Donald Sterling: fair sentence or shakedown

Donald Sterling: fair
sentence or a shakedown

 

Hypocrisy reigns
throughout the American landscape. Racism and sexism are the new tools to
destroy careers, businesses and one’s personal circumstance. Paula Deen’s heart
and soul were ripped from her when it was discovered she uttered a racial
remark years before it came to light. Her punishment; she was banned from the
human race, profound financial loss and collapse of her career. More recently
Brenden Eich, CEO of Mozilla, was forced to step down because he made a
$1,000  contribution in support of
California’s Proposition 8, which was against same sex marriage. Years later
this information surfaced forcing him out of the company he founded. Why? He
believes in traditional marriage only. Octogenarian Donald Sterling, owner of
the Los Angeles Clippers, is the newest victim of his own verbalizations. In
the privacy of a phone conversation with his mistress she prompted him to
discuss his bent on race relations. Unbeknownst to Sterling he was being
recorded with the intent of discrediting him at some later date. Once made
public his words provided a noose permitting the media crowd to perform a lynching
of him openly. Accusations of prior infidelities along with his previous
collisions with racism were hurtled in his direction. Banned for life from the
NBA and fined 2.5 million has not satisfied those who want to see Sterling
drawn and quartered. Those shouting the loudest have sordid histories of
incongruous race relations themselves.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/30/sports/basketball/nba-donald-sterling-los-angeles-clippers.html?_r=0

 

Oprah has no business
throwing aspersions of racism towards Sterling. She has exploited race for
personal gain over the last 30 years. Interviewed by the BBC in November of
2013 she noted the older generation of racists (whites) must die to preclude
any more racism from occurring. http://whitegenocideproject.com/oprah-winfrey-racists-whites-must-die-for-racism-to-end/  Oprah’s racial rants are well known yet she
was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Obama, for reasons still
uncertain. President Obama chimed in noting the NBA did the right thing
punishing this horrific person never considering many of Sterling’s rights were
suppressed in the process. President Obama has used the race card himself
whenever it would score points with the crowd which elected him. Al Sharpton, a
racial connoisseur, had the audacity to throw mud at Sterling. Long known for
his hatred of whites he had fed off the trough of racism for decades. A long
line of people with questionable histories on race relations spoke horrifically
of a man who held the Clippers together for 33 years. Sterling’s team players
accepted multiple million dollar checks from this so-called racist every year.
Apparently money negates racial considerations.

 

Many questions have arisen
since this scandal broke. Can Sterling claim he was entrapped by the recorded
nature of the phone call that exposed his hateful rhetoric? Is there a tertiary
party behind the scenes that prompted Donald’s mistress to rat him out? Was a
felony committed by Donald’s mistress by not revealing to him he was being
recorded? Does the NBA Constitution allow for due process? Why was there a rush
to Judgment? Should Sterling’s past factor into the sanctions levied against
him? Dozens of questions arise concerning the dubious nature of the charges
brought against him. How does the First Amendment factor into this complexity?
Donald Sterling has been very quiescent in the last few days. Perhaps he is
gathering his forces for a counterpunch against his accusers. One question that
lingers is: Will the Clippers and the NBA be free of racism in the event
Sterling moves on? From this writer’s perch the answer is a resounding no.

 

Mark Davis, MD Author,
Journalist, Media Consultant and President of Healthnets Review Services. Dr.
Davis’ Latest book is Obamacare: Dead on Arrival, A Prescription for Disaster. platomd@gmail.com  www.healthnetsreviewservices.com

Donald Sterling: Fair Sentence or a Shakedown

Donald Sterling: fair sentence or a shakedown

 

Hypocrisy reigns throughout the American landscape. Racism and sexism are the new tools to destroy careers, businesses and one’s personal circumstance. Paula Deen’s heart and soul were ripped from her when it was discovered she uttered a racial remark years before it came to light. Her punishment; she was banned from the human race, profound financial loss and collapse of her career. More recently Brenden Eich, CEO of Mozilla, was forced to step down because he made a $1,000  contribution in support of California’s Proposition 8, which was against same sex marriage. Years later this information surfaced forcing him out of the company he founded. Why? He believes in traditional marriage only. Octogenarian Donald Sterling, owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, is the newest victim of his own verbalizations. In the privacy of a phone conversation with his mistress she prompted him to discuss his bent on race relations. Unbeknownst to Sterling he was being recorded with the intent of discrediting him at some later date. Once made public his words provided a noose permitting the media crowd to perform a lynching of him openly. Accusations of prior infidelities along with his previous collisions with racism were hurtled in his direction. Banned for life from the NBA and fined 2.5 million has not satisfied those who want to see Sterling drawn and quartered. Those shouting the loudest have sordid histories of incongruous race relations themselves.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/30/sports/basketball/nba-donald-sterling-los-angeles-clippers.html?_r=0

