Obama Wants Journalist Gupta for Surgeon General

Source: Washington Post

President-elect Barack Obama has offered the job of surgeon general to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the neurosurgeon and correspondent for CNN and CBS, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation.

Gupta has told administration officials that he wants the job, and the final vetting process is under way. He has asked for a few days to figure out the financial and logistical details of moving his family from Atlanta to Washington but is expected to accept the offer.

When reached for comment today, Gupta did not deny the account but declined to comment.

The offer followed a two-hour Chicago meeting in November with Obama, who said that Gupta could be the highest-profile surgeon general in history and would have an expanded role in providing health policy advice, the sources said. Gupta later spoke with Tom Daschle, Obama's White House health czar and nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, and other advisers to the president-elect.

Read more: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2009/01/06/obama_wants_journalist_for_sur.html

How strange.

Affordable health care won't do much good in America until you have a higher standard of health care than what America has now, or at least in comparison to what's on the record in East Tennessee as "Their acceptable standards of health care" http://www.wisecountyissues.com Profit care comes ahead of patient care.

I was soooo hoping for Jack Kevorkian.

Do your homework.

embarrassingly, had him confused with deepak chopra, who is the quack I had in mind.

Affordable healthcare won't do much good... until you ahve a higher standard of healthcare...?????


That doesnt make any damned sense. Sanjay was against Moore's demand for single payer universal not-for-profit healthcare. Sanjay seems to be for the 'for profit' system.

Please explain this position of yours because I don't understand what the hell you are talking about.

:thumbsdown:

(I thought) I heard him live say that he wanted to put Cholesterol lowering drugs in our water. (I may be wrong)

His CNN sponsor: Lipitor

are you sure you heard correctly? I did a search on it, and found two references to it, but they were not statements advocated by Gupta.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0311/15/smn.32.html
Interview with Mehmet Oz:

....
GUPTA: That's good advice. Let me just ask you one thing, sort of bouncing off that, as well, Dr. Oz. Who shouldn't take these statin drugs now? I mean obviously maybe there's an age where you're too young to take them. But it seems like they're so good, relatively few side effects. They may make you live longer, cut down on your cholesterol as well as these plaques. Why shouldn't everyone be taking these drugs?

OZ: Well, there are many scientists who argue that Lipitor should be in our water and that we should take cholesterol lowering drugs in all of our foods as a supplement. But I think it's a little bit of a cop out. The reality is our bodies are designed to function by eating healthy foods and processing them in a natural way. By relying on drugs to deal with your dietary indiscretion, I think you're actually going to fool yourself. You can't have a hot dog and sprinkle Lipitor on it or Pravachol or any other great drug and expect to come out with the same result as another individual who pay attention to what they're eating and becomes aware of the most precious thing they've ever inherited, their body.

....
http://www.khaasbaat.com/dec2008/health.htm
Gupta interviewed by Dr. M. P. Ravindra Nathan, director of Hernando Heart Clinic in Brooksville, lives in Brooksville, FL.

"What do you think of the wonder drugs 'statins'? It has been shown to prevent heart disease and also arrest its progression?" I asked. Most of you know by their brand names such as Lipitor, Crestor, etc.

"Statin is a great drug and Steve (Steven Nissen, M.D., past president of American College of Cardiology) thinks it should be in our drinking water. I myself don't take any statin, though my LDL is just a little high, but my HDL is 80 now with daily exercise."

In answer to "Should statins become over the counter to prevent heart disease, as in U.K.?" he answered: "My concern is they would use this as a ruse for not seeing a doctor being lulled into thinking that the statins alone will protect the heart. All patients want to know 'Am I going to live longer?' "

....


Based on those two samples, I don't think he is an advocate for lipitor in drinking water. If he were, it would be pretty irresponsible and i certainly would not support his nomination for SG. If you find anything that shows he advocates it, please post because we should send in our protests to change.gov.

I do know that the sponsor was Lipitor.

I'll look around.

Yep even Obama can be in the dark....that is Bush darkness!!!

