The Los Angeles Times reports that "President Bush talked on Wednesday about good health, and his plan to help America pay for it, at the home office of the nation's third-largest purveyor of hamburgers and French fries. Speaking in the lobby at the headquarters of Wendy's International, Bush urged Americans concerned about healthcare costs to consider a fledgling government program built around high-deductible insurance for catastrophic illness or accidents and tax-free personal savings accounts to pay for routine medical needs."
The Times quoted the President saying "If patients control how their healthcare dollars are spent, the result is better treatment at lower cost." But the President then used the absurd example of what he said was the decrease in the cost of laser eye surgery, which is usually not covered by insurance. As a result, he said, patients sought the best price because they paid for the procedure themselves.
The president needs to look beyond price. Why aren't insurance companies covering laser eye surgery. Perhaps evidence (efficacy and safety) and quality concerns come into play - something true health care reform should care about.
Some critics questioned the speech being given at Wendy's. The Center for Science in the Public Interest asked, "Was the lobby of Philip Morris unavailable?" But the White House chose Wendy's because of how the company has embraced health savings accounts.
In the 80s, Wendy's ran a famous ad mocking its competition with the tagline, "Where's the beef?" (Walter Mondale also used the line as a presidential candidate mocking a competitor's platform.) Today, many people question "Where's the beef?" in the president's health plan.
Posted by schwitz at February 16, 2006 10:29 AM | TrackBackI'm not sure that laser eye surgery is not covered by insurance due to safety or quality issues. It is not covered simply because it is elective, and with few exceptions, not medically necessary.
The price of laser eye surgery came down, not because patients demanded it to come down, but because more laser eye surgeons entered the field.
Of course quality is certainly a major factor when considering where and if to have any surgery. It may even be the only factor that many consider.
Why anyone would want the lowest bidder to operate on them is beyond me. I'll bet Bush wouldn't select the lowest bidder, but he sure expects that from the rest of us.
When my wife had her laser eye surgery, about 5 years ago, we didn't even consider price, and our insurance didn't cover it. We asked our eye doctor, and he recommended someone he sent his son to. That was good enough for her. As for me, I wouldn't have it done at any cost.
As far as efficacy goes, my wife has been very happy with the outcome, but I still won't have it done.
Bush is just trying to invent analogies, where none exist, to promote a plan that ignores the well being of patients, yet benefits business, health insurance companies, and financial instituitions.
Just thought I'd take this opportunity to vent a little here.
Posted by: Marc at February 16, 2006 01:03 PM