 

Oprah has no business throwing aspersions of racism towards Sterling. She has exploited race for personal gain over the last 30 years. Interviewed by the BBC in November of 2013 she noted the older generation of racists (whites) must die to preclude any more racism from occurring. http://whitegenocideproject.com/oprah-winfrey-racists-whites-must-die-for-racism-to-end/  Oprah’s racial rants are well known yet she was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Obama, for reasons still uncertain. President Obama chimed in noting the NBA did the right thing punishing this horrific person never considering many of Sterling’s rights were suppressed in the process. President Obama has used the race card himself whenever it would score points with the crowd which elected him. Al Sharpton, a racial connoisseur, had the audacity to throw mud at Sterling. Long known for his hatred of whites he had fed off the trough of racism for decades. A long line of people with questionable histories on race relations spoke horrifically of a man who held the Clippers together for 33 years. Sterling’s team players accepted multiple million dollar checks from this so-called racist every year. Apparently money negates racial considerations.

 

Many questions have arisen since this scandal broke. Can Sterling claim he was entrapped by the recorded nature of the phone call that exposed his hateful rhetoric? Is there a tertiary party behind the scenes that prompted Donald’s mistress to rat him out? Was a felony committed by Donald’s mistress by not revealing to him he was being recorded? Does the NBA Constitution allow for due process? Why was there a rush to Judgment? Should Sterling’s past factor into the sanctions levied against him? Dozens of questions arise concerning the dubious nature of the charges brought against him. How does the First Amendment factor into this complexity? Donald Sterling has been very quiescent in the last few days. Perhaps he is gathering his forces for a counterpunch against his accusers. One question that lingers is: Will the Clippers and the NBA be free of racism in the event Sterling moves on? From this writer’s perch the answer is a resounding no.

 

Mark Davis, MD Author, Journalist, Media Consultant and President of Healthnets Review Services. Dr. Davis’ Latest book is Obamacare: Dead on Arrival, A Prescription for Disaster. platomd@gmail.com  www.healthnetsreviewservices.com

What is a physician

What is a Physician

 

Physicians are a group of
people who dedicate themselves to care for the injured, diseased and or those
in the transitions of life. Revered by most cultures these healers partake in
prolonged, extensive and grueling training to be called the title they become.
Major shifts in technology, pharmaceutical sciences and government intervention
have metamorphosed the role expected of medical doctors. In recent times
physicians moved from managing a patient’s problem to being managed themselves.
Fear of sanction and loss of income from a variety of sources has turned this
profession into a mere utility controlled by a massive bureaucracy. As a result
the glamour and prestige of the practitioner has evaporated leaving vestiges of
a career many sought yet few could obtain. Preparation takes a minimum of 11
years before one can enter the realm of practice. In some specialties 14 years
or more are required before the student is able to rise above that title. When
let loose on society the newly minted physician must face an array of
challenges not considered on the very first day of medical school. Medical
boards, with twisted agendas, to keep the newly stamped licensee in line will
bring much sorry to those who transgress these politically motivated
administrative authorities. Lawyers will target them indiscriminately to move
up the food chain leaving an indelible mark during the process. Long hours,
extreme patient demands, onerous regulatory structure and a system at war with
the practitioner await those who dare step into the medical arena. In 2014 it
is projected that 300 physicians will commit suicide. Depression, driven by
factors enumerated in this text, has brought these physicians to the brink.
Thousands of physicians have bailed on the profession to safer harbors, more will
follow as Obamacare is fully implemented. With the incipience of the Patient
Protection and Affordability Care Act, in March of 2010, physicians and other
health care workers became indentured servants to a massive body of regulations
that re-fabricated the medical industry. To answer ‘what is a physician’ one
must review the transitions now occurring throughout the system. This person is
a shadow of his colleagues from decades past who lost individuality to groupthink
and is a puppet of his taskmasters.

 

Mark Davis, MD President
of Healthnets Review Services and Davis Book Reviews.

www.healthnetsreviewservices.com
platomd@gmail.com

Dr. Davis’ latest book,
Obamacare: Dead on Arrival, A Prescription for Disaster.

What is a physician

What is a Physician

 

