Obama’s Physician Press Conference Could Have Used a Shot in the Arm

Posted October 5th, 2009 at 5.32pm in Health Care.

In what was billed as doctors trekking across the country to enthusiastically support President Barrack Obama’s health care agenda, his press conference at the White House on Monday was in need of serious resuscitation.

From a lackluster response among the 150 doctors (outfitted in their “spiffy-looking” white coats lest we forgot who they were) at the event to Obama’s same go-to talking points to justify massive federal spending and Washington control of health care, it’s hard to understand how this conference added any value or differentiation from the dozens of other talks the President has given on his health reform push.

“We have now been debating the issue of health insurance reform for months,” Obama said during his quick press conference, which lasted roughly 9 minutes and didn’t include any comments from the visiting doctors or questions from the press. “At this point, we’ve heard all the arguments on both sides of the aisle. We’ve listened to every charge and every counter charge.”

If that’s the case, the Obama administration has likely read the latest opposition from physicians who aren’t lock-step in agreement with the current health reform.

Drs. Donald Palsimano, William Plested II and Daniel Johnson Jr. — all former American Medical Association presidents who weren’t invited to the press conference — in a Wall Street Journal editorial urged Obama and Congress to scrap any idea of a government-run health care plan through a public option or co-op and instead focus on incentives that would foster more of a consumer-driven health system. “One easy reform would be to enable individuals to buy policies offered in any state, not just where they live. This will enhance competition. But more government-run health insurance will only lead to disaster,” the doctors wrote.

Dr. Eric Novack said he was invited to the invite but declined, given his efforts to block any mandates in the health reform that would require consumers to buy health insurance, according to the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. “I would certainly not be considered a supporter of the current bills that are being discussed by the leadership,” he said.

While Obama scored some applause for his plans to add more regulation on insurers and changing payment formulas for Medicare, doctors were surprisingly quiet when he mentioned that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius had been directed to run medical malpractice demonstrations in response to physician demands for malpractice lawsuit reform.

That could be, as Heritage analyst Randolph Pate has pointed out , because:
“Upon analysis, however, the President’s medical malpractice proposal is meaningless in the context of the health reform debate and does not affect the trajectory of Democrat health care reform bills currently before Congress in any way.”

Obama rightly claims that physicians are among the most credible stakeholders in the health care debate. They know the system best and can offer valuable feedback in how to effectively improve it. However, physicians are right to stand up and be concerned about how reform would impact their profession and relationship with their patients — a side effect that many fear will drive doctors out of practicing medicine for good.

25 Comments

October 5, 2009 Karl Wulf, Hollywood, CA writes:

Hidden Agenda Uncovered! Joey Panto’s alter ego Mahendra gets a leading healthcare advocate to admit that although her group publicly supports the public and private “options”, they really want the whole system to eventually go public, ie Single Payer!
http://02e56fa.netsolhost.com/blog1/index.php/2009/09/21/first-post-of-the-new-era-pickle-1-advoc

October 5, 2009 Pat Smith writes:

That had the look of staged doctor representation. Just like at the town hall that had a female stand up and say she was a doctor who supported Obama and later was proved not to be a doctor. I think there were a million real doctors who marched on Washington that oppose it but no mention of in the Mainstream Media. My Daughter is a real Doctor and I know for a fact that 97% of the real doctors oppose it.

October 5, 2009 Freedomof Speech TX writes:

What a photo op!

All dressed up in “medical attire”. I guess that is appropriate to have surgeons “at the ready”, to commence major surgery on the health care system at a minutes notice.

Geez, was I impressed.

October 5, 2009 Bobbie Jay writes:

Obama is such a player. This is the first time I’ve ever heard Obama specify “health INSURANCE reform.” It’s always been “health care reform.” He must have realized “reform” doesn’t cost a dime and health care is not INSURANCE! He is incapable of honesty and covers his deceit by a “change” in wording.

