As a doctor, I know it can be tempting when treating a complex disease to try and cover up the symptoms instead of diagnosing the source of the problem. America is in the midst of a heated debate about gun control, but guns are not the source of our nation’s problem with violence. Instead of trying to curtail constitutional rights, Congress should address a real root of our violence problem: mental illness.
10:18 AM 02/15/2012
The budget President Obama released this week demonstrates the administration’s detachment from our current fiscal situation. As a physician, I’m particularly concerned about the president’s refusal to offer a plan to reform Medicare so it will be here for future generations. The budget is a tremendous opportunity to create policy, yet the president’s budget of more spending, taxing, and debt won’t prevent Medicare from going bankrupt. If that happens, people will inevitably be denied access to care. And instead of increasing freedom and choice in the Medicare market, this budget focuses on increasing federal control --- a tactic that continually fails.
2:46 PM 06/14/2011
Paul Ryan’s budget has ignited the debate over the future of Medicare. CMS Director Don Berwick recently opined in the Wall Street Journal on the superiority of Obamacare in controlling Medicare costs. Dr. Berwick and Congressional Democrats believe that increasing the role of Washington, D.C. in everyday health care decisions will lower costs. On the other side, Republicans believe that giving patients a choice and encouraging competition is the best way to preserve Medicare for those on or about to be on Medicare and also strengthen the program for future generations.