Physicians are a group of people who dedicate themselves to care for the injured, diseased and or those in the transitions of life. Revered by most cultures these healers partake in prolonged, extensive and grueling training to be called the title they become. Major shifts in technology, pharmaceutical sciences and government intervention have metamorphosed the role expected of medical doctors. In recent times physicians moved from managing a patient’s problem to being managed themselves. Fear of sanction and loss of income from a variety of sources has turned this profession into a mere utility controlled by a massive bureaucracy. As a result the glamour and prestige of the practitioner has evaporated leaving vestiges of a career many sought yet few could obtain. Preparation takes a minimum of 11 years before one can enter the realm of practice. In some specialties 14 years or more are required before the student is able to rise above that title. When let loose on society the newly minted physician must face an array of challenges not considered on the very first day of medical school. Medical boards, with twisted agendas, to keep the newly stamped licensee in line will bring much sorry to those who transgress these politically motivated administrative authorities. Lawyers will target them indiscriminately to move up the food chain leaving an indelible mark during the process. Long hours, extreme patient demands, onerous regulatory structure and a system at war with the practitioner await those who dare step into the medical arena. In 2014 it is projected that 300 physicians will commit suicide. Depression, driven by factors enumerated in this text, has brought these physicians to the brink. Thousands of physicians have bailed on the profession to safer harbors, more will follow as Obamacare is fully implemented. With the incipience of the Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act, in March of 2010, physicians and other health care workers became indentured servants to a massive body of regulations that re-fabricated the medical industry. To answer ‘what is a physician’ one must review the transitions now occurring throughout the system. This person is a shadow of his colleagues from decades past who lost individuality to groupthink and is a puppet of his taskmasters.

 

Mark Davis, MD President of Healthnets Review Services and Davis Book Reviews.

www.healthnetsreviewservices.com platomd@gmail.com

Dr. Davis’ latest book, Obamacare: Dead on Arrival, A Prescription for Disaster.

Ghosts of Babi Yar

Ghosts of Babi Yar

Mark Davis, MD

 

Anti-semitism has reared
its ugly face once more in the Ukraine. Donetsk, a city in the eastern section
of the country, has become immersed in a World-wide controversy. Jewish worshipers
emerging from a synagogue claim they were given leaflets ordering them to
register with pro-Russian officials who have established a temporary presence
there. Refusing to register and pay a fee could lead to confiscation of
property and revocation of citizenship. Worse deportation to an unknown
destination was thrown into the mix of demands. These reports were verified by
Ynet News of Israel and Ukraine’s Dunbass news agency.  Condemnation came quickly from many sources,
including Secretary of State John Kerry who noted: “this is beyond
unacceptable.” Chairman of the temporary government Denis Pushilin, whose name
appears on the document, denies any connection to these flyers.  In order to complete registration the Jewish
community is being told to provide passports and other IDS along with religious
documents concerning certain family members. Evidence is also required to
established property ownership including motor vehicles.  Could this be happening in a country that
witnessed genocide of its Jewish population in World War II. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/18/world/europe/efforts-to-register-jews-in-ukraine-are-denounced-and-denied.html?smprod=nytnow&_r=0

 

Babi Yar is a ravine in
the Ukrainian City of Kiev. During the Second World War over 33,000 members of
Kiev’s Jewish community were massacred over a 2 day period there. Germans claimed
the massacre, which occurred on September 29-30^th in 1941, was in
retaliation for guerilla attacks on their forces. Indescribable in nature, the
slaughter displayed a level of hatred towards Jews that is so profound mere
words cannot flesh out the reality. 
Turmoil caused by the clash between Ukrainian and Russian troops may
have brought these intrinsic hatreds to the surface. Denial of involvement was
quick from all the factions fighting for regional control. Anti-semitism did
not evaporate with the end of World War II, it went into hibernation for a few
months. Generations later anti-Semitism has had a resurgence across the globe.
Jews throughout history have been a default scapegoat when times were rough,
nothing has changed today. Memories of genocide have done little to quash
present day emotions harbored by those who continue to want the Jewish
population decimated.  The events in
Ukraine may fade but the historical constants that instigated these latest
actions will linger for generations. “Never Again” has new meaning in the
context of these revelations. Unfortunately history recycles too often with
very harsh consequences to all it embraces. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/04/17/jews-ordered-to-register-in-east-ukraine/7816951/ 

 

Mark Davis, MD President
of Davis Book Reviews and Healthnets Review Services

www.healthnetsreviewservices.com  platomd@gmail.com  Dr. Davis’
latest book, Obamacare: Dead on Arrival, A Prescription for Disaster

Ghosts of Babi Yar

Ghosts of Babi Yar

Mark Davis, MD

 

Anti-semitism has reared its ugly face once more in the Ukraine. Donetsk, a city in the eastern section of the country, has become immersed in a World-wide controversy. Jewish worshipers emerging from a synagogue claim they were given leaflets ordering them to register with pro-Russian officials who have established a temporary presence there. Refusing to register and pay a fee could lead to confiscation of property and revocation of citizenship. Worse deportation to an unknown destination was thrown into the mix of demands. These reports were verified by Ynet News of Israel and Ukraine’s Dunbass news agency.  Condemnation came quickly from many sources, including Secretary of State John Kerry who noted: “this is beyond unacceptable.” Chairman of the temporary government Denis Pushilin, whose name appears on the document, denies any connection to these flyers.  In order to complete registration the Jewish community is being told to provide passports and other IDS along with religious documents concerning certain family members. Evidence is also required to established property ownership including motor vehicles.  Could this be happening in a country that witnessed genocide of its Jewish population in World War II. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/18/world/europe/efforts-to-register-jews-in-ukraine-are-denounced-and-denied.html?smprod=nytnow&_r=0

