[Friedman's Update] February 23, 2011

ObamaCare Section of the Week:

Section 4101. School Based Health Centers
This Section deserves some analysis. $200 million over a 4 year period is being appropriated to build and equip school based health centers. The list of services these centers will be expected to provide is pretty extensive:

(1) COMPREHENSIVE PRIMARY HEALTH SERVICES- The term `comprehensive primary health services' means the core services offered by school-based health centers, which shall include the following:

• (A) PHYSICAL- Comprehensive health assessments, diagnosis, and treatment of minor, acute, and chronic medical conditions, and referrals to, and follow-up for, specialty care and oral health services.
• (B) MENTAL HEALTH- Mental health and substance use disorder assessments, crisis intervention, counseling, treatment, and referral to a continuum of services including emergency psychiatric care, community support programs, inpatient care, and outpatient programs.

Essentially, these clinics will be general pediatrics offices that are run by school administrators. It's not hard to imagine that the state-sponsored convenience of these school based clinics would result in a monopoly of services. After all, how can a private practice compete with an "integrated" clinic located at the school? After all, if a private practice wanted to serve these same children they would have to fund their own build-out and rent. Moreover, it appears likely that the salaries for the personnel will simply become part of the school district's payroll. Probably for the best. Everyone knows government provided health care is the very very best, right? No need for those icky money grubbing private doctors anymore, thank goodness.

Read the section and see if you can spot some of the many other concerning elements of this program.


Health Care:

"You can keep your doctor" as long as you don't care whom your doctor works for.

Whenever I speak on ObamaCare, I am asked about the prospects of defunding it. Not so good, unfortunately.

As many of you know, one of my pet peeves is the fact that Donald Berwick serves as the unconfirmed Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Recently, a Berwick doppelganger testified before the House Ways and Means Committee. The fact that those who supposedly serve the people are so willing to deceive the people is telling, don't you think?

More government deceit: Megan McArdle discusses ObamaCare's diminishing returns when it comes to budget gimmicks.

Apparently, there is a D.C. federal judge out there who thinks the government has the right to regulate our thoughts. Seriously.

Picture perfect parody of Health Information Technology companies. I would actually place a bet that some HIT "experts" wouldn't get the joke.

The Philosophy of Luck Egalitarianism seems to me to be key to understanding much of liberal behavior. Ezekiel Emanuel, The White House Office of Budget and Management's Special Advisor on Health Care Policy, is a proponent of this philosophy. The linked article remains one of the most disturbing pieces of writing I have ever encountered.