Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

By Joseph Russell- Talk Radio News Service

Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), who holds a medical degree, and Donald Palmisano of the Coalition to Protect Patients' Rights warned that providing the American people with a federally funded health care option can ultimately prove risky.

"Solutions used by the government over the decades of Medicare and Medicaid increased the uninsured, escalate medical care costs, and drive the public government programs into insolvency," said Palmisano during a discussion at the American Enterprise Institute Friday. "You can't force a bad treatment using intimidation and ad hominem attacks against the only persons qualified to give medical care."

Price said there are "three death nails for quality medicine: government option/public option, any mandate, and seceding the definition of quality to Washington."

Price added that "affordability, access, quality, responsiveness, innovation, and choice," are the six main principles of health care. According to Price, a government take-over will hurt these principles since the government will focus on costs and access to insurance but neglect the other significant concerns.

Price stated that the available data clearly shows this, but accused the Democrats and President Barack Obama of "refusing to face facts."