 

Babi Yar is a ravine in the Ukrainian City of Kiev. During the Second World War over 33,000 members of Kiev’s Jewish community were massacred over a 2 day period there. Germans claimed the massacre, which occurred on September 29-30^th in 1941, was in retaliation for guerilla attacks on their forces. Indescribable in nature, the slaughter displayed a level of hatred towards Jews that is so profound mere words cannot flesh out the reality.  Turmoil caused by the clash between Ukrainian and Russian troops may have brought these intrinsic hatreds to the surface. Denial of involvement was quick from all the factions fighting for regional control. Anti-semitism did not evaporate with the end of World War II, it went into hibernation for a few months. Generations later anti-Semitism has had a resurgence across the globe. Jews throughout history have been a default scapegoat when times were rough, nothing has changed today. Memories of genocide have done little to quash present day emotions harbored by those who continue to want the Jewish population decimated.  The events in Ukraine may fade but the historical constants that instigated these latest actions will linger for generations. “Never Again” has new meaning in the context of these revelations. Unfortunately history recycles too often with very harsh consequences to all it embraces. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/04/17/jews-ordered-to-register-in-east-ukraine/7816951/ 

 

Mark Davis, MD President of Davis Book Reviews and Healthnets Review Services

www.healthnetsreviewservices.com  platomd@gmail.com  Dr. Davis’ latest book, Obamacare: Dead on Arrival, A Prescription for Disaster

Who cries for the Benghazi Four

Who cries for the Benghazi Four

 

September 11^th 2012 marked a milestone in the Administration of Barack Obama.  On this night an American President aided and abetted enemies of the United States. Ambassador John Christopher Stevens and three others were murdered during two separate attacks on American installations in Benghazi Libya. Over 100 people took part in the first assault on the American Mission, killing Stevens and a fellow diplomat. Several hours later two security personnel were killed by a second wave of thugs in a nearby facility.  President Obama and his surrogates, including Hillary Clinton, were well aware of the ongoing sieges, yet they sent no help. Worse, those who could have rescued these heroes of America were told to stand down. Days after these assaults the Obama Administration presented a series of lies to justify these atrocities. A film entitled the Innocence of Muslims was stated as the cause of these assaults in Libya and across the Arab World. Obama’s spin doctors took to the media stating a series of talking points to affirm the White House position which insisted these were spontaneous attacks. In short order the investigative journalists still employed uncovered the truth. These assaults were anything but spontaneous. Well-armed and well planned these attacks were months in the making. Since then Congressional committees have endeavored to root out the truth from the Administration on many fronts. Who ordered the stand down of our troops that night? Why did the State Department refuse to enhance security when they were aware of an imminent threat against American personnel and installations in Benghazi? Most importantly: Who prevented help from being sent when the White House knew the attacks were ongoing? Condemnation, after the fact, by the White House was too little and too late. Hillary Clinton, when probed concerning the State Department’s malfeasance before a Senate committee on this issue, in January of 2013, blurted out the now famous words. “What difference does it make.” The latter statement was in reference to whom initiated the attacks. Documentary requests by various Congressional committees have been stonewalled by Obama and his minions. Nineteen months ago a preventable tragedy occurred in Benghazi. From the perch of many President Obama saved the Muslim attackers by not sending help that fateful night.  Worse the cover up continues as time from its occurrence melts away. Only the President knows why he did not react appropriately during the assault. We may never know.  To answer the question who cries for the Benghazi four, with the exception of their families, no one.

 

Mark Davis MD, President of Healthnets Review Services and Davis Book Reviews.

www.healthnetsreviewservices.com  platomd@gmail.com 

Dr. Davis’ latest book is Obamacare: Dead on Arrival, A Prescription for Disaster.

Obamacare: A prescription for job loss

Obamacare: A Prescription
for Job Loss

By Mark Davis, MD

 

Democracy took a wrong
turn when the Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act (PPACA), commonly
known as Obamacare, came online in March of 2010.  Few had read this voluminous document prior
to its passage, even fewer understood the pain it would inflict soon
after.  By virtue of this law’s intricate
algorithms failure could be its only final outcome. As time moved on from its
passage into law a new array of taxes and levies were brought to bear on
businesses, insurance companies and those affected by the changes in both.
Companies with fifty or more employees were mandated to provide health
insurance to their employees. Through a convoluted formula certain levels of health
coverage were required to be met or the wrath of the IRS would soon be felt.
More revealing businesses would be able to circumvent this mandate if hours of
their workers were reduced below thirty per week. With the swipe of a pen the
private sector had their balance sheets usurped by government entities under
the guise of a health care umbrella.

