Agreeing and Disagreeing with Doctor Critic of Obamacare

Dr. Brian Jellison, a neuroradiologist from Santa Fe had an interesting critique of Obamacare and the Congressional authors of health care reform. In the article, which appeared in the Albuquerque Journal, Jellison critiqued the backgrounds of Reps. John Dingell, Charlie Rangel, and Henry Waxman and their lack of health care credentials. He goes on to make some very good points about the plan moving through Congress and the lack of incentives built into it, but I want to address the issue of doctors and health policy first. On this front I have some disagreements with Dr. Jellison.

Certainly, the opinions of professional experts whether they be doctors, educators, or truck drivers, should be taken into account, but the fact is that all of these areas, be it health care, education, or transportation are no longer left to the professionals because of massive government intervention. Regardless of one’s professional pedigree, politics now predominates much of our daily lives. It doesn’t take a doctor to understand that government needs to get out of health care (and many doctors, unfortunately, believe that government’s role should be expanded dramatically). In fact, most of our problems in health care, education, and transportation are the result of government policies, not professional incompetence.

Hopefully, Dr. Jellison and other free market doctors, rather than shrinking the size of the pro-market tent, will focus on the real problem, that is government policies, rather than focusing on the credentials of who is making the policies. After all, Howard Dean is a doctor.