Well folks......so much for any changes!!! Status quo as usual!!!
I do believe the New World Order is on track folks!!!
Step right up and get your mandatory genetically altered flu vaccine!!
Keep eating all the aspertain/ melamine/ mad cow/e-coli/samonella/pestiside/mosanto-fied/fructose altered food products you can get!!!

Let us all increase the # of diabetics to support the sugar/fructose/aspertine/insulin pharmaceutical and insurance industries.

Let us all increase the variety and increase the # of cancer cases nation wide to support the ACS/AMA/Insurance co/ health industries/pharmaceuticals/religious organizations.

Let us continue to depopulate society through all the toxins via all industries and sterilize all male species human or animal.

Folks this all will make $$$$$$$$$$ for the chosen!!! Step right up and pick your number!!!

And yes, Obama, continue the war machine so the drug trade can blossom 100 fold and all those pharmaceuticals can have a free testing ground- the war field.

Yep,....Bush/neo-cons are picking who is on Obamas team!!!!

:argh:

and I don't touch alcohol.

This is frickin' depressing.

:(

On the bright side, it's a ceremonial role.

She actually tried to do something postive, and look where it got her.

Seen Koop anywhere?

I knew this from off the top of my head because i remember when "Sicko" came out and he was bad mouthing it. I do believe he even was featured with Michael Moore in a debate perhaps on Larry King.

we know a uniform makes him look good. DAMN good :)

Here is Dave's tribute to him. He didn't include Calvin DeForest (LBM real name) in the admiral's uniform. He would come out and say "No, I am not in the military. I just wear this uniform because it makes me look good, DAMN good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6xytMiiD_A

It was ridiculous. Gupta even admitted that we needed more universal health care, but took the time to argue with Michael Moore about minor inaccuracies in his movie anyway (thus doing the best to undermine Michael Moore, if you ask me).

What a really bad choice.

not just within the US!

I just watched all 17 minutes of that interview.

We've been had BIG TIME. That man is a slap in the face to every American struggling to pay for healthcare.

:wtf:

Bad choice, IMO. Gupta is a hack and is in the pocket of Big Pharma.

Michael Moore would be a better choice.
How bout Dr. Howard Dean.

I sure hope not!!

No fuckin' way.

:hi:

50% ;)

http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/about/index.html

If that's the case, maybe Gupta as SG isn't such a bad pick. Whatever we think of his politics (trashing Michael Moore, which was awful), he knows how to communicate medical news.

The Surgeon-General doesn't make medical policy, and I wouldn't want Gupta to, that's for sure. If the role is only advisory and educational, I think he could be an asset because he's well-known and generally trusted by most people (obviously not most people at DU, however).

Ok, given that he is a PR shill, then yes, he is good at spinning a story.

But he has no idea about WHAT to educate about. Do you honestly believe that he won't be getting his talking points from big pharma?

This is really bad and clearly signals Obama's desire to derail any attempt at universal care.

He is a good communicator, has a good tv presence, most people know who he is, and he is very qualified as an MD.

I'm not a Sanjay Gupta fan, but I understand why Obama would want to appoint him to SG. We have some serious medical problems in this country, like obesity, increasing numbers of people with diabetes, heart disease, and such. Gupta is young, dynamic, a skilled communicator, and has good medical credentials. His appointment will generate publicity, and he will use it to get people interested in their health. If we, as a society, do not start emphasizing preventative health care, our medical system is going to be overwhelmed. Education is a critical component of health care. In that context, Obama's choice of Gupta for SG makes sense.

Preventive Care is more important than Curative Care--it's cheaper and better to keep a problem from happening than to fix one that already has.

Like so many of Obama's other picks, this one is TERRIBLE.

I've heard people in this thread call him a big pharma shill. Can anyone prove this? If there is evidence, then his appointment should be protested. Otherwise, these comments are thoughtless knee-jerk reactions.

For that matter, look at most of his other CNN spots. Many of them are along the lines of, "Fen-Phen is a good choice for when other weight loss methods have failed" and "Vioxx has been proven safe and effective." You will see that such spots are invariably sponsored by the makers of Fen-Phen and Vioxx.