October 6, 2009 Judy writes:

This press conference was exactly like the one he held with the RN’s, that he said”I just love nurses”. They were all bussed in and allegedly members of their respective union. I have spoken with several nurses, they say, yes some reform is needed, but not what the White House has in mind.

Isn’t health care workers part of the agenda of SEIU to organize? I mean all health care, even home care providers for Aunt Suzie or Grandma Tillie? Forced organization? If it doesn’t happen, who or whom may be subject to untimely accidents? Aren’t they trying very hard to close nursing homes?

This is very scary and I’m not sure the general public has given it much thought-how much their lives are going to change.

If this monstrocity passes, then we have an even more inept Congress than we could ever imagine.

October 6, 2009 Normca writes:

I will bet that the 150 white coats are doctors whose practices are doing poorly. That they are barely making a profit [which will soon be outlawed]. I wonder if they will be reimbursed for their travel expenses and the $20 they could have made had their appointment books been full.

October 6, 2009 Don, Michigan writes:

Props, thats all they were. Props. Just like his town hall meeting etc.. It is the only way he can look good is by using props. Sickening. Wake up American people. He is out to destroy us and our country!!!!!!

October 6, 2009 Concerned, Raleigh, NC writes:

What was the purpose of having these doctors and members of the press to attend if they could not make any statements or ask any questions?

We need portability asap. We could see tangible results by mid 2010. We can’t eat the whole elephant and expect any good results. we have to break this issue down to more managable subsets. The public option would be nothing more than a government monopoly.

We should use the state of Mississippi or Texas as a model for tort reform.

We wouldn’t expect doctors to oversee or make the rules or even dominate a discussion on legal reform.

October 6, 2009 Lloyd Scallan - New Orleans writes:

What a joke!. Just before the deception went on air, White House staff was filmed handing out
“white coats” to those in attendence. Obama has
no shame. He is beyond discuss. He is stooping
to the level of a common shyster, certainly not
POTUS.

October 6, 2009 Brad S,, Detroit, MI writes:

Hey Jesus 2.0 (BHO) !

The election is over. Stop campaigning. You fooled 52% of the people back in October/ November of 2008, but nobody is buying your schtick anymore.

I just hope whatever damage is done in the next few years can be reversed.

October 6, 2009 Louis L Cesar F Levy DAYTON OH writes:

Always think about a lurker who subtly pushes and manipulates our leader who doesn’t know how to resist this whisperer because knowing him not, neither imagining any rider, oh well we need to wake up guys and Fight what is Behind all of this sudden surge of not-easy-to-relize-attacks-at-home.
Fight whatever pinpoints to America’ destruction wherever you see it,tenaciously. For this at least is VISIBLE; can’t you see for example how UNITY is attacked all across the country? Do you think fellow that this happens by chance? Nay. Safety and recovery will be back only at this price, never think that its not. And fear nobody but your lack of understanding.
Bobby and Normca above are smart.

October 6, 2009 Jerry from Chicago writes:

Maybe Heritage can shed some light on this for me. I have heard, but have not been able to confirm that the vast majority (80% +) of physicians in this country are not members of the American Medical Association. Is this accurate?

If it is, what does the AMA’s enorsement of Mr. Obama’s health care reform bill mean?

The Democrats have no one to blame but themselves for not having a health insurance reform plan that would be acceptable to the American public. The reason is, they never asked the American public what they wanted. They never tried to bring in other points of view and certainly were not amenable to listening to proposals offered by Republicans. Then, the far left in the Democrat party, go on record as saying that its the Republicans who are holding up progress.

The Dems have a veto-proof majority in the House and Senate. They have the votes to pass anything they want. So go ahead, ram this through and see what happens. You will all be tossed out of office on your ear as soon as humanly possible. Whatever you do, quit whining and blaming the Republicans.

