August 13, Dr. Phillips on David Kirkpatrick article, Obama is Taking an Active Role on Health Care Plan

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Obama Is Taking an Active Role in Talks on Health Care PlanBack to Article »
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
President Obama has presented himself as aloof from the fray, but behind the scenes, the White House has made deals potentially at odds with his rhetoric.
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Dr.Phillips
Bloomington, IL
August 13th, 2009
11:26 am
In today's NY Times article entitled "Obama Injects Himself into Health Talks, Despite Risks," I am challenged to find a vital ingredient often found in executive level leadership, namely strategic planning. White House, Congressional, in fact most administrative staffs, can ill afford a deficient background in strategic long range planning. Any executive, on a daily basis who utilizes a long range planning paradigm will be aware of the various planning components which are indispensible to program proposal formulation and ultimate acceptance. Three steps, prior to forming objectives and goals, are critical to the success, failure, or modification of any program. They are as follows,

(1) Formulation of Assumptions

Have current assumptions stated in the health care plan, been challenged, by government planners and either affirmed, or modified based on realities? As an example(Do we need a government administered health care program? Is the current system of private insurance capable of being modified to provide better coverage, to include all Americans, with less red tape, greater delivery, less restrictions and more service?

(2)Environmental Assessment

Have citizens, accountability centers (doctors, hospitals, private insurance providers,communities,business leaders, and other organizations), been thoroughly surveyed? Have various entities examined long term costs, fiscal income required, for the proposed health care program into the distant future, and have those items been carefully reviewed? Has sufficient time, research and evaluation been given to the proposed plan without accompanying unrealistic time lines for approval?

(3) Plan Recyling Provision

Does the health care proposal have a mechanism for recyling, so the plan can be modified, affirmed, or discarded based on incorrect assumptions, resulting in a lack of public support for the plan?

Several conclusions appear to be obvious to this planner,

The House Bill has apprently failed these three tests of planning competency. It's "Advanced Care Planning Consultation" sections, and other items in their proposal, too numerous to mention, are meeting resistance in many segments of our society. The other plans being discussed and formulated in the U. S. Senate are yet to be available for examination to most Americans (hopefully they will contain less shrouding in legaleese when they are published)

Consequently, the current article's title should probably read, The American People Inject Themselves into Health Talks, Despite Risks. Strategic planning by government, must always be front and center in fulfilling the desires of the nation's citizens on all matters.

Thanks to established planning practices, Americans fly from city to city, each day, safe in their travel. It would be rare indeed that a major airline pilot cleared to fly from Chicago to Los Angeles at 28,000 feet would fail to descend to an altitude of 18,000 when told by air traffic control to do so to avoid a hugh thunderstorm. To assume, that the clear sky ahead, viewed by the pilot, is far more important than the controller's advice, could mean the loss of the passengers and aircraft if ignored. Planning is critical in any major venture whether, healthcare proposals with life and death issues, or aircraft flying between cities. All of us, whether President, Congressional member, Federal Judge or any American, must plan and examine our assumptions, survey public opinion, and then if necessary go back to the drawing board.

We are living in the age, to slighty change a well known phrase, of THE HOPE OF AUDACITY. Well informed Americans will remain bold in protecting their way of life and their constitutional freedoms. American's audacity of hope, will result in a denial of those ideas which have not been well planned and ultimately threaten their constitutional freedoms.