If it looks like a Big Pharma shill, and swims like one, and quacks like one....

I wish i had more time to research this allegation. Sometimes, his reports are based on the information at hand at the time, such as clinical trials conducted by the pharmaceutical companies. He could have been reporting what was thought to be correct at the time, and could not have known future findings that indicated otherwise.

Anyhow, I hope his record will be closely scrutinized during Senate confirmation hearings. If these ties to big pharma are real, he should be rejected.

Because some people suffer from liver or kidney failure soon after taking it, and your muscles can degenerate in short order. New Lipitor patients are kept under close scrutiny to make sure they can handle such a drug.

Speaking about it like everyone should take it is irresponsible...and as a doctor, he should know that these side effects are life-threatening.

He should have also known that during his little segment trashing Moore's movie, he was using a right-wing doctor as an impartial authority and then covered it up.

I do not think him very knowlegable outside of his field, which is neurosurgery. I also think he is a cue-card reader who has demonstrated hostility towards the notion that we need universal healthcare AND that the U.S. system's flaws stem from the fact that it is a for-profit system.

And he is a TV personality, which doesn't give me too much confidence in his ability to transcend the notion that he is all about image.

To me, this is a dumb....an appointment that gives a big nod to the pharmaceutical companies and to our mass-media-driven, dumbed down culture. A little more substance would have been nice.....and a little less demonstration of hostility towards progress.

Hopefully this is not final.

a Surgeon General. Who remembers any of his predecessors besides Dr. Joycelyn Elders and the Robert-Bork-looking guy on the Life Alert commercials?

Ah yes, C. Everett Koop.

On edit: Changed "Coop" to "Koop"

and with his highly favorable ratings as a TV medical journalist he would be invaluable as a spokesman for universal health care. Obama and Daschle would obviously not have touched this man if he hadn't agreed to work for Obama's national health care plan. This could result in being one of Obama's most important appointments.

how about one of the ones Oprah features on her show?

Gupta's bedside manner leaves much to be desired.

of that asshat Dr. Phil. On the other hand, if he was SG he wouldn't appear on TV as much. You may have a good point.

He's well trusted too and well known. He promotes healthy living and positive choices. Not hard to look at either ;-)

I can see why Oprah hands whole shows over to him.

edited to add proof:

http://fundrace.huffingtonpost.com/neighbors.php?type=name&lname=Oz&fname=Mehmet
Mehmet Oz
PHYSICIAN COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
Updated Q1/2007
John McCain $2,100
<removed his address>

Mehmet Oz
Physician Columbia University
Updated Q1/2008
$1,000 Donation to Lance For Congress (republican)

MEHMET OZ
PHYSICIAN SELF-EMPLOYED
Updated Q1/2004
George W. Bush
$2,000

He still seems much less obnoxious to me than Gupta.

He's now much harder to look at :-(

don't ask how. you must have faith in obama. just believe...

bah humbug. That's how people of good intentions are led astray. Sure, just follow the pied piper.

I am sooooo disappointed in this pick, and I have been supportive of Obama's other choices.


More "cult of celebrity" if you ask me. Hell, he could've had DOCTOR Howard Dean!!

Bake

Source: Washintion Post

President-elect Barack Obama has offered the job of surgeon general to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the neurosurgeon and correspondent for CNN and CBS, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation.

Read more: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2009/01/06/obama_wants_journalist_for_sur.html?hpid=topnews

---

"As Gupta tries to defend his clearly biased report by claiming Moore has "cherry-picked" his numbers (a typical tactic employed by Moore's right-wing detractors), Moore explains that all of his figures are from 2007 and were generated from President Bush's Health and Human Services. Favorite moments: When Larry King called Gupta's report "kinda balanced", and when Moore totally shut Gupta up by pointing out that the CNN logo covered up the Cuba figures Gupta claims Moore was trying to conceal in his film. Later on, (not in the video to your right), Gupta complains that Moore makes it seem like universal health care would cost Americans nothing, even though the film clearly points out that tax money pays for these systems. Gupta apparently can't give movie audiences enough credit to understand such a simple fact. Anyway, check out the video to your right for more."
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/56569/

and
http://crooksandliars.com/2007/07/11/michael-moore-vs-sanja-gupta/

Why that guy? He is such a hack!

