Obama-Care Hits South Florida

Well...at least some people in the local medical field have some ideas for our president on how to reform medical care and cut costs. There are some logical and good ideas, such as eliminating needless tests and creating an electronic healthcare database.

Then there are these:

(Hollywood surgeon) Arthur Palamara said another key is eliminating ''futile care'' -- treatment given after it is clear that a patient is on an irreversible path to imminent death. Determining when and what care is wasted, of course, can be difficult. Palamara said he has co-authored a proposal about the subject to the American Medical Association, which now has put together a blue-ribbon panel to study the issue.

And...

(Miami health insurance broker Santiago) Leon supports integrated healthcare delivery systems, in which doctors, hospitals and others work together to treat an illness, perhaps for a lump sum. If physicians were employees of an integrated system, rather than independent businessmen, then they wouldn't be concerned with ordering more tests, Leon said.

So we have what amounts to rationed health care which de-emphasizes care for those who are terminally ill (an insensitive policy if I ever heard one) and pushing independent doctors out in favor of an "integrated system".

Yep. Those lunatics on the right may have be on to something after all.