President Obama erred on red pills, blue pills and tonsilitis

After President Obama’s press conference Wednesday I thought a lot about what he said. I’d planned to do a column, but frankly after I reviewed my notes, I didn’t come up with anything new. I didn’t learn details of any of the proposed plans, and nor did the president address the constituencies in the US that make up the alleged 45 million uninsured. But a few things caught my eye as I reviewed my notes.

The red pill/blue pill analogy gave me pause. I’m assuming our president was implying the use of generic drugs when possible. It’s not true the cheaper pill is always the best. Generic drugs have inert ingredients that may differ from the brand drug. Only your doctor can tell you whether that cheap pill is right for you. Adverse reactions to inert ingredients are not all that common as far as we know. But I’m not even sure a person would realize this if a reaction occurred. There are differences in those inert ingredients and the decision about the drug can only be made by the physician. That’s one reason I always suggest you talk to your pharmacist about any new medication or unusual effects from any drug. The FDA provides a search page where you can look up inactive ingredients.

Oregon State University College of Pharmacy has information about generics, advising, "Generics may differ in inert ingredients, such as excipients, binders, fillers, coloring agents, flavors, preservatives, release mechanisms, and scoring configuration. In some patients, these differences may induce allergies."

I had a big problem with the president's tonsillitis scenario wherein he suggested a doctor might take out tonsils purely for profit. Most physicians would not perform an invasive procedure without good cause. That I viewed as a definite insult to one of the most valuable professions in our society. I have met many doctors, nurses and pharmacists through my freelance work over the years. I have yet to meet even one who did not have the best interests of the patient at heart.

Furthermore when Obama cited the oft-quoted 45 million, as I’ve repeatedly pointed out, a number of those are, according to a study based on US Census data, foreign-born non-citizens. Newsmax said, “On July 17, Democrats successfully defeated a Republican-backed amendment, offered by Rep. Dean Heller of Nevada, that would have prevented illegal aliens from receiving government-subsidized healthcare under the proposed plan backed by House Democrats and President Obama.”

None of the proposed changes I've heard about will benefit the patient. The government is attempting reform in an effort to constrain runaway costs of Medicare and Medicaid. Estimates put fraud in those programs at more than $100 billion. As government assumes more control over healthcare, your personal habits will gradually, by necessity, fall under government oversight. The result will be rationing, less care for baby boomers in their senior years and a federal budget that will eventually collapse.

I've proposed ideas for reforms in past columns. I believe insurance should be portable and tax credits should be provided for all medical expenses. If it's a lifesaving or prolonging necessity, we should not be taxed on it. The courts should also review the 14th amendment. The current questionable interpretation automatically grants citizenship to children born here even if the parents are in the country illegally. As a result, there is an incentive for a mother-to-be to come here even if she has no documentation. Traditionally immigrants received no benefits whatsoever even if they were legal. While I count many nationalities among my loved ones and friends, I acknowledge that we cannot continue to ask taxpayers to fund medical care for millions of people who are here not as legal refugees or documented immigrants but as individuals seeking benefits their own country refuses to provide.

There should also be a means of working out the issue of unmarried couples. People often simply live together, and one may have insurance. I don't know how regulations could permit this, but for all types of couples in committed relationships, there must be a means of offering options to purchase insurance.

There are many ways to reform healthcare in the real interests of American citizens. At the moment we are not being told the truth about the cost or the specifics of the plans Democrats are considering. Obama's press conference did not advance those significant truths in any way and the White House Press Corps sat there like lazy turtles on a sun-basted log.

President Obama erred on red pills, blue pills and tonsilitis
by Kay B. Day
The US Report, Jul. 24, 2009