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As a concerned American citizen, I have been paying close attention to the Presidential Primaries. I have seen the men and woman verbally jab at each other like amateur boxers. They have even engaged in what is the equivalent of low blows by playing race and gender cards; this is clearly an insult to the public, whose votes crossed the lines sufficiently to make race and gender a non-issue, when media influence is excluded.

When we listen to the candidates, we expect to hear something, if not everything, from their platform that should make us choose to vote for one candidate or the other. They have, all, charismatically described what they would do for the country, to get it back on track. But no one has presented any specifics as to how the goals would be accomplished. Sort of like a chef telling you what a great meal, he has never prepared before, he is going to serve, but he is not quite sure what the ingredients will be.

The issues that are in the forefront are the economy, healthcare, and the war in Iraq (not necessarily in that order). While there have been attempts to address these issues by all of the candidates, none seem to have a firm commitment to, or belief in, a true "plan of action".

We are all feeling the pinch of a struggling economy, out of reached healthcare, and a seemingly endless war in Iraq; but as a physician, I have focused on the healthcare dilemma because rather than a pinch, I have been punched in the face by this problem.

When the candidates address the healthcare dilemma, they all see affordability as the problem; it costs more than most Americans can afford to pay, or want to pay. They then seek to solve this problem, for a vote, by telling Americans that they, the candidates, each have a plan that will allow the voter access to healthcare at an "affordable cost". Each plan, as presented, seeks to solve the problem by using one of two solutions; either the government pays for it, or the healthcare providers must accept less pay, from the patients, for providing healthcare. In other words, the healthcare providers pay for it.

Before looking at the flaws in the solutions, we should first determine if the problem, as identified by the candidates, is real or just a symptom of the true problem. If we treat a problem correctly, the symptom will disappear, but, treating a symptom or manifestation simply leaves you with an unsolved problem.

One of the biggest three letter words in medicine is WHY! I have yet to hear a candidate address WHY

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Know something about US elections 2008: Will the candidates please address why health care costs are so unaffordable??
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