What is the problem with the political RIGHT?

What has the conservative right added to the health reform debate? This is where we can start the debate and I implore as many as possible to add to this debate. It is sure to be heated, but indeed needs to be had. So, that is my first question. I have not heard of or seen one single alternative plan to what the president and democrats have put forth. Given that there is bipartisanship agreement that the current health care system is unsustainable, why has the right turned again to being the "party of NO" instead of adding something of value and substance to the debate? As a physician, I can speak fairly well on this topic. We rank 27th in the world, but spend twice as much per person for health related expnses than any of the other industrialized nations. We have evolved into a country of excess and in this particular debate we truly feel that "more" is better. Not only is that assumption patently false, but it is dangerous as well. The more time people spend in hospitals and more interventions and procedures they undergo, the higher the risk of something bad happening, including death.

Now, what about the pharmaceutical and insurance industries? For those who believe that this reform will lead to rationing of care, with long waiting lists, let's look at the basic business principle of the health insurance industry. Don't they ration care? How else can you rake in billions of dollars in profits unless you take in more money than you pay out? Therefore, it makes very good business sense to DENY coverage for preexisting conditions and for procedures. So, if they are not cherry picking what coverage you get, what procedures they allow you to have, and which doctors you can see, then who is? Can anyone answer that question for me? And the seniors who are all up in arms over a government run takeover of the health care system, maybe we need to unenroll them from the Medicare they receive. What do you think Medicare is? Well, it turns out that its a government run medical system for seniors. So, those seniors that are so adamantly opposed to "government health care", I implore you to come OFF the Medicare rolls so that others who do not have insurance and need it can enroll. No one wants "government run health care," yet I don't see too many people running around willing to give up their government run insurance program. Why is that?

And let's talk for a minute about these "death panels." I would respectfully ask Sarah "Get your gun" Palin to either stick to subjects she has knowledge of (which may not be any at all) or do some background review and study on the topic before you spout off ignorant and ideological rhetoric which shows nothing but your inability to grasp the basic principles of the discussion being had. This debate over "end of life" care is not new. It is something that doctors and providers have grappled with for years and continue to do so. I know from my own experience that all parties involved benefit when "end of life" issues have been discussed surrounding a loved one. This is not about denying care, it is about getting the wishes of the patient and their families while they are healthy and lucid so that when the person does become critically ill, either there wishes are respected or they have designated a health care power of attorney to make decisions for them. This is where the early discussions help out so tremendously. If a plan is made then it can be carried out with ease and comfort. If no plan is in place, I have personally seen on many, many occasions where the family is fragmented and no concensus develops. Feuds erupt and family discourse can last a lifetime. So, why not have these discussions. A fact that no one can deny is that we will ALL die some day. And lastly, the end of life decisions are the patients. They can certainly opt to have everything medically possible done to keep them alive. So, this conspiracy theory that the government is out to kill you is preposterous at best. And the politicians don't believe it themselves. They are simply using it as a tool of fear to defeat any progress that we as a country are trying to move forward. The likes of Sarah Palin and the other conservative right wing hacks are disgraceful and down right comical. I''m ashamed that people like them even have a large bully pulpit and get the media coverage in the US. I think it is a disgrace to the US and does more harm and lowers our standing in the international community where more serious minded pols are doing what's best for their citizens. We are quickly losing stature as a country and placing ourselves in the position to be the laughing stock of the world, a country to be lampooned rather than to be admired.