Karl Rove: Head in the Sand on Healthcare

I was stunned to read that Karl Rove, former chief of staff and architect of the Bush administration, recently estimated the country's rate of uninsured to be at "about 2 percent" in a Wall Street Journal editorial. The accurate number was 16 percent in 2006 (a number that has surely increased with rising unemployment over 2007).

With such a misunderstanding of our healthcare situation it is no wonder the Bush administration did little to improve our healthcare system over their two terms in office.

Rove goes on to make other misleading statements, stating that three-fifths of the uninsured can afford health insurance based on having family salaries of over $50,000. This is in direct contradiction to reports by the HHS released in the last year of the Bush administration. Furthermore, it is a leap to assume that having a family income of $51,000 would make healthcare affordable (although a public option may help such families).

Rove further quotes a FOX News poll that most Americans are happy with their healthcare. A better survey might be performed by a credible and non-partisan organization and would survey specifically people who have needed healthcare when they were sick. When you are healthy, even the uninsured may lack complaints. Health insurance must serve people when they are sick or in need.

Talk to someone who has been sick or in need and lacked insurance. Talk to someone who waited eight or 12 hours to be seen in an emergency room, where one in five patients have no insurance and may be there because they have no other way to receive care. Ask a small business owner who cannot afford to pay his workers a salary and provide health insurance. You will hear a different story.

This morning a patient who was referred to our office by her primary care doctor refused to be seen. She was afraid her insurance would not cover the appointment. Eventually, she agreed to a consultation after we promised not to bill her if her insurance would not cover the appointment. Being afraid to see a doctor is not good healthcare.

There are many ways to improve our healthcare system. We need better care and we need to consider the cost and effectiveness of our care. The current proposals in the House and Senate can be improved in many ways. New legislation should include measures to contain costs, eliminate wasteful spending, reduce fraud, and minimize unnecessary tests and procedures through reform of a broken tort system. But denying that we have a problem... That is foolish and naïve.

Comments

[dynwit]

The Wall Street Journal: America's latest Geobbels-style propaganda machine propping up corrupt Wall Street elites and crushing normal Americans under its solid-gold feet.

[silverball]

...it's what we EXPECT from karl....he only operates by two rules.....rule number one: LIE....REPEAT LIE....REPEAT LIE....rule number 2: REPEAT RULE NUMBER ONE......he knows well that there is a large percentage of low information people that will believe him...plus the msm hangs on his every word and they then ask anyone else to defend their position, rather than confront karl.....