The President has clearly nailed his colors to the mast of the newest healthcare reform ship to set sail from the White House.  Watching the previous House and the Senate versions capsize following Scott Brown’s upset victory in Massachusetts, President Obama is now putting a firm hand on the rudder to steer the most central feature of his platform into a history-making legacy for his White House years. But can he captain this ship through increasingly troubled waters? Or is the president inviting our representatives once again to decide whether to board a titanic mistake doomed to cause healthcare in America to completely founder? 

First of all, the president’s call for a bipartisan gathering at Blair House in Washington on Thursday to explore new ideas for reform, is absolutely preempted by launching his own bid for a plan that continues to be built on failed ideas and is clearly still opposed by large segments of the population.  Voters continue to tell Washington that they are tired of hearing that the solutions to major problems like healthcare reform lie with more and bigger centralized government control and interference.

Secondly, this latest bill is an open federal power grab for what has always been regulated by individual states (insurance) and will further polarize the country, making it even less likely that genuinely bipartisan ideas can be given the light of day in any gathering. How can we entertain the idea of further expanding the federally-run Medicaid program when it is well-documented that it now approaches $30B in fraud annually? No one has been able to successfully plug this gaping hole. The president should not continue to tell taxpayers that these holes can be plugged. Show them!

Finally, this latest version of “Obamacare” reform raises new questions while others remain unanswered.  For example, what about malpractice reform?  It would be straightforward to move toward some type of “no-fault” coverage to help the patient who has a bad outcome (some medical mistakes are inevitable; to call them all malpractice is disingenuous.)  What about equalization of the tax status of employer-provided insurance as compared to self-purchased health insurance?  What about increasing competition by making health insurance more portable or by allowing insurance to be purchased across state lines?  What about expanding highly successful programs like consumer-driven health initiatives that have been fueled by the rapid acceptance of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and the high-deductible insurance policies that such savings accounts are associated with?

The system we currently have has many failings.  Looking for health care reform within this wealthiest nation on earth is appropriate when we cannot yet see every citizen with adequate coverage.  But extending the nanny state, ignoring personal responsibility, and failing to address the core issues that lead to ever-escalating healthcare costs is irresponsible, and further pushes the nation towards the inevitable bankruptcy and poverty of any country that does not balance its books and continues to spend beyond its means.

Dr. Tony Dale is a physician and chairman and founder of The Karis Group in Austin. The Karis Group provides patient advocacy services.