-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
Without a hint of satire, The Wall Street Journal decided to let Suzanne Somers write an article on the Affordable Care Act on their blog “The Experts.” Somers “expertise” comes from her celebrity access to doctors, scientists, and medical professionals in the “alternative and integrative” health-care world. Somers has been on Oprah pushing her concept of wellness which involves taking 60 pills a day and injecting hormones into her vagina.
The CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) health-care world is waging an all out attack against science-based medicine and health care. As Dr. Steven Novella puts it:
The later terms, “complementary” and “integrative,” are deceptions meant to distract from the fact the CAM (as much as general statements can be made about such a loose category) is anti-science, and therefore cannot be integrated into science.
Somers claims that affordable health care is socialized medicine. Princeton University economist Uwe E. Reinhardt notes: “Socialized medicine refers to systems that couple social health insurance with government-owned and operated health care facilities.” Reinhardt uses the Veterans Affairs health system as an example of socialized medicine. When health insurance is coupled with purely private health care delivery systems, it is understood as “social health insurance,” for example in Canada.
Somers provides anecdotal evidence of a long wait time to see a doctor for her sister-in-law. Somers does not mention the wait times for 48 million Americans who can’t go to a doctor at all because they don’t have insurance.
Somers talks about her Canadian cousins who, after becoming doctors, came the U.S. to “reap financial rewards.” Somers doesn’t mention that Canada spends 11.4% of it GDP on health expenditures while the U.S. spends 17.4%.
Somers notes that it’s good that affordable care will cover pre-existing conditions. Everybody loves the coverage of pre-existing conditions. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that the extra cost of that coverage isn’t going to be borne by the insurance companies.
Somers mentions that the news she listens to is all about the increases in insurance premiums. Had Somers examined the stories more closely, she would have found out that most just don’t hold water. Some people have such pitiful, and cheap, insurance policies that they don’t meet the ACA’s guidelines. Insurance companies have no incentive to get the customer the cheapest policy that meets those guidelines. It’s like a car salesman telling a customer their 2010 Toyota Camry needs to be replaced and sending them a bill for a 2013 Toyota Avalon when a 2013 Camry will meet their needs.
Somers is just another woo peddler whose celebrity has faded.
H/T: Daniel D’Addario, John Casey, Sarah Kliff, Steve M., Jerry Coyne.
davidm2575,
The problem with your statement above is that we do not get better health care in this country even though we pay more for it. It is easy to pay for health care if you have the means to self insure, but the vast, vast majority of us do not have the luxury. Your wild claim that the ACA which is in its infancy has already ruined what you claim is one of the best health care systems in the world is not supported by any evidence. The only revolution going on here is the wealthy trying to get it all with no regard for the 98-99% of the country that need access to affordable health care. Please show your “truth” that the ACA has ruined “one of the best health care systems in the world”. Show us the evidence.
rafflaw wrote: “Please show your “truth” that the ACA has ruined “one of the best health care systems in the world”. Show us the evidence.”
How about we start with the article by Suzanne Somers. Do her anecdotes carry any weight at all with you?
“… young Canadian medical students have no incentive to become doctors to humans because they can’t make any money. Instead, there is a great surge of Canadian students becoming veterinarians. That’s where the money is.”
“My sister-in-law had to wait two months to get a General Practitioner. During this period she spent her days in bed vomiting continuously, unable to get any food or drink down because she couldn’t get an appointment with the doctor. When she finally did, the doctor said, “Oh you don’t need me, you need a specialist.” That took another two weeks until she got a pill that corrected the problem.”
“All of my husband’s cousins are doctors. Several have moved to the U.S. because after their years of intensive schooling, they want to reap financial rewards. My 75-year-old Canadian girlfriend was denied treatment because she was too old. She died recently, having been given palliative care. That’s all the system would allow.”
“… most I speak with think the Affordable Care Act is a greater Ponzi scheme than that pulled off by Bernie Madoff.”
Oky, The right leaning SCOTUS has deemed the ACA constitutional so you can scream all you want that it is not but I think the SCOTUS have a better grasp of the law then do you. (And I am not a fan of most of the SCOTUS)
leejcaroll wrote: “The right leaning SCOTUS has deemed the ACA constitutional…”
This is false. You are believing left leaning headlines. The SCOTUS found a portion of the ACA to be unconstitutional. The law had to be modified because of it.
