Cardiologist Warns Federal Cuts Could Deepen Strain on U.S. Healthcare System

Peter Kowey, M.D., a cardiologist at the Lankenau Institute, says the real financial waste in America’s healthcare system isn’t where politicians think it is.

In his new book, Failure to Treat: How a Broken Healthcare System Puts Patients and Practitioners at Risk, Kowey argues that proposed cuts to federal insurance subsidies miss the mark. During decades in medicine, he’s seen firsthand how ballooning administrative costs, pharmaceutical marketing, and executive salaries drive up expenses—while patients and hospitals bear the consequences.

Speaking with Radio Catskill over Zoom, Kowey said:

“One of my daughters works for the government. Nobody wants the government workers to suffer. That’s a terrible situation. However, what the Democrats in this situation are arguing for is to change the drastic nature of the cuts in Medicaid and Medicare, and also in the supplements for Obamacare. They’re right. If those things go into effect as they’re currently in the bill, it will be a catastrophe for healthcare.”

He added that hospitals—already struggling to stay afloat—would be among the hardest hit.

“The big loser’s going to be the hospitals,” he said. “And the hospitals right now in this country are in a very tenuous financial situation.”

Kowey hopes his book will encourage policymakers to look beyond partisan talking points and focus instead on the structural inefficiencies that put both patients and providers at risk.

Photo Credit: Peter Kowey, MD. https://www.peterkoweyauthor.com/

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