Obamacare Supreme Court Ruling: First Step Down Slippery Slope? – OpEd

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Thursday morning’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding President Barack Obama’s healthcare law is being heralded by many in the news media as an election-year triumph for him and his fellow Democrats, but others believe it’s a first step down the slippery slope of socialized medicine.

By a 5-4 vote the high court upheld the power of Congress to impose taxes, and the individual mandate “requiring that most Americans obtain health insurance by 2014” is indeed a tax, which meant President Obama and his minions were deceitful during their push for Obamacare, according to Dr. Harvey Greenwald, a New Jersey surgeon who opposes socialized medicine.

Opponents of the law — a majority of Americans, according to polls — claimed the mandate was nothing short of the federal government intruding on the private lives of citizens. While the high court was divided on this issue, the majority ruled that Congress’ taxing power was more important.

There are many Americans who believe the U.S. has headed down the slippery slope to a British-style health care system and while leftists believe its a good idea, several horror stories in the United Kingdom show the dangers of socialized medicine.

Syndicated radio talk show host attorney and director of the Landmark Legal Foundation Mark Levin reported that an investigation of a British health care facility revealed horrible conditions including hundreds of deaths and unsanitary conditions.

Levin, who served as chief of staff at the U.S. Justice Department during the Reagan Administration, stated on the night edition of his highly rated show that the British Secretary of Health Andy Burnham commissioned a probe of a medical facility. The probe revealed a shockingly high death rate at that hospital.

According to the report — which confirmed the earlier findings of a March 2009 probe — 400 to 1,200 patients died from 2005 to 2008 while at the medical center Mid-Staffordshire NHS.

The probe revealed that aside from the disturbing high rate of deaths in that health care facility, the investigators discovered neglect because the hospital cut corners in a bid to reach government targets. Britain possesses a socialized medical system that includes targeted cost savings at the expense of patients’ well-being.

For example, the evidence gathered by the inquiry shows clearly that for many patients the most basic elements of care were neglected. Calls for help to use the bathroom were ignored and patients were left lying in soiled sheeting and sitting on commodes for hours, often feeling ashamed and afraid. Patients were left unwashed, at times for up to a month.

In addition, nurses lacked training, including in some cases how to read cardiac monitors, which were sometimes turned off, or how to use intravenous pumps. This meant patients did not always get the correct medication.

The shortage of nurses on wards meant call buttons went unanswered when patients were in pain or needed to use the toilet, particularly on medical wards. Relatives claimed patients were sometimes left for hours in wet or soiled sheets. Those at risk of developing pressure sores did not get adequate care.

The investigation revealed that some of the patients slept on sheets soiled with urine and feces over a long period of time, causing them to acquire infections. Relatives of the patients had to do the sheet washing at their homes.

Patients were too often discharged before it was appropriate, only to have to be re-admitted shortly afterwards. The standards of hygiene were at times awful, with families forced to remove used bandages and dressings from public areas and clean toilets themselves for fear of catching infections.

Also, patients were not given the appropriate food, while those who were too weak to eat on their own were not assisted by hospital staff or volunteers and there were not enough nurses to care properly for emergency patients. A review of staffing levels in 2007-8 found the trust was short of 120 nurses, 17 of whom were needed in A&E (Accident and Emergency) departments.

According to the probe, nurses lacked training, including in some cases how to read cardiac monitors, which were sometimes turned off, or how to use intravenous pumps. This meant patients did not always get the correct medication. The shortage of nurses on wards meant call buttons went unanswered when patients were in pain or needed to use the toilet, particularly on medical wards. Relatives claimed patients were sometimes left for hours in wet or soiled sheets. Those at risk of developing pressure sores did not get adequate care.

Delays in operations were commonplace, especially for trauma patients at weekends. Surgery might be delayed for four days in a row during which time patients would receive “nil by mouth” for most of the day. There was often no experienced surgeon in the hospital after 9 p.m., with one recently qualified doctor responsible for covering all surgical patients and admitting up to 20 patients a night, the report revealed.