 

In preparation for the
oncoming fiscal tidal wave a multiplicity of businesses began paring back there
non-salaried workers hours to less than 30. This action would place these
employees under the threshold requirement to provide health coverage. Regal
Cinemas sent a memo to its staff, early in 2013, with a blatant message noting
their change in hours were directly due to the health insurance provisions of
Obamacare. Many managers resigned others simply worked with the schedule
provided by Regal Corporate.  From Pizza
chains to wholesale outlets innumerable employees were experiencing the
consequences from a legislation that never should have been enacted into law.
Contrary to the positive face government officials place on PPACA, its
insidious affects are making their way throughout the business community.
Employees in minimum wage jobs will be especially hard hit. How many people
will ultimately lose their jobs has been sketched out by another bureaucracy.

 

Congressional Budget
Office (CBO) was established as a federal agency within the jurisdiction of the
legislative branch of government. Its noble mission statement required this
administrative entity to be objective, nonpartisan and timely with its economic
forecasts. Recent history displays these goals have come into question
concerning Obamacare. Their projections indicate over 2 million full time  job equivalents will be lost in the next few
years as a direct result of the progressives overreach into health care.
Transparency is not this agency’s strong point. Calculation of these job losses
may not take into consideration the gamut of new taxes forced on the business
world. Welch Allyn, a company that manufactures medical diagnostic equipment,
announced in the latter part of 2012 it would lay-off 10% of its workforce over
a three year period, in response to the pending medical device tax it would
confront in the near future. Dana Holding Corporation, Stryker, Boston
Scientific, Metronics and many others cite this same tax for the expansive
layoffs they plan. Could the CBO be underestimating the workforce reductions as
they underestimated the costs of PPACA? 
Omens suggest the CBO’s predictions are baseless and more bad news is
coming.

 

Democrat leaders in both
houses of Congress continue to spin Obamacare as America’s destiny, the numbers
reveal the antithesis.  Job creation has
been very sluggish over the last several years as the tentacles of this
leviathan intersperse throughout the business community. Unable to plan for the
future, many companies are sitting on the sidelines waiting for the next twist
or turn in a law which has obstructed their ability to expand. Unemployment
statistics do not reflect the tens of millions who have curtailed searching for
work.  Reports from the franchise
industry provide an indication of the problems created by this legislation.
With the imposition of penalties on businesses not offering health insurance
and or appropriate coverage, as defined by Obamacare, many medium to large concerns
are not hiring or worse they are moving ahead with layoffs. The hospitality,
restaurant and leisure industries, especially those who employ more than fifty
people, see bleak futures ahead. They require many hands to be successful, yet
work on a very fine profit margin. A future full of red ink is the collective
realization of many who have read the proverbial writing on the wall which our
legislators refuse acknowledge.

 

Unions, once major
supporters of President Obama’s health fiasco, now feel exploited. Health
insurance premiums for their members have seen exponential increases. Promised subsidies
have not materialized. Worse coverage has changed to the detriment of millions
under union contracts. Low salaried workers could be forced off their plans
onto insurance exchanges providing less coverage than they have now or worse
lose their jobs. Union bosses have made their feelings clearly known to Obama
who so far has been mute to their complaints. Why? Because he no longer needs
their support, therefore he has thrown them under the literal bus as he has
done to the rest of the country. 

 

Obamacare is a
prescription for job loss, no doubt. Constructed around a core of ideas to
control all segments of the economy, health care delivery was the least concern
of its architects. Enmeshed within its draconian structure are the ingredients
to tilt bottom lines towards red ink, potentially placing at risk millions of
jobs. Oblivious to these facts the President believes his legacy legislation is
the best thing since the invention of the wheel without recognizing the true
cost to the nation, its soul.

 

Mark Davis MD is an
author, journalist and media consultant. Dr. Davis is President of Healthnets
Review Services and Davis Book Reviews. His latest book is Obamacare: Dead on
Arrival, A Prescription for Disaster. For consults, interviews and seminars
please contact him at the following email: platomd@gmail.com or his company www.healthnetsreviewservices.com

Obamacare: A Prescription for Job Loss

Obamacare: A Prescription for Job Loss

By Mark Davis, MD

 

Democracy took a wrong turn when the Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act (PPACA), commonly known as Obamacare, came online in March of 2010.  Few had read this voluminous document prior to its passage, even fewer understood the pain it would inflict soon after.  By virtue of this law’s intricate algorithms failure could be its only final outcome. As time moved on from its passage into law a new array of taxes and levies were brought to bear on businesses, insurance companies and those affected by the changes in both. Companies with fifty or more employees were mandated to provide health insurance to their employees. Through a convoluted formula certain levels of health coverage were required to be met or the wrath of the IRS would soon be felt. More revealing businesses would be able to circumvent this mandate if hours of their workers were reduced below thirty per week. With the swipe of a pen the private sector had their balance sheets usurped by government entities under the guise of a health care umbrella.

