Dean Flier on federal health care debate

By Jim Stergios
November 19th, 2009

For those of you who missed today’s Wall Street Journal, Dr. Jeffrey Flier, dean of Harvard Medical School, lays out one of the smarter takes on the mess in Washington:

As the dean of Harvard Medical School I am frequently asked to comment on the health-reform debate. I’d give it a failing grade.

Instead of forthrightly dealing with the fundamental problems, discussion is dominated by rival factions struggling to enact or defeat President Barack Obama’s agenda. The rhetoric on both sides is exaggerated and often deceptive. Those of us for whom the central issue is health—not politics—have been left in the lurch. And as controversy heads toward a conclusion in Washington, it appears that the people who favor the legislation are engaged in collective denial.

Leadership is not winning a tug-of-war (or more like a kick-boxing match). Thanks, Dr. Flier.