Obama's Doctor: President's Vision For Health Care Bound To Fail

[a kennedy]

Who the h*ll is is guy??? President Obama's dr. for 20 years and this is what he says???

The man Barack Obama consulted on medical matters for over two decades said on Tuesday that the president's vision for health care reform is bound for failure.

Dr. David Scheiner, a 70-year Chicago-based physician who treated Obama for more than 20 years, said he was disheartened by the health care legislation his former patient is championing, calling it piecemeal and ineffectual.

"I look at his program and I can't see how it's going to work," Scheiner told the Huffington Post. "He has no cost control. There would be no effective cost control in his program. The said it's going be incredibly expensive ... and the thing that I really am worried about is, if it is the failure that I think it would be, then health reform will be set back a long, long time."

Scheiner, who prefers a more progressive approach to reform, was hesitant about trying to divine the president's motives, although he said he believed that "in his heart of hearts" Obama "may well like a single-payer program."

"His pragmatism is what is overwhelming him." Scheiner added: "I think he's afraid that he can't get anything through if he doesn't go through this incredibly compromised program."

Admitting that he was not a political practitioner, Scheiner said he felt compelled to speak out because of his unique relationship with the president and this critical moment in the health care debate. A champion of a single-payer health care system, Scheiner noted repeatedly that he came to the debate from the perspective of having dealt with the hassles and pitfalls of the current system. His speaking out is part of a larger effort, launched by Physicians for a National Health Program, to push Congress to consider single-payer as an alternative to current reform proposals.

full article: <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/29/obamas-doctor-presidents_n_246870.html>

[liberal N proud]

1. 70 years?

He has been a doctor for 70 years? That would put him at 90 or better.

[merwin]

2. That doctor is telling the absolute truth.

The shit that is going to pass will be just that... shit. It won't solve anything, will contain massive loopholes, and will end up costing us money. Single payer is the ONLY way this problem will be resolved and be cost-effective.

Obama is being spineless on this issue and needs to demand congress bring him a health care plan that includes single payer, otherwise it's doomed to fail from the start.

[SammyWinstonJack]

3. +1. nt

[BuyingThyme]

4. Yep.

[sharp_stick]

6. Yeah right

telling congress to grind out single payer will pass with flying colors won't it? Hey I bet a couple of Republicans would see the light and come on over too.

Shit they can't even get their act together to pass something resembling mandated coverage imagine the full stop that would hit Obama in the face if he demanded single payer.

[librechik]

5. Obama's Doctor a stong proponent of Single Payer! Obama not admant enough in support

Why isn't that the headline? That is what he says at last, way at the bottom. He feels Obama's mild approach will make the program fail. Me too!

[slipslidingaway]

7. He was invited to participate at the ABC White House special

on HC...then he was cancelled, he does not know who cancelled him.

:shrug:

http://www.singlepayeraction.org/blog/?p=1175

[rollingrock]

9. I noticed how

...the WH has completely shut out all the voices speaking out for single-payer in the national debate, even his own doctor. His own doc said,

"His pragmatism is what is overwhelming him." Scheiner added: "I think Obama's afraid that he can't get anything through if he doesn't go through this incredibly compromised program."

Mr. Obama is not on our side.

[slipslidingaway]

11. Compromised from the start :( n/t

[slipslidingaway]

8. kick - being unrecommended n/t

[crickets]

10. He's right. Rec #5. -nt