I didn't think I'd be disappointed this early in the game.

Maybe we can get Captain Crunch to be Defense Secretary while we're at it.

Yosemite Sam is a much better choice.

Cap'n Crunch as Secretary of Defense, anyway? But for Secretary of the Navy, now we're talking...

:wtf: is he thinking??

:shrug: Since PE Obama is going for 'talk show friendly but light on credibility and intellect' ...



:wtf: :wtf: :wtf:

Sanjay everfucking GUPTA for Surgeon General?!? THAT pathetic celebrity corporate hack? :wtf:

Am I concerned about these signs, almost all of them bad? Yes, very much so.

I am trying not to go off the deep end, here. Obama has yet to govern for one day, and I will certainly withold my final judgements until at least a year has passed.

But this whole pre-inaugural period, almost ALL of it, is looking bad. If these early signs are indicative, there is no way Obama can restore our System of Check and Balances to health and vigor.

I find myself telling myself the same bullshit I did during the "Keep the Powder Dry" years.

It MUST be a double-super-secret plan! It is really brilliant strategy masquerading as nonsensical corporo-celebro BULLSHIT. Blah. Blah. Blah. Blah. Blah.

I am getting a very queasy feeling.

God, let me be wrong!

Now when I tell myself that I roll my eyes and pat my head. There, there.

Then again, any secret plan would have to wait until power has been safely transferred before it could be revealed. I guess we'll know in a few weeks, but I am not holding my breath.

Signed,

Sanjay Gupta, M.D.

If I paid you more to push the blue pill, you'd push THAT one, wouldn't you?

But only if I packaged the bribe as a Corporate Stipend, so your spotless conscience could remain clean.

to push weed???

What a crazy choice, eh? :crazy:

Jeebus, this is terrible if true.

At least he'd legalize "the chronic"! :smoke:

I don't see anyone not doing what the good Dr. prescribes....

"Crack cocaine is a public health issue of epic proportions, leading to the decimation of entire communities and affecting the health of millions. If you are a crackhead, I will PERSONALLY come to your house and bust you in the @ss."

as Ice Cube is the Sec. of Agriculture.

:P

edit: or is that Ice T?

I've seen him on CNN and he doesn't seem that awful. He did argue with Michael Moore about "Sicko" but he, overall, agreed with Moore that the US needs a universal healthcare system.

Gupta didn't invite Moore on his show and "argue" about it - Gupta went on his show without Moore and told a bunch of lies about the documentary. When Moore wrote to him detailing the truth, Gupta ignored it and never corrected the record.

Gupta is not in favor of universal health care. Are you kidding? His corporate sponsors would have a cow.

He'll tell people to eat health, wear condoms, and exercise and that's about it. He won't be setting health policy.

I view Daschle as a much bigger threat to health care than Gupta. Daschle actually has power to help set policy.

Inside sources say Capt. Crunch has the inside track. :P

This IS a joke, right?

"Sanjay Gupta (Hindi), born October 23, 1969, is the Surgeon-General-Designate of the United States."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanjay_Gupta

I wouldn't let that dweeb cut my toenails.

I know so many doctors who would be a million times better than some surgeon-fly-boy-turned-CNN-corporate-shill. Gack!!

He was a flight surgeon in the Air Force in Moscow. Now he's running the health services for IBM inc.

He'd be fantastic!

Here's a bit of what he does-

http://www.tedeytan.com/2008/02/17/212

graduated from one of best schools in the world and is a practicing neurosurgeon, I'd say yes.

Link to that info?

His expertise in ANY field of medicine does not have anything to do with his ability to set sound policy. As you very well know.

It's like advocating Bob & Tom as the best choices for GM CEO and CFO just because they're good mechanics. In other words, doubleplusUNsmart.

