Viewpoints: GOP leaders, Obama share link to mandate; expensive benefits for seniors

Nov 30 2011

The Washington Post: What Gingrich, Romney And Obama Have In Common 
I don't want to focus on the differences between Romney and Gingrich. I want to focus on the commonalities. Because these two men have a lot in common with not only each other but also with President Obama. Both Gingrich and Romney, for instance, supported a universal health care plan backed by an individual mandate requiring all Americans of means to purchase health-care insurance -; just as Obama does (Ezra Klein, 11/28).

The Washington Post: Mitt Romney's Venture-Capital Politics
Mitt Romney runs for president with the eye of a venture capitalist. He sees the profit in certain positions, discards those that are no longer profitable and moves on. He was pro-choice when it did him some good, instituted a health insurance plan that he now denounces and once supported amnesty for some illegal immigrants. Richard III offered his kingdom for a horse. Romney offers his principles for some votes in Iowa (Richard Cohen, 11/28).

CNN: Don't Take Away America's Health Care Lifeline
President Theodore Roosevelt said, "No country can be strong whose people are poor and sick." Yet the promise each GOP candidate has made is to repeal what he or she calls "Obamacare," with no alternative. Are we meant to pretend the impetus behind the law no longer exists because there's a new sheriff in town? (LZ Granderson, 11/29).

Des Moines Register: Friends, Foes Wanting Judicial Activism
The government's role in health care will be debated next year by candidates for the presidency, House and Senate. ... Meanwhile, a group of nine men and women sitting in a marble temple to the law across the street from the U.S. Capitol could remove that issue from the election-year agenda by declaring parts or all of it unconstitutional. Or, the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court could throw more fuel on the fire by upholding the act. Either way, this is easily the most important case of the Supreme Court's term (11/28).

The Fiscal Times: Aging and Economic Growth: Connecting The Dots
Connecting economic growth with the challenges of aging populations is at the core of the Greek, Italian, and Spanish financial crises – and increasingly, at the core of ours as well. ... the entitlement and social-welfare benefit structures put in place for aging populations in the previous century are no longer sustainable (Michael Hodin, 11/25).

Politico: Obesity Fight Good For Profits
We are facing a childhood obesity epidemic so severe that for the first time, America's children will live sicker, shorter lives than their parents. In the past three decades, the childhood obesity rate has tripled. ... But many companies are committed to fighting this epidemic. Our health summit Tuesday focuses on a powerful yet simple idea: If the public and private sectors can come together to effect meaningful, voluntary change, we can end childhood obesity within a generation (Bill Frist and Cory Booker, 11/28).

The Seattle Times: Personal Beliefs Shouldn't Be Part Of Pharmacists' Prescription
The public has a right to not encounter delay or discrimination when getting a prescription filled. Pharmacists licensed by the state agree to a set of principles and conditions that protect patient safety and access to health care. Changes of heart are best pursued through a new line of work (11/28).

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Healthy Move By Corbett
With the Corbett administration's announcement last week that the state would move ahead to establish a state-run clearinghouse for individual and small-business health-insurance policies, the governor has charted a sensible, pragmatic course that ultimately should improve the well-being of residents statewide. For the first time, the so-called insurance exchanges -; available online and by phone -; will make it easy for people to shop for quality, affordable health-insurance coverage (11/29). 

Fox News: Don't Worry America, Your Doctor Will Be There For You
Analysts warn that without the temporary boost in payments, doctors may start turning away new Medicare patients, and that the disabled and elderly relying on those government benefits could begin to see limited choices when it comes to their health care. But I'm here to tell you: Don't worry America, your doctor will not abandon you. I say this because as a doctor, I believe whole-heartedly that my fellow physicians, nurses and any health care professional for that matter, has chosen to work in the medical field because they are truly committed to patient care (Dr. Manny Alvarez, 11/28).