Barak Obama's Creepy Health Care Czar

As a physician, I have seen first-hand how Congress’s new health care law has left patients struggling to understand what the future holds. In this period of uncertainty, President Obama has clarified the changes we can expect by nominating Dr. Donald Berwick to the post of Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). If Dr. Berwick's extensive writings are any indication, the United States is now headed decisively towards a European-style socialized medical system.

Upon taking charge of CMS, Dr. Berwick will control vast portions of American health care. In addition to its other responsibilities, CMS currently runs Medicare and Medicaid, and sets rules for all of health care finance. As a result of the new law, CMS will soon have expanded control over how medical providers are paid, innovations are instituted, and the manner in which $500 billion in cuts to Medicare will be made. The Administrator of CMS truly holds one of the most powerful positions in our health care system -- where he leads, all of American health care will follow. That is why it is so disconcerting to find that Dr. Berwick's writings ooze with praise for the United Kingdom's socialized National Health Service (NHS).

Just two years ago, Dr. Berwick wrote, “Cynics beware, I am a romantic about the [UKs] National Health Service; I love it. All I need to do to rediscover the romance is to look at health care in my own country." In particular, Dr. Berwick praised the spending caps, central planning, and avoidance of the free market that have characterized the NHS for 60 years. There was no doubt in the minds of the editors where Dr. Berwick stood – the cartoon accompanying the editorial depicted a man wearing an American flag tie and sporting a large “I ♥ NHS” button on his lapel.

Indeed, Dr. Berwick regularly employs anti-free market rhetoric in his support for centralized, government control of health care. In 2006, Dr. Berwick characterized America's dependence on "market forces for constructive change" as "playing with fire." In 2004, he praised "the consistent focus of government" as an "immense resource for progress" in improving the NHS.

In fact, throughout his 156 published medical articles, editorials, interviews, and speeches, Dr. Berwick has consistently and enthusiastically praised socialized health care systems in general and the UK’s NHS in particular.

In contrast, the American people made it crystal clear during the recent health care debate that they did not want socialized medicine. President Obama and the Democrats in Congress pandered to this desire by pledging that Americans could keep their doctor and insurance plan if they so desired. Credible experts’ concerns that the new health care law would result in a de facto government takeover were greeted with derision. Despite this, President Obama has now validated some of our worst fears by selecting to head the all-important CMS an individual who is a well-known devotee of socialized medicine and who emphatically rejects the idea that Americans with their should make their own autonomous medical decisions.

The first battle in health care reform was over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – a law that was rammed through Congress by the Democrats over the strong objections of the American people. The next battle will be over who is put in charge of the changes dictated by this new law. Americans need to step forward once again and reject Dr. Donald Berwick’s nomination. An unequivocal message must be sent to President Obama that he should instead choose a person who honors and respects the will of the people.

Originally posted at Illinois Review.