As a healthcare professional, here are some of my concerns about President Obama’s speech last night.

President Obama said last night that the plan, which he said will cost $900 Billion could be paid for, in part by eliminating waste in Medicare and Medicaid programs. What Services are wasteful? The government can’t run a healthcare program. It is already broke.

All Americans will be required to have health insurance. Obama’s proposal makes it illegal for doctors to give care to people not insured, requiring fines or imprisonment for those who do so. Obama said illegal aliens will not be covered. Will hospitals and doctors treat illegals for free?

Also, where is our freedom? I can see requiring that if you drive a car you must have insurance in order to pay for damages you may cause to other people. But the very rich can pay their medicals bills. Why is the government requiring this insurance? To control every aspect of our lives and to continue to bankrupt our country and private companies. Remember that the current bills require the government to have direct access to your bank accounts.

Required government-run “End of Life” panels for people over 65. He didn’t eliminate these death panels. Isn’t “end of life” when you die?

The only new items in his speech vs. the current bills: Not covering illegals and hinting that maybe he will possibly consider tort reform. Otherwise, there is nothing new but an attempt at a smooth speech trying to say that you can still keep your private insurance.

He is still planning for the public option, and with this, the government can decide how much they are going to pay the doctors. Companies will choose to buy the cheaper government insurance for employees, which will put all of the insurance companies out of business, leaving everyone on a national healthcare plan.