Washington, D.C.--President Obama announced his proposal for government-run health care yesterday, a plan that calls for the government to be the primary gatekeeper of medical products and services so it can control access and dictate prices.The President also unveiled an ad campaign featuring a cartoonish “Smooth Character” called Joe Bama that will promote the program to the public.
Obama made the announcement surrounded by doctors who signed on to the plan after the President threatened to publicly shame them as “medical speculators” who “gambled with people’s health.”
The President predicted overwhelming support for his program, saying “Everyone will be hooked.”
Critics accused Obama of “spiking” medical care by providing only limited amounts per visit, but Administration officials defended the program, pointing to another promotional ad featuring a smiling patient declaring “I’d walk a mile in line for Obama-Care!”
Patients would pay for Obama-Care with Obama Cash, which would buy twenty cents worth of medical care for every taxpayer dollar spent.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs dismissed concerns regarding the inevitable long-term pain federal control over health care would bring, saying “While it is a risk factor, there is no evidence government-run health programs cause a reduction in choice and quality,” except in Canada, Europe, and the former Soviet Union.
Asked if the President, who is a smoker, was concerned that a popular cartoon character was being used to sell a product that’s bad for people in the long run, Gibbs said, “There will be warning labels on government insurance forms. And if anything goes wrong, patients can always sue their doctors.”
Associated articles: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124208383695408513.html; http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124208364853008485.html; http://www.slate.com/id/2206445/; http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/016/476phyyl.asp; http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/11/us/politics/11health.html?_r=2; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/12/AR2009061203852.html; http://www.hoover.org/publications/digest/3459466.html
