As flu hits, holes in W.H. health team

The Obama administration declared a “public health emergency” Sunday to confront the swine flu — but is heading into its first medical outbreak without a secretary of Health and Human Services or appointees in any of the department’s 19 key posts.

President Barack Obama has not yet chosen a surgeon general or the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. His choice to run the Food and Drug Administration awaits confirmation

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Reid says Obama told him, 'I have a gift'

The Obama administration is heading into its first medical outbreak without a secretary of Health and Human Services or appointees in any of the department’s 19 key posts

Obama says that the threat of spreading swine flu infections is a cause for concern but "not a cause for alarm"

As Thomas Sowell recently pointed out, there is a world of difference between medical care and health care.

The US has the best medical care in the world. Of course, due to a lot of redtape and bureaucracy, we do have a bit of a shortage for doctors and nurses. But Obama isn't interested in medical care, so there will be no fixes here.

Health care is all about insurance, and paperwork, and bureaucracy, and redtape. And most important of all -- it's about Control. This is where Obama wants to focus. He wants more of everything. And putting security and intel people in charge will suit him nicely. Health care is where the action is.

same could be said the other way around. btw. i do not think that the US has advanced medical procedures nobody else has. it´s true most of the world has not, but if we talk about western first world countries i cannot see why the US would be so special? i have never said (i really don´t know the “i guess no one knows this” exact status of every single countries medical standart in this world. but money can buy you everything what ever is available on global technology. shure it will be possible (if you have the money) to get the worlds best specialist in a certain medical sector. but if this specialist lives in the US, Japan, Swiss.... is pure luck and depends on the current medical problem. i´m not saying that the US medical care is bad or that there are countries out there which have better technologies in generall (as i said money will buy you everything so it depends just on the spending). but i can not see why the US should be so special or even have a higher standart than other rich first world countries.

i cannot see why the US would be so special

I would identify the UK as a very advanced western country. Due to the NHS in the UK, people over there have died in emergency room waiting areas, because no one saw them, even after a 24 hr wait. Medical care is rationed in the UK. People pull their teeth out with pliers because the wait for a dentist is so long.

That's what happens with a "free" medical system. Rich people in the UK can get much better medical care -- because they can hop on a plane and come to the US. Our medical care is not free and that's why the quality is likely to be better. This is not a matter of luck, as you seem to imply. Highly competent medical professionals from around the world come to the US to practice -- because the money is good. The money earned by doctors in the UK is not nearly go good. So the quality of doctors in the UK is also not nearly so good.

This is basic stuff for anyone who understands free markets. Obama does not understand free markets -- which is why he is trying to make the US a lot more like the UK.

I would identify the UK as a very advanced western country...

i would identify the UK as a standart western European country :-)
first i have to say that i´m not that firm about the medical system or the quality they have in the UK in generall (never needed medical threatment when i was in London).so i can only talk about “my” (Austria) country. It´s true that we have something called a social health care system but this does not mean that you are forced to use this system or that it would be not possible to get better threatment in this country like the “avarage person” this system only enshures (or at least trys this) that every citizen has access to medical threatment. btw socialised medical care isn´t free (it only means that they use “your” tax money to pay it). If you are interessted i will try to explain this system to you. there is a state run health insurance company every body (worker and employer) is forced to pay some Tax money in (depends on your personal earning). But there is an option to opt out of this whole system. If you feel like (and have the money because it´s usually more expensive) you are free to get a private insurance company of your own choice (the moment you do this you are no longer forced to pay in one single cent in the state run company. So the state run company only enshures that everybody who is working (no matter what you get paid is covered by a health insurance) and if you are without a job and you have a rightfull claim for money from the state during the time without a job (you get this after you have worked at least 6 month) the state will pay for you into his own health insurance. btw. “children” aged under 18 years old are covered anyway by this insurance regardless what their parrents earn or do. the state insurance only guarantees you that you have access to a doctor (including dental care ;-) or a hospital anytime you want and of course free access to all vaccines and medicaments you will need. then again this country is paved with private hospitals, specialists.... this is when your private insurance comes into play. You wanna get threatment from the best doctor avalible instead of the standart who has duty right now? No problem if you have the right insurance company they will call him. (of course feel free to pay 1000 euros extra for a 10 minute visit if you have no private insurance and you want him anyway. you don´t have time to wait 1 hour at the local doctor before he will “check” you? no problem go to a special private one. you want a doctor of your choice to operate you? no problem they will fly him in if you can pay...

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