I am right as usual.

If I were Dean, at this point I wouldn't want to have anything to do with the Obama admin. Working with So-What-If-I-Was-Wrong-About-NAFTA-And-The-50-State-Strategy Rahm? Forget it - not possible.

I always watched Gupta for the entertainment factor. I admit I don't know much about him. Sometimes what he says makes good general sense but he really pissed me off (and told on himself) when he refused to go into detail nor call out the lack of full disclosure on Sen. Mccain's health and mental reports.

He was there and obviously saw no problem with clearing a man with huge chunks of missing medical history without ability to consult with any outsiders, with no ability to ask questions, ectera, ectera - all within a very short and chaotic 3 hour (?) period of time. He also saw no reason for anyone to be concerned about the Mccain family's medical history of cardiac (and who knows what else) related problems nor Mccain's problems with skin cancer.

I think in the CNN report he did on Mccain, he was supposed to do a follow up program and never did follow through.

<insert side-eye smilie here>

Just why.

:puke:

I'm really losing any hope for "change."

:cry:

He's better than the Repug alternative, and he provides a very positive role model for minority children. Other than that, he's more and more seeming to be Repug lite, no major change at all. Sad.

In spewing hate at someone who is otherwise qualified just because he disagreed with Michael Moore is just the way Ann Coulter acts.

Obama, fortunately, has the wisdom to listen to the critics to improve himself and his policies.

We don't know what Sanjay Gupta's politics are and whether he himself was an Obama supporter all along, however, we are all ready to burn him at the stake.

From Obama's perspective, this probably also represents a "thank you" to the Indian-American community and Indian-American doctors in the country - both of whom have overwhelmingly supported the democrats in general and Obama in particular.

What Sanjay Gupta does on CNN is dictated by his producers and directors of the shows he participates in. Those are not necessarily all his personal views.

I can't believe the knee jerk reactions on this board. I think it's all what you said, and also not a bad idea to have a high profile person in this position. Like another poster said, who ever listened to the other Surgeon Generals who weren't well known? Can we all please calm down and let Obama BECOME president before we cry outrage at every perceived affront to progressive/liberal views?

So now tokenism is the order of the day?

I mean, WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!

Obama is well on his way to being a corporate stooge.

Sad.

It will be interesting to see how long it takes for some to realize this.

Wake up children - we've been had.

Obama has chosen idiotically here and if he thinks that business as usual will continue he be wrong

I'm officially getting pissed.

Alas, that is not the case. This would be the same Sanjay Gupta who shilled for the insurance industry against Sicko!, right?

Jeebus! I remember Gupta's "reporting" from Iraq and the video of him performing surgery over there. Anything for the ratings. He may have credentials, but I do not see him as a good SG.

Gupta is a fucking HACK

and I'll be SOL with big pharma Gupta at the helm. I guess there's a positive aspect to this in regard Gupta's skill at media whoring. That's about the most positive thing I can say at the moment.

Is that really what matters: celebrity status?

He's a genius, just doesn't have as much face time on television. But we are in the post-media age.

He is better known for his books, whereas Gupta is better known for television.

and your life will change! Dramatically.

He can take his quantum quackery and his hatred of us "scientistic materialists" and shove it up his rear.

The Michigan-born son of Indian and Pakistani parents, Gupta has always been drawn to health policy. He was a White House fellow in the late 1990s, writing speeches and crafting policy for Hillary Clinton.



Hillary was for NHS, and Gupta was writing speeches for her?

He seems to care greatly about the health of all of us.

care

has to take the lead, and a President willing to sign legislation. Both of those are doable, I think.

as a TV personality. The Surgeon General post is primarily a national advocacy position. Along those lines, here's some of the health care advocacy work he's done (from his official bio via CNN) -



Yeah, he sparred with, and provided a platform for, Michael Moore on a TV interview about Moore's 'Sicko'. I don't think that makes him a poor choice for SG. Both men's work can stand or fall on their own merits.