“Somers does not mention the wait times for 48 million Americans who can’t go to a doctor at all because they don’t have insurance.”
Excuse me, but I am one of those 48 million Americans without insurance, and so are the other 6 people in my family, and the truth is that I can go to the doctor anytime I want. If Americans spend more on health care than Canada, good. They should be able to pay more for good health care. That is why so many Canadians come across the border for health care. The truth is that ACA has ruined one of the best health care systems in the world. You can quote all the statistics you want and twist them to fit your story, but that is the truth. In a decade, if government survives that long without revolution, we will see that is the truth.
“Excuse me, but I am one of those 48 million Americans without insurance,”
DavidM,
If this is the case you are either a very rich, or very foolish person.
DavidM wrote: “Excuse me, but I am one of those 48 million Americans without insurance,”
Mike Spindell wrote:
“If this is the case you are either a very rich, or very foolish person.”
I am not rich, so I guess I am as foolish as a man in a Las Vegas Casino who chooses not to bet.
neighbordave:
the I is you in the last sentence.
So what you are saying is “I dont have an inkling as to how to respond so I must be in the 80%”?
neighbordave:
many believe what she is saying is true, many doctors, and many people I know who are probably in the top 2% of intelligence.
So what you are saying is I dont have an inkling as to how to respond so I must be in the 80%?
Problem is too many people give her and other ‘celebrities” like Jenny McCarthy the aura of profundity respect, and presumed knowledge which is why whoopinig cough for instance has come back as a result of those who believe the garbage McCarthy spews as real science
If you are in the “upper fifth”, as the British characterize the top 20% of intelligence, then please appreciate that the lower 80 love the crap that air heads spew. There is no understanding by the masses, hence idiocy will prevail. It seems to me, unfortunately, that “winning” in the Charlie Sheen sense is understandable by many, while a mystery to me.
Addressing her points is like pissing in the wind.
I’m sorry, Suzanne who?
A review of Kubrick would be in Baldwin’s wheelhouse and belongs on an entertainment channel.
Dredd, I love Alec Baldwin as an actor. He is all veneer and little substance just like Sharpton. Neither are deserving of a “news channel” forum. Ollie North doesn’t either.
Dredd,
I caught Baldwin’s first show, but sadly didn’t tape last night’s show. some people don’t get that it’s not a political show and that it provides some of the most intelligent discussion on TV.
I havent seen anyone address her points so far.
nick spinelli 1, November 2, 2013 at 9:59 am
Kinda like having Al Sharpton and Alec Baldwin on MSNBC.
===========================
I watched Alec Baldwin last night.
Two of his guests starred in the S. Kubric movie “2001 A Space Odyssey.”
The three of them had an incredible discussion about the professional habits and practices of Stanley Kubric and Otto Preminger.
And about the ground breaking movie itself.
It was quite interesting and informative.
I doubt Somers would have aided the conversation very much.
Consider the source. Do we really want to rely on anything serious from Ms. Somers? Yikes.
Yikes! It should have said Murdock and Somers sounds like a great fit. Spuds have nothing to do with it.
Murdock and Somers, spuds like a great fit!
She eats 60 pills a day? Where do they fit? Hormones up the wazoo? Come on!
Kinda like having Al Sharpton and Alec Baldwin on MSNBC.
David,
Thank you for the sense of restrained rage that runs through this piece. This failed, pretend actress has maintained her celebrity status by pushing a dubious product known as the Thighmaster. Yet the supposedly serious Wall Street Journal, which has become part of the Faux News Empire of the Master of Corporatist Propaganda Ruppert Murdoch, has chosen to let this supremely unqualified person write a column on a serious issue. Her “thought” will no doubt be a topic of discussion amongst Tea Baggers who presume themselves informed by reading such drivel. Murdoch is, like the Koch Brothers/Donald Trump another “self made” millionaire by virtue of descending his mother’s womb
Lol…. She’ll never be anything but Chrissy Snow to me……. That role defined her intellect….
Was there any video of the hormone injections?
We need a better reputation in the world what with us having become the Peeping Tom Capital of the world (Mike S has a post on that today).
I think that the ACA is good for our reputation in terms of Foreign Policy.