Two determined U.S. physicians have announced they are running for Senate with a sole intent: to repeal Obamacare.
"As a physician, I understand in a real, intimate way the damage Obamacare will do to medicine in South Dakota and the entire country," Dr. Annette Bosworth, a private practicing physician for 14 years in Sioux Falls, SD, told Money Morning.
The other physician-turned-Senate-hopeful is Dr. Alieta Eck of New Jersey.
The two doctors, located on opposite sides of the country, both agree Obamacare is exceeding its limit when it comes to dictating healthcare requirements. They say it's too pricey and it's ineffective.
"We are the canaries in the cage for what's about to unfold," Bosworth said.
Although they've both dedicated their lives to medicine, they see politics as the way to solve the looming Obamacare fiasco.
"Twenty-two years ago I swore off politics in favor of medicine. But now that medicine is being consumed by politics, I feel I have no choice but to step in," Bosworth explained. "I have three titles that I cherish. One is mother (to three sons), and one wife. The other is doctor. It's a privilege to practice medicine, and I take that very seriously."
Bosworth has three main reasons for wanting to repeal Obamacare:
- It's not sustainable. "Like many entitlement programs, the government is overreaching and micro-managing. The unintended consequence is a mushroom ahead."
- It's a tax on the country's already undeniably broken healthcare system. "The younger generation, and subsequent generations -- our country's future -- will feel the biggest impact. We have surrendered to Washington, DC that which should be in the hands of the local community. Physician leadership is key in healthcare reform. Obamacare has shattered the country's foundation."
- It makes sensitive information public. "I took an oath not to share private patient information. Now, under Obamacare, I will have to hand over confidential information to the government. That is not OK!"
As for her chances of winning the Republican Party's nomination for the South Dakota Senate in 2014, the 41-year-old doctor said, "The definition of crazy is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. I'm telling voters if they like what is going on in and coming out of Washington, vote accordingly. If you want something different in DC, vote for me."
Washington Bound to Repeal Obamacare
Also vying for a Senate seat in 2014, and also intent on repealing the Affordable Care Act, is Dr. Alieta Eck.
"Obamacare lit the political fire under me," Dr. Eck, a private practice physician with an office in Piscataway, NJ, and clinic in nearby Franklin Township, told Money Morning.
Eck is running for the Garden State's Republican nomination. New Jersey is holding a special election this fall to fill the open Senate seat left by the death of longtime Senate leader Frank Lautenberg.
Eck has tough competition - among the four Democratic New Jersey Senate candidates is popular Newark Mayor Corey Booker, the frontrunner.
Leading the Republican candidates is former Bogata, NJ Mayor Steve Lonegan. According to a new Federal Election Commission Quinnipiac University poll, 74% of respondents said they would vote for Lonegan, while just 10% are ready to cast their ballot for Dr. Eck.
But that's not stopping the seriously committed doctor.
"While I don't have any political experience, I have something even more valuable. I have been a general practitioner for 25 years and my practice has also run a free clinic for 10 years," said Eck.
"You see, anytime the government gets involved you have meddling, corruption, fraud, underpayment and restriction. It's true of Medicare, which barely reimburses us doctors for all the paperwork we have to process, and it will be true under Obamacare. We'll have reams of paperwork for all the different layers of bureaucratic shenanigans that won't help make medical care any more affordable."
"And while Obamacare allows kids to stay on their parents' health plans a few years longer, that's only true if parents have a job," Dr. Eck noted. "More and more employers are keeping workers' hours under 34.5 a week and headcount below 50 to avoid having to offer Obamacare-mandated insurance policies."
Eck isn't a stranger to Capitol Hill. She delivered keynote speeches on better healthcare to the Senate in 2004 and 2011. Moreover, she says she is the only Senate candidate that has any solution to entitlement reform -- "the 800-pound gorilla."
"The purpose of Obamacare is to help the uninsured. But they are going about it all wrong," said Eck. "My brilliant idea is to have doctors donate four hours a week in community clinics in return for state malpractice insurance -- one of doctors' biggest costs. This is not unprecedented. The government already protects doctors that work in medical schools and free clinics. Malpractice insurance is so high because, in a sense, every patient is a potential litigant. If we can eliminate that overhang, it would make healthcare more affordable for everyone."
Not about to back down, Eck maintains that she and Bosworth, while indeed underdogs, are perfectly qualified for the Senate positions. "After all, doctors are problem solvers."
For more Obamacare cons that have triggered a national outcry to repeal Obamacare, read this: 15 Obamacare Facts the President Doesn't Want You to Know