Mayo

Spending a week at this world renown medical center has increased my concerns over what American health care will morph into with Obama care. My first impression of this facility is the incredible complexity used to schedule and move patients from one medical discipline to another along with their medical history. What can take weeks in other cities can be done in days here. It seems almost like there must be an orchestra conductor overseeing the entire operation to ensure that no patient falls through the cracks.

My second impression was with the Mayo staff. There seems to be adequate staffing in every area we visited, and each staff member seems to genuinely care about their patient. I contrast that to local doctor's offices and hospitals in Kansas City. They never seem to have the number of people needed to fill all needs of their practice. Unless you are in an ICU ward, there are never enough nurses to tend to patients, and each nurse appears to be completely overwhelmed with their duties. This probably leads to burn out, which is translated to a lack of caring by the patient.

Does anyone believe this situation will become better with government health care? I can not imagine so. It is more likely to become much worse when there are fewer dollars paid for every procedure. I can see a day when a world class facility like the Mayo Clinic could become just another government funded hospital. People would not travel from across the globe to receive treatment. Those that do would see the same long lines and wait times they do at their local medical facilities.

That is the risk of Obama care. The greatest medical system the world has ever seen will not be sustainable when the federal government dictates the payment received for services rendered. Capitalism will be removed from the industry, as will innovation and quality. All so that we can be more fair to those who cannot afford or choose not to pay for insurance. If the Senate passes a bill remotely similar to the Obamination passed by the house, it will be a sad day for America.