Does Dr. Gupta's employment be CNN color his work? That's a fair question. I'm sure it does, as a journalist, to some extent. Would that employment color his role as an independent SG? Another fair question, yet I think his record within that format speaks well for his advocacy role. And as SG, he would not be a CNN employee, he would be an employee of the US Government.

Both men are advocates, within their own formats. Both men know media well.

Gupta seems an odd choice at first take, but I see the value there.

I would be hesitant to judge either's effectiveness on the basis of a TV interview.

:hi:

for our vets, as well as more efficient care and treatment of trauma cases, in a battle zone and at home.

Gupta is not perfect, but overall, i think he'd make a good SG and he certainly has the gravitas to command attention to health issues. I don't know why people are calling him a shill for big pharma. Can someone prove this? The negative knee-jerk comments in this thread is quite disappointing. I would expect DU'ers to be more thoughtful, and present some evidence to back up their statements.

It's the main reason I don't care for DU much. Lots of ad hominem attacks. Most are here to just whine and complain.

Really, sir, you are too kind.

Gupta's performance on the program was one giant web of deceit woven for the benefit of the for-profit health insurance / health care system.

Take it from a Canadian who knows the facts about our system.

If Gupta is as ignorant of the Canadian and other publicly funded/administered systems as a charitable interpretation would suggest, he would be a poor choice to oversee a policy sector where expanding access has to be the priority.

If he was intentionally misleading, an interpretation I might find more reasonable, well, say no more.

I worked on CA's last legislative stab at Universal Health care and there remains a lot of misunderstanding.

As far as the Moore/Gupta interview goes (which seems a flash point in this all) I thought both had an agenda. I won't suppose either one's intent; the facts of the matter were eventually addressed.

I'm looking for less assumptions on all sides and more info.

(aside) What's the history of your system? I'm sure it didn't spring into place overnight. I think we all have had chances to build a larger health care net and have made different choices. The Canadian history may be worth noting.

Uh, yes. Kinda like both McCain and Obama did?

You say that like it's a bad thing. If Moore's agenda was to raise public awareness of the abysmal state of the US healthcare system and generate interest in improving it and action to that end, this would be equivalent to the agenda of preventing the adoption of a universal system by any means necessary?


What's the history of your system? I'm sure it didn't spring into place overnight. I think we all have had chances to build a larger health care net and have made different choices. The Canadian history may be worth noting.

It's actually an excellent question and an issue I have raised myself here a few times.

Here's a recent sample:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=118&topic_id=192625&mesg_id=192710

But heck, I'll just copy it here, because it is important, and I do find it worthwhile to lay out.


iverglas
Wed Dec-03-08 02:40 PM

I think the road from where you are to a universal scheme is going to be a long one. And in fact it was for us. It started in one province (Kiefer Sutherland's grandpa, Tommy Douglas, "father of Canadian medicare", was premier of Saskatchewan and fought the doctors there -- they struck and he brought in British MDs). It started with limited coverage -- hospital only. A couple of decades later a national scheme covering all medical care in all provinces was adopted. It was another couple of decades before "extra billing" (co-pays) was banned. Some 40 years all told. I certainly hope you make it a little quicker than that.

Joe Biden's thoughts (rambling as they are) seem on target to me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OgcKGWwWlE&mode=related&search=

(I've been a huge Biden fan for decades, even though I find some of his positions obnoxious and I wouldn't actually want him for my own head of govt.)

*Regulation* is the first step, as it is with every other aspect of your (and to a lesser extent our) economy. Deregulation is the source of many of your current economic woes. Health insurance has never been regulated to any reasonable degree. Biden's remarks include that -- things like not permitting insurance companies to exclude from coverage and so on.


http://www.tommydouglas.ca/tommy

Tommy Douglas: The Greatest Canadian

As Tommy Douglas said...

"I felt that no boy should have to depend either for his leg or his life upon the ability of his parents to raise enough money to bring a first-class surgeon to his bedside. And I think it was out of this experience, not at the moment consciously, but through the years, I came to believe that health services ought not to have a price tag on them, and that people should be able to get whatever health services they require irrespective of their individual capacity to pay."

Did you know...

