage or operations or whether they will tell them to go home and die is that what they mean about costing less as it goes along. Makes one wonder, doesn't it?

Seems a lot of doctors feel this will be offensive to them - and NO CAPS on the way people sue doctors looks to me that less men or women will want to be doctors in the future.

By: Teatime1 on AARP.org/blog

Posted: Knowledge Creates Power

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• House Health-Care Proposal Adds $600 Billion in Taxes (Update-2)
• How To Stop Socialized Health Care
• Democrats Set to Rush Through Government-Run Healthcare
• Big Pharma and the FDC: Suppress the Science, Ban the Natural Substances, Sell Drugs
• Understanding the House Democrat’s Health care bill
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• Healthcare: You Think Michael Moore Will Contribute? Don’t Hold Your Breath
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• British HealthCare - Don't Treat The Old!! - And Senator Coburn Warns Same For USA
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• Voters Steer Europe to the Right – Why… Because Socialism Isn’t Working
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