The Verdict on 'Doctors' Obama and Romney

By Deane Waldman

In a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (09/26/12), the current candidates for president enunciated their approaches to treating the ailing U.S. healthcare system. Are these would-be "doctors" for what ails the medical system practicing good medicine on patient Healthcare, or are they guilty of malpractice? Good doctors follow four principles of good medical practice. Treat causes, not symptoms Evidence-based decision-making Quantify long-term costs (and risks) as well as benefits Partnership with patient Patient Healthcare's major symptoms are well-known: over-spending, bloating (an ever-expanding, costly regulatory bureaucracy), immobility (limitations in access to care), and concerns about quality (errors and adverse outcomes). The root causes of these symptoms are listed below. a) Disconnection of consumer (patient) from supplier (provider) and of consumer from control of his/her money. The latter is called the moral hazard. b) Rewarding outcomes we do not want. This is called perverse incentives. c) Failure to have hard evidence before making decisions. d) A parasite called bureaucracy. e) A medical malpractice system based on criminal law..... (Read Full Article)