...that Tommy's government enacted Canada's first Bill of Rights?

He was also a Baptist clergyman. Gasp. The social gospel is us, up here.


Here's what I've been looking for:

http://scaa.sk.ca/gallery/medicare/en_timeline.php

Medicare timeline - excerpts:

1944 � North America�s first social democratic government.
Act of the legislature proclaimed that residents of the province were eligible for free services relating to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

1945 � First comprehensive health plan for pensioners and widows.
Formation of the Saskatchewan Health Services Planning Commission.

1947 � First universal hospitalisation insurance program in North America.

1948 � National Health Program of Grants initiated by the federal government

1959 � Premier T.C. Douglas announces plan to introduce a prepaid medical�care program.

(This is the point at which I broke my leg and spent three months in hospital -- and my parents were very fortunate that my father had health insurance at work, because we didn't live in Saskatchewan.)

1962 � First universal Medicare in North America.

Drat, that's as far as that one goes ...

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hcs-sss/pubs/system-regime/2005-hcs-sss/time-chron-eng.php

1962
Saskatchewan creates medical insurance plan for physicians' services, July 1; doctors in province strike for 23 days.

... Throughout the 60s and 70s all provinces established plans, with federal cost-sharing.

1984
The Canada Health Act, federal, passes (Royal Assent April 17), combines hospital and medical acts; sets conditions and criteria on portability, accessibility, universality, comprehensiveness, public administration; bans user fees and extra billing.
Provincial/territorial reciprocal billing agreement for out-patient hospital services provided out-of province/ territory.

Throughout the late 80s and 90s the feds cut funding continually, and some provinces (e.g. Ontario under a right-wing govt) made massive cuts, closing hospitals, cutting nursing staff, etc., along with cutting welfare and the like, all in the name of tax cuts. These are the sources of what problems we do have now. It ain't the system, it's who's running it.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It ain't gonna be built in a day -- although the UK made a bit faster work of it than we did. But that was back in the days when public goods mattered, and could actually be paid for. As my co-vivant is fond of saying: imagine paying to build the NYC subway system today. (But yes, healthcare is different in that it would be cheaper immediately, not just in the long term like a transit system, to convert to single public payer.)

The best I'd be hoping for, to start with, is some big-time regulation. Just as there should be in all other sectors of the economy.

:mad:

It's Congress and the White House.

Opposing this choice on that basis is ineffective, imho. Single payer will come from the legislative branch, signed by a President, and no where else.

I think it's best we pick our battles where they count.

Could just be my knee-jerk reaction... But I really hope he doesn't use his pulpit to oppose it.

Just wrote to my Rep about HR676, I totally agree about the Legislative pressure needed - we have to concentrate our fire.

Dr. Gupta would step into that political fray, nor would any SG.

That said, his sideline support would be great.

Yet, I don't make it a condition of his appointment that he be a public spokesman for Universal Health care.

imho, he's got enough bona fides and enough immediate health care issues to address within the purview of that office to justify his time, if appointed and confirmed. (obviously still speculation at the point.)

And I imagine Michael Moore would welcome another public rematch if Sanjay tried to bring it up at all...

Aside, It would be nice if the new SG stood up to the corn lobby... (High Fructose and all that)

How would appointing someone so ignorant of / dishonest about universal single public payer health insurance as Gupta obviously is (those are the choices, pick your own) demonstrate Obama's own commitment to expanding access?

Kind of like how going on tour with a homophobic bigot and inviting a homophobic bigot to participate in his inauguration demonstrates commitment to equality rights ...

You've got a point to make.

What does it say about the President then?

I think it might say something like: nice fa�ade, not much behind it.

That's been my impression from the outset.

Of course, I very much hope I'm wrong.

Actually Gupta is a doctor, not a jouralist.

I know I (on the outside here) did -- but still, Obama is managing to exceed them just about every day in every way.

If this report is true, it's sick-making.

My opinion, were I to be directly affected by this choice, would be that Gupta's statements about the Canadian healthcare system alone were so dishonest as to disqualify him from public office.