 

In preparation for the oncoming fiscal tidal wave a multiplicity of businesses began paring back there non-salaried workers hours to less than 30. This action would place these employees under the threshold requirement to provide health coverage. Regal Cinemas sent a memo to its staff, early in 2013, with a blatant message noting their change in hours were directly due to the health insurance provisions of Obamacare. Many managers resigned others simply worked with the schedule provided by Regal Corporate.  From Pizza chains to wholesale outlets innumerable employees were experiencing the consequences from a legislation that never should have been enacted into law. Contrary to the positive face government officials place on PPACA, its insidious affects are making their way throughout the business community. Employees in minimum wage jobs will be especially hard hit. How many people will ultimately lose their jobs has been sketched out by another bureaucracy.

 

Congressional Budget Office (CBO) was established as a federal agency within the jurisdiction of the legislative branch of government. Its noble mission statement required this administrative entity to be objective, nonpartisan and timely with its economic forecasts. Recent history displays these goals have come into question concerning Obamacare. Their projections indicate over 2 million full time  job equivalents will be lost in the next few years as a direct result of the progressives overreach into health care. Transparency is not this agency’s strong point. Calculation of these job losses may not take into consideration the gamut of new taxes forced on the business world. Welch Allyn, a company that manufactures medical diagnostic equipment, announced in the latter part of 2012 it would lay-off 10% of its workforce over a three year period, in response to the pending medical device tax it would confront in the near future. Dana Holding Corporation, Stryker, Boston Scientific, Metronics and many others cite this same tax for the expansive layoffs they plan. Could the CBO be underestimating the workforce reductions as they underestimated the costs of PPACA?  Omens suggest the CBO’s predictions are baseless and more bad news is coming.

 

Democrat leaders in both houses of Congress continue to spin Obamacare as America’s destiny, the numbers reveal the antithesis.  Job creation has been very sluggish over the last several years as the tentacles of this leviathan intersperse throughout the business community. Unable to plan for the future, many companies are sitting on the sidelines waiting for the next twist or turn in a law which has obstructed their ability to expand. Unemployment statistics do not reflect the tens of millions who have curtailed searching for work.  Reports from the franchise industry provide an indication of the problems created by this legislation. With the imposition of penalties on businesses not offering health insurance and or appropriate coverage, as defined by Obamacare, many medium to large concerns are not hiring or worse they are moving ahead with layoffs. The hospitality, restaurant and leisure industries, especially those who employ more than fifty people, see bleak futures ahead. They require many hands to be successful, yet work on a very fine profit margin. A future full of red ink is the collective realization of many who have read the proverbial writing on the wall which our legislators refuse acknowledge.

 

Unions, once major supporters of President Obama’s health fiasco, now feel exploited. Health insurance premiums for their members have seen exponential increases. Promised subsidies have not materialized. Worse coverage has changed to the detriment of millions under union contracts. Low salaried workers could be forced off their plans onto insurance exchanges providing less coverage than they have now or worse lose their jobs. Union bosses have made their feelings clearly known to Obama who so far has been mute to their complaints. Why? Because he no longer needs their support, therefore he has thrown them under the literal bus as he has done to the rest of the country. 

 

Obamacare is a prescription for job loss, no doubt. Constructed around a core of ideas to control all segments of the economy, health care delivery was the least concern of its architects. Enmeshed within its draconian structure are the ingredients to tilt bottom lines towards red ink, potentially placing at risk millions of jobs. Oblivious to these facts the President believes his legacy legislation is the best thing since the invention of the wheel without recognizing the true cost to the nation, its soul.

 

Mark Davis MD is an author, journalist and media consultant. Dr. Davis is President of Healthnets Review Services and Davis Book Reviews. His latest book is Obamacare: Dead on Arrival, A Prescription for Disaster. For consults, interviews and seminars please contact him at the following email: platomd@gmail.com or his company www.healthnetsreviewservices.com

America's health system: will it survive under Obamacare

America’s health system: will it survive under Obamacare

Mark Davis, M.D.

 

