One of my roles with a previous employer was to develop compensation plans for various sales groups. As I would work with the sales management it seemed that invariably they would tell me that if we paid more for a particular aspect of the plan, they would be able to get the sales team to achieve that goal. Just as invariably, when I would hear their line, I would respond with a question, “Is the problem that you can’t do it unless you get paid more or is the problem that you won’t do it unless you get paid more?” I think you can see the dilemma this left the sales management folks in.
As he cranks up his rhetoric in an attempt to save his health care reform initiative, President Obama told us today that we need to pass health care because it’s the only way to reduce costs. His exact quote was:
We all know there are more efficient ways of doing it..
implying that only with the passage of health care reform would costs be reduced. Ironically, he said this on the same day that it was found that the Agriculture department had paid nearly double the going rate for plain old ham.
It’s interesting that when President Obama refers to cost savings in health care he is referring to cost savings in Medicare and Medicaid. As the health care debate got started, President Obama identified three areas where money could be saved: blackmailing drug companies via FDA approvals, to reduce drug prices, ration treatment to patients by forcing “increased productivity” of physicians and not paying for run of the mill issues that are treated in emergency rooms. By doing just these three things, President Obama claims that $313 billion could be saved!
Medicare and Medicaid are programs that are completely administered by the government. Rates for physicians are dictated by the government, procedures and drugs covered are dictated by the government. With complete control over these programs wouldn’t it seem to be simple for President Obama to save his $313 billion simply by saying “make it so?” In fact, the exact changes that President Obama proposes are changes that these programs have implemented to varying degrees in the past.
Continuing to cry that only the nationalization of our health care is the only way to reduce costs leaves me asking just one question of President Obama; are you telling me that without taking more of my money you can’t or won’t save money in health care?
are you telling me that without taking more of my money you can’t or won’t save money in health care?
C): None of the above. It’s all about power, not money.
Dad, I think that falls into the category of “won’t!”