Discussion of the Gupta-Moore segment here:

http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/blogs/paging.dr.gupta/2007/07/my-conversation-with-michael-moore.html

You get your odd right-wing and uninformed Canadian chiming in (like the one who says that when a resident of one province needs health care in another, s/he has to pay ... when portability is one of the fundamental principles and requirements of the system ...). Generally speaking, Canadians were simply appalled at the deceit (I'm not charitable enough to call it ignorance) he displayed.

Surely expanding access to health care has to be the number one priority in Obama's health policy. Surely it is impossible to reconcile appointing Gupta with that goal.

Too bad Obama didn't ask him.

Let's get somebody real. If you want them of Indian descent, there are plenty of qualified people.

Gupta, though, is like getting Jesse Jackson for.... ah, never mind.

But please, inject some quality into your choices.

healthcare. Sanjay Gupta raked Michael Moore over the coals when Sicko came out. Here is the CNN clip

http://crooksandliars.com/2007/07/09/cnn-reality-check-that-got-michael-moore-fired-up/

Here is Michael Moore's response to Dr Gupta

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR2U_SAWHdQ

From Michael Moore's website

http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/news/article.php?id=10026

I am sure he is somewhat qualified but still.

I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore, Toto.

Rock on with yo bad self, bb. :hug:

:loveya:

:puke:

as a public figure, teaching and explaining health issues. It's a fine choice, IMO.

:rofl:

:hi:

:sarcasm:

edit: header

I'm not so sure about how much I would agree on his policy ideas or not. He could be a communications pick, the guy is smart and excellent on television, people seem to like him. If he's out advocating the administration's policies, promoting them in a high profile manner, that could be a good thing. From that angle it could be a perfect fit, but again, just not sure if I'd agree with him from a policy standpoint.

a real doctor instead of teevee celebrity doctor?

The Surgeon General isn't a big policy position or anything. They'll give him a place at the table, but the SG is around mainly as a public advocate and the basic face of a policy. He might be a perfect pitchman to sell O's Universal Healthcare proposal etc.

The position is a basically a spokesperson role, he'll advocate Obama policies not necessarily his own, or they'll find somebody who will.

Hope that's what O has in mind. It could be a clever play-

He's basically a spokesperson. As it stands, he'll get his voice heard but he would be nowhere near as influential as Daschle when it comes to health care policy. He's there to educate the public on certain basic issues, lifestyle choices and to help sell the president's policy. He actually should be good at that. He's good on tv and people like him and he's less likely to say something problematic because he's a polished public personality, unlike Koop or Elders had been. I said earlier, I don't know if I'd agree with him on policy, but he's not the big fish there, but he could be an effective spokesman. That's about all he really needs to do.

But Sanjay argued against most of Michael Moore's claims in SICKO. I don't believe he will be an advocate for universal care.

Lord, I know my suspicions were aroused when the media portrayed Obama as the Second Coming, but his mouth is going down on our corporate overlords much faster than I expected.

The collective consciousness about Obama's views in healthcare has been nothing but a bunch of projection.

Obama thinks healthcare should be optional, profit-based and the responsiblity of the individual in question. Listen to what he says and watch what he does and you'll be "shocked" less frequently.

I am very much aware of Obama's ideas on improving our healthcare, at least for some of us without healthcare MAY have an option in the future.

From Obama's site:

"Under the plan, if you like your current health insurance, nothing changes, except your costs will go down by as much as $2,500 per year. If you don�t have health insurance, you will have a choice of new, affordable health insurance options".

There are many of us in this country, ever so hopeful that we may have an actual healthcare OPTION...

Okay, I'm having a big-time primary flashback.

All you people who were pretty sure during the primary that (campaign promises notwithstanding) deep down inside Obama was in favor of universal health care should do some serious introspection.

Forget about us... our grandkids won't be guaranteed health care. This was the reason I supported Hillary, and now, even before he's inaugurated, we can see that I was right.

While this choice is very disappointing I am glad of it's pretty limited role. Kinda like Gupta's limited ability. haha ;-)

Julie