     America’s system of health care delivery is one of the best in the World. Tens of millions seek medical services yearly, most of whom are successfully treated for their ills. Yet a small percentage of this group fails to achieve a similar success story. Consequently, a harsh reality encumbers a segment of society in their search for the healing process. This failure is the substance of an indictment brought to bear by an overreaching government that seeks equity in a system that in the end is an unrealistic goal. Present day medical services offer an array of choices from basic care to sophisticated diagnostics and therapeutics. Costs associated with these variant levels of care move along a similar spectrum with the latter end out of reach except for the wealthiest amongst us. Present population demographics indicate the nation’s inhabitants number more than 317 million. In order to manage the medical services for this vast number of people 900 thousand physicians are licensed to perform the task. Of this group approximately 80% perform direct patient services. The rest are embedded in administrative roles through government entities or private functions. Nearly three million nurses, nurse practitioners and physicians assistants supplement the services of their physician colleagues. Day to day medical miracles are performed in 5,800 registered hospitals, thousands of clinics, innumerable physicians’ offices and a variety of other health outlets that complete the circle of this expansive system. During the early days of the 111^th Congress the Democrat majority, in both houses, quietly began the foundations of a piece of legislation we now know as Obamacare. As it was nearing completion in 2010 a heightened level of negative rhetoric was heard against the prevailing system. Insurance companies, the pharmaceutical and health industries found themselves harshly demonized by a government which was planning to literally nationalize the medical system. On March 23^rd 2010 a several thousand page legislative effort, written end to end by lawyers and passed by both houses of Congress on the slimmest of margins, was signed into law. With the swipe of a pen one sixth of the U.S. economy and  control of America’s health system was usurped by  federal bureaucrats who forgot one small point, no one knew its contents.

 

     Designated as a cure-all for the ills of a system that had a minor cold the Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act (PPACA) may be a historic first. Nearly every voting member in the House of Representatives and its Senatorial counterpart were ill-knowledgeable of the Trojan horse they had passed into law. Several thousand pages of legislative confusion was about to be inflicted on a nation whose greatest majority were already covered by health plans. Promises of eternal access to high quality medical care with cost affordability in mind were splashed throughout receptive media channels in an effort to convince Americans a new day has dawned in American health care. Pre-existing condition coverage was an absolute within the structure of the legislation. All this and more without increasing the federal budget was the fantasy repeated over and over again by Obama’s friends in the media. Then a few people began to look under the hood of this new health vehicle and found something else. Written in legalese its authors deliberately confounded the wording making it difficult if not impossible to decipher. Those who were able to break the code found there were more sanctions and penalties than health initiatives in this disturbing law. Few initiated in health care management had contributed to this expansive edict which was designed to eventually place every aspect of medical services under the watchful eye of Uncle Sam. Left out of the conversation was the fact that traditional insurance was less expensive, offered more services and allowed better access to the health system. Those who led the charge to pass PPACA were unavailable for comment during the early days of the law’s incipience. They were vacationing in Antarctica. Nevertheless reality has a way of surfacing and the more people knew about Obamacare the less affinity they had for it.

 

     Media friendly to the Obama Administration brought in their usual list of hacks to bless this new burden on our society. Politicians, economists, Harvard professorial consultants and other faces you have seen many times were among them. This crowd read from the same talking points noting how the left’s pinnacle achievement would save America from its unfair and decaying medical system. Referencing a few key elements their diatribes were almost believable. Yet scratching the surface of Obamacare’s cheer leadership a pervasive credibility gap opened which still defines the hazards of this legislation. Promising to bring tens of millions into the fold, who had a paucity of health services in the past, these spokesmen for the Administration could not quite explain the machinery to bring this about. Analyzing the Romneycare experiment in Massachusetts, a program that influenced PPACA legislation, a cold chill comes over the reader as he sees the parallels between the two laws. Increased demand for services in the Bay State taxed the medical infrastructure to a point causing many physicians to close their practices to new patients. Prices of services rose through the natural progression of cost inflation, yet government officials blocked many requests for elevation of fees. Massachusetts government officials artificially kept reimbursements low by denying legitimate requests for increases. Inundated with lawsuits over their micro-version of Obamacare, Massachusetts elevated many lawyers to the level of administrative judgeships then quickly dispensed with these cases.  The fix was in, similar to the courts for Obamacare. Autocratic methodologies, convoluted judicial opinions and heavy financial penalties are the fulcrums used to squash any resistance to a health plan few desired and less were willing to pay for. Romney jumped ship before his legacy plan was implemented. Do you blame him?

 

     Students of Romneycare see the obvious parallels between the poorly designed national plan and the Bay State’s experiment. In both cases a heavy reliance on the legal system has been introduced to enforce these two tragedies on less than receptive audiences. For lawyers and judges Obamacare is a legal fantasyland given to them as payback for supporting the President. Tentacles of this leviathan reach into every aspect of our society. When compliance is questionable the briefcase crowd along with their black robed friends will be called in to save the day. Tort reform was deliberately left out of this beast. Instead battalions of attorneys were given a license to lead the charge against those who would rather make their own decisions on health care. Lawsuits will have a new flavor. In addition to the thousands of malpractice suits filed yearly Obamacare lawsuits, in equal numbers, will join them. Rules to implement this behemoth are still being formulated by the Department of Health and Human Services. When fully released, thousands of pages of regulatory structure will be added on top of Obama’s grand Ponzi scheme to cure America. Treatment plans, diagnostics, choices of drugs, lengths of hospital stays and more will be controlled by central “authorities.” Stepping away from government protocols will not be an option for physicians and individuals. Physicians become indentured servants paid and controlled by a blind bureaucracy whose only goal is to keep the beast alive at any cost. Doctors out of compliance with the monotone tenets of Obamacare will find themselves looking for other work or even jailed. Lawyers will be bathed in money because they have been given the “right” to sue on behalf of the government at the national and state levels. Designers of this egregious legislation placed a smile on their public faces as they discussed Obamacare. In the dark halls of Congress most knew this legislation would bring on dissent once everyone was made aware of it contents.

