NEWS

FEE Alum Sets ACS Straight on Health Care

DECEMBER 09, 2009 by MIKE VAN WINKLE

FEE seminar alum Douglas Mackenzie is speaking up to his fellow surgeons in a letter to the chairman of the board of regents of the American College of Surgeons.

“The debate over health care in this country has brought in many players with skin in the game. Your coalition of surgical organizations is one group among many. These many groups include other physician groups, insurance companies, patient advocacy groups, pharma, and the like. I would bet that the individuals in these groups, including yours, want our country to have the best health care system for themselves, their families, and their patients. But look back to the first line of this paragraph. Did the “players with skin in the game” metaphor rankle you at all? It should have. If it did, maybe there is hope that given enough time you could actually learn enough history and economics to understand what is really wrong with our system. I would submit that we do not have a health care problem in this country, but we do most definitely have a government problem in this country.”

Read the full letter.