Fox News Doctor’s Fatal Misdiagnosis Of Bush’s Heart Surgery Wake-Up Call

“Former President George W. Bush, 67, underwent a procedure Tuesday morning to have a stent placed in his heart one day after a blockage was discovered in an artery, according to a statement from his office. […] President Bush’s experience is a wake-up call for all of us.”

Indeed it is. That was the response of Dr. Marc Siegel of the Fox News Medical A Team to news that Bush had emergency heart surgery to repair a life-threatening blockage.

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The problem with Siegel’s response, however, is that his idea of a wake-up call is a useless gesture for many Americans. Siegel’s advice to “see your doctor for a physical” is sound on its face. But if you are uninsured, the costs associated with an office visit and the battery of tests required to ascertain your health status are prohibitive.

Siegel noted that Bush underwent a stress test with an EKG and a CT angiogram. Having discovered a coronary artery blockage, he was immediately admitted and scheduled for surgery. Bush, of course, is a former president and member of a wealthy family. How is an average American without insurance supposed to pay for all of that? And after the emergency care, who springs for the pharmaceuticals that would be required for the rest their life?

Bush, his family, and most Americans are grateful that his medical scare was resolved and that he will resume a normal lifestyle. But insofar as his experience was a wake-up call, it was an alarm sounding to address the shameful lack of health care for so many citizens in such a rich nation. ObamaCare is a step toward providing that care, but it is people like Dr. Siegel who are throwing obstacles in the way.

Siegel frequently appears on Fox News to denounce the Affordable Care Act and the President for advocating it. He called the Supreme Court ruling upholding ObamaCare a “disappointment.” He spins phony horror stories about death panels, doctor shortages, and unfounded claims of higher premiums and fewer services. Although, how you get to fewer than zero (as was the case for 45 million pre-ObamaCare citizens), I don’t know.

In Siegel’s world everyone should consider getting regular checkups and preventative care, but it should only be available for those fortunate enough to be able to afford it. In other words. Bush’s experience is a wake-up call to financially secure folks like Bush. But it’s a snooze button for millions of others about whom Siegel doesn’t appear to give a damn.

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6 thoughts on “Fox News Doctor’s Fatal Misdiagnosis Of Bush’s Heart Surgery Wake-Up Call

  1. Yes, I know it’s bad taste, and we are very happy that Mr. Bush is okay, but we have to say this.

    During the examination, doctors took a scan of Mr. Bush’s brain and found nothing…

  2. Fox’s position is exactly the same as the republicans. Isn’t it ironic that a “news” organization who claim to be legitimate and, as we all know, they are nothing more than propaganda shills for the republicans and their stupid policies. It is amazing that almost half this country could be kept so stupid. Bill Maher has touched on this subject and says some people in this country are too stupid to vote. While I agree with that assessment, barring any other violations of law, they do and should have a right to vote. Unfortunately, they do vote against their interests and we all pay for their ignorance. Not enacting or trying to de-fund Obama-care is an extremely radical idea and bad for the common good, which better medical care is a part of.

    • I work in public health & I’m amazed at the success the plutocrats have had convincing people that public health shouldn’t exist. Proper medical care is extremely important to the common good. So many people seem to have a disconnect, though. They don’t want this “commie” health care system (although with insurance companies involved, how commie could it be?), but they must think that even without health coverage they’ll be able to get treated at emergency departments the way it’s always been. The wealthy & objectivist types in power certainly don’t want to allow that, though. I think they want an underclass that will be able to labor in their teens & twenties, then breed and, hopefully, die when productivity wanes, leaving a new generation of healthy young laborers.

      • Feudalism never died, it’s just called capitalism now.

  3. Great article excellent points made

  4. Fatal misdiagnosis?

    I don’t think the word “fatal” means what you think it means.

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