 

     Checked your tax and insurance bills lately, you may be surprised. Over a dozen taxes and levies were brought to bear to support this new health scheme. Contrary to the President’s multiple statements that taxes will not increase for those earning 250,000 dollars or less, the antithesis is true. Many of the new charges affect people across the economic spectrum. Surcharges on investment income, increases in the Medicare payroll tax, mandated taxes on employees and employers, a tax on health insurers, excise taxes on so-called Cadillac insurance plans, taxes on medical device manufacturers, elevated threshold to deduct medical expenses on income taxes and many more are a direct result of government’s interference in the health system. Originally conceived as a program which would save hundreds of billions for its participants, economists’ worst nightmare has come true. Costs will not be contained in the manner as Congressional Budget Office officials originally stated. Trillion dollar deficits are perceived in the next few years. Even more detrimental those who decide to retain traditional insurance will find premiums exponentially higher.  Fiscally unsound algorithms are driving costs skyward resulting in millions of jobs vanishing from view and a health system placed in chaos.

 

     Obamacare is an indictment of the traditional medical system. Irrational as it sounds, the legal profession along with their legislative counterparts brought into law a legislation that condemns prior efforts to assure health care for all. Paradoxically Obamacare degrades the health system with erroneous formulas and algorithms to refabricate a medical industry that needed a tune up not an overhaul.  More than three years have passed since the inauguration of the Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act. From the public’s perspective none of the promises envisioned by its engineers have come into existence. Alternatively Obamacare introduces a system struggling for an identity. A system that is so profoundly flawed that logic dictates it was never intended to fulfill the health needs of our expanding population.  Instead the Affordable Care Act has purposely caused; insurance rates to rise exponentially, reduction in provider access and dismembers traditional insurance pathways. My own Maryland Blue Cross policy has seen its renewal rate increase by 82.5% a month for the same limited coverage. Sticker shock is being realized throughout the country. Millions are being forced off their plans because of excessive costs or the plans cease to exist. Enter the Exchanges as a means to move us closer to a one payer system.

    

     October 1^st 2013 was a momentous day for Obamacare. On this day the full incompetence of the Affordable Care Act’s legislative mandate made its debut. Federal and state insurance Exchanges came on line for the first time or did they?  From their incipience technical flaws surfaced which hindered most from applying. Billions were spent to provide a seamless experience applying for health insurance in cyberspace.  Those who tried found glitch after glitch as the system mined them for irrelevant information. Nearly six months have passed since phase one of ACA began with elements of the system still being hidden from the public. A few facts have surfaced. More than 5 million have registered on various online sites, yet the government has not been transparent who these applicants are. Media reps have pressed government officials for the answers, specifically requesting whether these people have been moved from one subsidized program to another, essentially inflating the number of applicants. Answers to this question are still pending. Ezekiel Emanuel, one of the architects of Obamacare, tragically admitted in order for this legislation to succeed millions of young people need to sign up. To this date that goal has not been achieved because there are built-in incentives for the youth of America not to apply. A small fine, with no teeth for collection, is awaiting those who go sans insurance. Obamacare is an obsolete mode of medical care delivery whose cost/benefits are low compared to the system it is attempting to replace.

 

     Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act is essentially an accusatory instrument denigrating the traditional system of health care delivery. This legislation’s breath taking scope enumerates multiple flaws in the system which it intends to correct. Written end to end by lawyers and peppered with a few tidbits from the medical community, failure was the ultimate end point of its designers’ intentions to lead the nation into a one payer system. Obamacare victimizes individuals and businesses by forcibly ensnaring them into purchasing a product in markets created by government entities. Refusal to obtain insurance can bring the wrath of an IRS agent to your front door. Ultimately the judge and jury of this abomination are the end-users, the public, who will discover that promises made are not promises kept. America’s health system will survive despite Obamacare’s brief interlude on the scene. This medical nightmare is unraveling. Its demise is imminent. The only unknown is when.

 

Mark Davis, MD is an author, journalist, media advisor and physician who has been intricately involved in the health care delivery system at many levels. As President of Heathnets Review Services and Davis Book Reviews he works with many authors to bring current health and political issues to a wide audience. Dr. Davis’ latest book is Obamacare: Dead on Arrival, A Prescription for Disaster. To contact him for consultation, seminars or interviews please use the following sites.

platomd@gmail.com   www.healthnetsreviewservices.com