Few patients were given the drug Warfarin to help prevent blood clots despite deep vein thrombosis being a major cause of death in patients following surgery and essential equipment was not always available or working properly. www.rxlist.com/coumadin-drug.htm

The board of trustees was more concerned with finance, targets and achieving foundation status, with little evidence that poor standards of nursing care were identified or discussed. A doubling of the rate of C.difficile infection in early 2006 was not reported to the board or public. In 2006-7 the trust set a target of saving £10m, equal to 8% of turnover. More than 150 positions were lost, including nurses.

“Is this what [President Barack] Obama and the Democrats want for Americans? The moment the government takes control of something, it’s all downhill from there,” said political strategist Mike Baker.

“Don’t expect to read any of this report in U.S. newspapers or newsmagazines. At least not until ObamaCare becomes a reality,” said Baker.

Jim Kouri

Jim Kouri, CPP, formerly Fifth Vice-President, is currently a Board Member of the National Association of Chiefs of Police, an editor for ConservativeBase.com, and he's a columnist for Examiner.com. In addition, he's a blogger for the Cheyenne, Wyoming Fox News Radio affiliate KGAB (www.kgab.com). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.

2 thoughts on “Obamacare Supreme Court Ruling: First Step Down Slippery Slope? – OpEd

  • June 29, 2012 at 2:06 pm
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    I don’t know how these people come about all these “pigsty-like conditions” for any country that has national health scheme. The ones parroting this mantra around me seems to be the ones who have never been overseas (except for 1 or 2 summers in Mexico, or a few miles into Canada!). I have LIVED ” as opposed to visited” in 3 different countries in Europe, and the quality of care I rec’d there is superior to that I am now used to in US. My spouse is a MD and my two kids are in medical school. The ugliness of healthcare system for patients (and Doctors in) US is frightening. I have never seen a population in the world like Americans who are as ill informed, as well as unprincipled enough to “game” the pathetic US system, to get what they want (which their insurances do not cover). Then also “foam at the mouth” on how they hate the present system.They game the system to cheat the healthcare provider out of proper treatment for them (but ready to sue to enrich themselves should the provider slips up), free medical care from hospitals who (by law can’t turn the way). Then to say they want choice (choice of what they are not entitled to under the present system in the 1st place!). If you are the provider, these are the same people who clamor for free treatment and drug samples (can’t pay copay!) who plague you in your everyday life!
    And I am sick of hearing from a few surgeons who used to be able to cut people of whether it is warranted or not. Yes, I have 1 or 2 colleagues who have exotic diseases while in EUrope which requires advance Stem cells treatments. They can only get that in US so I can see why they won’t favor socialize medicine. (but the majority of Americans won’t get that treatment either unless they are fortunate like these guys). High technology is not available to the majority of Americans anyway. So I don’t know that Joe the plumber should be waxing and waning about the top medical care which wasn’t available to them in the 1st place in US!
    My children get fantastic medical education in the US system (I pay every cent for them, no scholarships or handouts from anyone!). But I am trying to make provisions for them to leave the country in their adult life, should they choose too. US healthcare system as it is is broken. But the US population’s attitude is uglier and even worse! Now, I don’t think I am in favor of my children being healthcare providers in this country if this attitude continues!

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  • July 1, 2012 at 5:23 am
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    Happy golfer, congratulations on your observations of your health system. I would reinforce your comments having a few years ago spent 4 weeks touring health facilities in 8 states of the US all of which I found to be good but concerned primarily with their finances not patient care. I will not visit the US again, from Australia, as I am not confident I can afford the care even with insurance. Having coma red the Australian, British and US health care systems I would rank them in that order in terms of access, reliability, cost and care. I hope that Obamacare is able to enable an increase in access to care whilst moving to contain the costs and stop the medical corporations from profiteering from those who are ill.

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