Kelly Victory, M.D. is a board certified trauma specialist. She
currently runs a healthcare consulting practice, and advises a number of
both public and private companies. Dr. Victory is on the Leadership
Counsel at the Harvard School of Public Health, a member of the Board of
Directors of the Steamboat Institute, and is actively involved in the
healthcare reform debate in Washington.
What most people don't understand about healthcare, is that it is the only industry where there is essentially no connection between the amount charged and the true cost of goods and services; it's largely a fabricated cost structure that relies on the insured and private payers to cover the cost of the un- or under-insured.
Although Sarah Palin may have coined a somewhat inflammatory phrase in suggesting that the healthcare reform bill included "death panels", in a sense, she was correct.
There is a true "feel good" story about healthcare that's been largely ignored. In their fury to blame George W. Bush for everything, the media have ignored the overwhelming and sustained success of his efforts to address HIV and AIDs in Africa.
Hopefully by now, most Americans are aware that the 2600-odd pages of legislation known as the "Healthcare Reform Bill" ultimately constitute nothing other than an attempt at health insurance reform.
Shonda Werry is a former staffer at the Senate Republican Conference from 2004 to 2007, and has extensive public policy experience. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago and holds a Master's Degree from Johns Hopkins University.