October 6, 2009 Jeanne Stotler, woodbridge, Va writes:

Obama says nurses are in favor, Doctors are in favor, well I am a nurse and all the ones I know are not in favor of his plan, Doctors I know are not in favor either, they want to practice medicine not do paper work. I am sure if these really were M.D.’s they DO NOT practice, I believe this was a staged event and that anyone there who was an M.D. had not seen a patient in a long time. We in the medical field want to care for our patients without the Govt. looking over our shoulder ar telling us who they think should get care. Recently a baby in England was born early, it was put aside to die, they refused to care for it,as it’s weight was below what THEY deemed viable, here I’ve seen babies at 1-1/2 lbs. survive, in fact one was my patient and is now 15Yo, Do you want that kind of care or what we have??

October 6, 2009 Joe TN writes:

Probably most of the medical degrees in this group were either fake or came from some place you have never heard of. I would not want one of those characters prescribing medications for me.

October 6, 2009 Sandy in CT writes:

I have several Drs. Not one of them favors Obamacare. So where did he find the Drs. that were in favor of it? They are most likely Drs. who are NOT working in the trenches, they are old has-beens,they are Drs. who have not practiced in many years and are so out-of-touch with reality that it isn’t funny. They may even be Drs who were bought by his bullies. I know one thing though, not one medical person that I have had contact with in the last several months is on-board with Obama-care. Just like the fake angry mobs at the town hall meetings that turned out to be Acorn workers and the fake Roman columns at his speech on Election night, all the world is a stage for our president and very little is real.
He really missed his calling.

October 6, 2009 Bill, Malta, Ohio writes:

I need a list of the “doctors” who were at this press conference. I want to make sure mine isn’t one of them. I don’t want ANY of those guys deciding my treatment in an emergency, life-threatening situation! You can bet they’d opt for the “death panel” decision! Scares me! How about you?

October 6, 2009 dennis,nv writes:

Impeach Obama now and be done with his BS!

October 6, 2009 dennis,nv writes:

Impeach him now and get someone who care’s about this country!

October 6, 2009 Michael Kirsch, M.D., Ohio writes:

This was a scripted and choreographed photo-op. These physicians should have been in their offices seeing patients like I was. I never saw white coats so starched looking. I wonder if the docs were able to stand up without cracking them.
http://www.MDWhistleblower.blogspot.com for view from a real physician who sees real patients.

October 6, 2009 Ben C., Ann Arbor, MI writes:

Hmmmm. I wonder if all the Canadian physicians that have come to the USA for a better practice environment will head back home once Obamacare is passed. Roots are strong and if we become the same as Canada - why stay?

October 6, 2009 Lynn B. DeSpain writes:

There were a small group of physicians and nurses on the lawn at the White House supporting the Obama disaster,(odd, I just remembered that means ‘Bad Star’).
Outside there were a half million physicians and nurses who do not support anything connected with Obama Care, Senate Care or Representative Care!
Where was the Press and the Media then?
Mussolini and Hitler’s first moves were the take over of the Media and the suppression of the ones they could not take.
However, these are modern times and cell phones have cameras, TV cameras have become so small as to be almost invisable. There are now satalite relays, world wide. Other Nations report on the happening in America. Unlike 60 and 70 years ago, it is now impossible to lie in public and get away with it, without the World knowing.
I could lose my life today, and I will still be proud to be an American! What will Obama ever have to be proud of?

October 7, 2009 jim smith writes:

Give it a year or so and the men in the real white coats will finally show up at the White House. White Coats, White House. PERFECT!!

October 7, 2009 jim sardis,ms. writes:

this dog and pony show was indicative of the deceit of the administration. it is obvious,that in the past,such actions could be used and the American public bought it hook line and sinker because what was printed in local newspapers was believed word for word. thank goodness,the cable networks and INTERNET provide the truth with facts.now,if only every voter would watch media other than the liberals on local TV and stop reading the liberal newspapers.

October 7, 2009 Terri Habecker writes:

At first glance, I thought “The White Coats” finally showed up to take this crazy bill and the Creators off to the funny farm. Great message!

October 7, 2009 Terri Habecker, Dana Point Ca. writes:

At first Glance, the message was very clear- The White Coats finally showed up on the Whitehouse Lawn to take the Health Care Bill and Creators off to the funny Farm.

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