I've opened the floodgates...

I've stayed pretty quiet on the whole healthcare thing up to know. Trying to understand the different viewpoints, and I think I've got it. Both sides stretch the truth. One side sprinkles fairy dust on the entire non-existent proposal. The other side, sprays shit all over anything they can get their hands on. From both sides there is lots of rhetoric, no details.

However, one branch of government seems to actually function effectively: The CBO (Congressional Budget Office)

In the latest report summeed up at the prvious link they describe why Obama main talking point that preventive gov't healthcare is good and saves money is a fallacy.

Additionally, Obama lacks a clear understanding of the healthcare system in general. He describes a situation where we pour money into primary care for diabetics instead of giving surgeons "$30,000, $40,000, $50,000" for a later amputation "that will save us money."

Yes your bill for an amputation is probably around $30,000 but what Mr. Obama implied was that the surgeon gets this money. They don't, below is the current medicare reimbursment rate for amputations...

Medicare Payment -
28800. Amputation, foot; midtarsal (eg, Chopart type procedure) $493.14
28805. Amputation, foot; transmetatarsal $655.87

This is the professional component (i.e. how much the surgeon makes), a fraction of the total cost. Some of the remaining money will go to the surigcal team (nurses, techs, etc) but the lions share goes to the hospital, not the doctor. Remember, doctors don't run hospitals--administrators (i.e. MBA's and JD's) run them. In fact the term "doctors bill" is a misnomer because if you dig through your bill you'll see it's more accurate to call it a "medical bill" given how small of a pie the doc is getting out of the deal.

Basically, Mr. Obama has shown exactly how little he understands about medical economics and billing issues. The reason our system cost so much is all the thrid party, non-healthcare profession parasites trying to profit off the system (and you haven't heard any plans to cut them off since they are the biggest donors to politcal campaigns). I would imagine that very few in the Obama camp are any better versed in the system either, yet these are the people tasked to fix it....