CNN's Sanjay Gupta approached for Surgeon General

No...No...No. You said he was an expert in health care issues and now its just a job? You still havent addressed the fact his ideas originated somewhere else.

I read his policies because unlike you my friend, I look at the links you post. :wink:

Maybe you should take a look instead of claiming nonsense. I already linked this previously.

The Hastings Center is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit research institute dedicated to bioethics and the public interests since 1969.

Conflicts of Interest in Research

Ideally, all medical research would focus purely on scientific data. But what if researchers testing a new drug are paid by the drug’s manufacturer? What if they are stockholders or even partners in that company? Financial conflicts of interest have become more common in recent years, as industry has become more involved in research and medical education.

Drug and biotechnology companies now finance the majority of clinical trials, up from just 32% in 1980. Financial arrangements take many other forms, including company stock for individual scientists, licensing revenues, donation of funds and equipment to medical schools and hospitals, and positions of influence on advisory boards.

There are 17 articles and studies right HERE that openly suggest its exactly how research operates. They question financial tie-ins and ethical problems with many suggesting regulatory control over clinical trials in order to protect the public. All these articles/studies are written by people in the research industry. Too many loopholes and too many people stand to gain under the current system.

An excerpt from one:

We conducted this study to determine whether medical schools address conflicts of interest among their IRB members and staff, and, if so, in what ways. We analyzed the conflict of interest policies for 121 U.S. medical schools whose research is funded by the National Institutes of Health. About three-quarters of the schools we studied have written policies that address IRB conflicts of interest, and almost 80% of them defined the term, although their definitions varied substantially. The majority of IRBs explicitly prohibit a conflicted member from participating in discussion and voting, but few explicitly prohibit serving as a reviewer or extend their policies to cover IRB staff. This illustrates important gaps in these policies. A few policies even conflict with federal requirements.

No it doesnt. Regional price fixing is in full swing among doctors. They mainly use the same fee schedule and perform countless procedures that may or may not be necessary for the patients well being. I already linked this HERE

The way that doctors are paid may be an even more significant factor driving up costs and may lead to unnecessary care, said Dr. Peter B. Bach, a pulmonary physician at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and a former senior adviser to Medicare and Medicaid.

In the United States, nearly all doctors are paid piecemeal, for each test or procedure they perform, rather than a flat salary. As a result, physicians have financial incentives to perform procedures that further drive up overall health care spending.

I do not like Daschle for his politics. I always thought that he was an azz. Maybe thats why his own state voted him out of office. I just fail to see how stealing other peoples ideas and publishing them as his own makes him competent. I guess its the same ole Washington. You may think I'm naive but history has proven my skepticism correct regarding health care. Lets look back at the end of Obama's first term and see how much progress he made. Clinton made it a major campaign issue in 1992 but he accomplished almost nothing in 8 years. Excuse me while I remain pessimistic about the future because there is nothing in the past that gives me hope.

 

For someone who likes to back up his position with facts you arent very good at following the same line of thinking. I've already posted that Daschles suggestions originated somewhere else RIGHT HERE. Maybe Im not the one who is just saying something...just sayin.

So What? You based your opinion that Daschle was an expert because he wrote a book. When you take other peoples ideas that have been widely circulated for years and call them your own you dont have the right to be called an expert.

SO WHAT that he passed legislation concerning health care. So did hundreds of other legislators over the years, are they experts too? What good has it done. Costs are still spiraling out of control and the whole system is a mess. With experts like that on our side we dont need to worry, right? :insane:

That wasnt my statement. That is a direct quote from one of the 17 articles concerning the subject. When you have 17 publications openly questioning the process there are problems. All these people didnt just think of this stuff for nothing.

I just used the word salary cap as a metaphor for multiple procedures prescribed on the same patient. That is a big problem. I've been dealing with this stuff for my mother-in-law for 18 months. She has repeatedly been tested and prodded and prescribed to the point she got fed up and said no more. Ironically her health status hasn't worsened since she quit. I wonder how many of those tests and procedures were really necessary, as did she.

I really dont care if Daschle stole these ideas. I initially took excpetion to the claim he was an expert. Daschle and everyone else in Washinton have gone nowhere with health care reform. They all had their chance and failed miserably. Daschle represents the old guard, the same ole same ole and I expect the same ole same ole results.

I'll end this debate with a quote from one of my favorite people. This woefully describes the situation in Washington and why nothing will change despite the mantra.

Insanity :insane:: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results

 

He doesnt rise to the level of expert. There are many health care economists and scholars more deserving of that tag. I hope he employs real experts to solve our problems because he doesnt meet the accepted definitions of expert.

If he's only a policy expert, he's had 28 years of practice and failed. ALL politicians have failed, he's not alone.

 

Why not? He hired Leon Panetta to run the CIA didn't he? Nothing would surprise me after that hire.

 

I dont mind Panetta's appointment. The CIA isnt a broken cluster phuck like government health care policy. Someone from outside the intelligence community is a nice change of pace for that position. Whatever problems exist with the CIA, like the torture policy, can be accomplished with minor tweaking. It doesn't need a complete overhauled like health care.

 

Here's our upstanding expert who will lead the way to health care reform. :rolleye33:

So we have two tax evaders on Obama's cabinet now?

 

I stand by everything I said about Daschle. He is a complete scumbag who doesnt deserve a cabinet post, isnt qualified to lead health care reform and he's a tax cheat and deceitful prick.

- He found out about his problems last summer and didnt say a word.

- He claims it was "complicated" and didnt understand. Oh really? If he thinks that was complicated how can he lead us out of the biggest complicated cluster phuck known as health care? The guy has a paid for car and driver furnished to him and he doesnt know that personal travel is taxable? Come on.

- He waited until this month to pay his back taxes even though he knew about it for over 6 months.

His actions are indefensible. He should do what Bill Richardson did and step down but he wont unless he's forced. Daschle is a lying bastage who should be kicked to the curb with the rest of the inaugural trash.

What happened to the line from Obama about having an ethical cabinet? Change = the same in Washington.