Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Again...What's in a name?

I get e-mail updates from BarackObama.com and even as little as a month ago this is what the e-mails said about healtcare reform:

Kathleen --

The fight to pass real health care reform will come down to one thing: you.

That's because the efforts in Washington, D.C., to fix our broken health care system and provide affordable coverage for all Americans are only part of the battle.


blah blah blah.

The e-mail I received today no longer uses the term "health care reform." It's now "health insurance reform."

Kathleen --

You've probably seen the headlines: Opponents of change are doing everything they can to delay health insurance reform.

blah blah blah.

Changing the wording to "health insurance reform" seems to direct the reform to insurance companies, which we all have problems with, instead of reforming actual healthcare, which most of us don't have a problem with.

The problem is that the change isn't about just about insurance. It's about rationing the actual care we get. Obama showed his hand when he talked about how Doctors supposedly choose to take out tonsils rather than treat the sore throat, because they would make more money that way.

That is absurd and insulting to doctors, but it also shows how a bureaucrat in Washington will tell a Doctor that he cannot take those tonsils out because they think that the treatment of the sore throat would be better. THAT is taking away the Doctor's decision and your decision. It really illustrates what this fight is all about.

As we continue to debate healthcare, don't be misled by those who think wording will fool you.