Jul 22 2009
Obamacare: Only The Strong Will Survive IV
Update: I have created a new post category on Obamacare which includes all our previous posts on the matter of who will be allowed to gain access to treatment.
Update: Michael Gerson pens the best political observations of the year:
So how are these moderate elements being treated by the Democratic establishment? For the most part, with contempt. Liberal interest groups, and even the Democratic National Committee, are running ads targeting Democrats with moderate views on health reform. It is the Chicago-style, political hardball that some political operatives imagine is sophisticated but is often counterproductive.
Read the whole thing, it is spot on – end update
As we wait on our silver tongued President to try and explain why his liberal risky take over of our nation’s health care won’t be any more of a failure than his takeover of the auto industry and his job creating stimulus package, I think we need a reminder of what we face. And there are lots of good reminders out there.
Let’s start with President Obama’s admission that cheap and affordable health care means the sick and elderly should just eat pain pills and get their lives over with:
Now some may say “hey, you’re reading too much into that”. But the reality is cheaper health care cannot mean better health care for all. Let’s look at the studies of cost verses age:
President Obama has made many promises about his health-reform agenda, but none looms larger than: “You will save money.†Not only has the president promised to lower consumers’ health-insurance bills; he says his plan will trim federal spending as well.
…
Few policymakers working on health-care reform in Washington stop to consider the obvious corollary: dying early is cheap, and keeping people alive long enough to collect Medicare is expensive. Instead, experts talking about health spending promulgate what I call the Eat Your Vegetables Theory: we can save gobs of money by focusing on technological fixes (like electronic health records) and disease prevention, which will yield a healthier population that is cheaper to treat.
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We have relatively cheap and effective treatments for it, especially vaccines and antibiotics. As a result, many older Americans who might have died from pneumonia in Osler’s day now live years or decades longer—long enough to qualify for Medicare and then develop much more expensive ailments like diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s. Researchers at the RAND Corporation noted the conundrum across several studies and came to roughly the same conclusion: “Medical innovations will result in better health and longer life, but they will likely increase, not decrease, Medicare spending.â€
It is a fact that the longer we live the more we consume. I mean this is obvious. So should we take one comment from President Obama and assume he will ration health care on the old and dying? Probably not, but Obama has been strongly hinting many times this is actually the case:
THE PRESIDENT: So that’s where I think you just get into some very difficult moral issues. But that’s also a huge driver of cost, right?
I mean, the chronically ill and those toward the end of their lives are accounting for potentially 80 percent of the total health care bill out here.
He has correctly identified a huge target of opportunity for cost savings. The problem is I don’t think America is THAT hungry for cost savings. Many have done what we did, which is go for cheap catastrophic care and pay more out of pocket, thus adjusting our purchasing behavior to reduce our costs, not our parent’s care (and all but one are suffering from long term, debilitating diseases they are fighting through).
Obama has even allied himself with some very scary thinkers on the matter of culling the old and sick from the human herd:
President Obama’s “science czar,” Paul Holdren, once floated the idea of forced abortions, “compulsory sterilization,” and the creation of a “Planetary Regime” that would oversee human population levels and control all natural resources as a means of protecting the planet — controversial ideas his critics say should have been brought up in his Senate confirmation hearings.
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The three authors summarize their guiding principle in a single sentence: “To provide a high quality of life for all, there must be fewer people.”
Only the strong (and selected superior few) should survive. On a personal note I find this disgustingly arrogant. When our twins were growing in the womb one of them had serious growth challenges which in the end resulted in a premature birth for both at 32 weeks. Many doctors predicted she would be seriously physically and mentally handicapped. One even re-affirmed these dark prognostication minutes after delivery. I was furious because it was not a given, just a chance.
I was right, they were wrong. Her primary doctor was the confident one and we owe this man our daughter’s life. He provided treatment and guidance and today we have two healthy, active and brilliant 9 year olds. But to some who could only see the downside of the moment, one of ours daughter was doomed to a life of expensive and intense care. They were sure of it. As sure of it as the Sun rises in the morning.
And these high degreed imbeciles are going to decided who and when to cull the human herd? When it will be time to take the pills and await The Reaper? Maybe they should start the culling by going first.
BTW, if you want to see how bad the House bill really is someone has been tweeting their discoveries. Basically it proves there will be one insurance source to find them, and in the darkness bind them, to a government run plan where we are a herd of resources to special few. H/T Reader Crosspatch
Obama wants Medicare decisions made in Washington. Now States set rates, closer to the people who are elected and must make good decisions for their people. I think the elderly would have a better chance if decision making stays in the states.
Lets not give everybody mediocre care trying to insure those who are not now insured. This is my worry.
Look who may NOT survive Obamacare – Arlen Specter!
http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1327.xml?ReleaseID=1351
“Sen. Arlen Specter’s 20-point lead over former Congressman Pat Toomey less than three months ago has virtually vanished,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
“Voters see Sen. Specter much less favorably than they once did and are net negative about giving him a sixth term in the U.S. Senate. Independent voters have shifted narrowly to Toomey 46 – 42 percent and say 53 – 35 percent that Specter does not deserve reelection.”
But isn’t Toomey one of those hard core, far right radicals? How could he be pulling ahead of such a nice, reasonable “moderate” like Specter? And in a blue state like Pennsylvania, of all places!
Think what you heard about ObamaCare is scary, read the following from the web site:
http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2009/07/whats-in-healthacre-bill.html
Peter Fleckstein (aka Fleckman) is reading it and has been posting on Twitter his findings. This is from his postings (Note: All comments are Fleckman’s):
Pg 22 of the HC Bill MANDATES the Govt will audit books of ALL EMPLOYERS that self insure!!
Pg 30 Sec 123 of HC bill – THERE WILL BE A GOVT COMMITTEE that decides what treatments/benes u get
Pg 29 lines 4-16 in the HC bill – YOUR HEALTHCARE IS RATIONED!!!
Pg 42 of HC Bill – The Health Choices Commissioner will choose UR HC Benefits 4 you. U have no choice!
PG 50 Section 152 in HC bill – HC will be provided 2 ALL non US citizens, illegal or otherwise
Pg 58HC Bill – Govt will have real-time access 2 individs finances & a National ID Healthcard will b issued!
Pg 59 HC Bill lines 21-24 Govt will have direct access 2 ur banks accts 4 elect. funds transfer
PG 65 Sec 164 is a payoff subsidized plan 4 retirees and their families in Unions & community orgs (ACORN).
Pg 72 Lines 8-14 Govt is creating an HC Exchange 2 bring priv HC plans under Govt control.
PG 84 Sec 203 HC bill – Govt mandates ALL benefit pkgs 4 priv. HC plans in the Exchange
PG 85 Line 7 HC Bill – Specs for of Benefit Levels for Plans = The Govt will ration ur Healthcare!
PG 91 Lines 4-7 HC Bill – Govt mandates linguistic approp svcs. Example – Translation 4 illegal aliens
Pg 95 HC Bill Lines 8-18 The Govt will use groups i.e., ACORN & Americorps 2 sign up indiv. for Govt HC plan
PG 85 Line 7 HC Bill – Specs of Ben Levels 4 Plans. #AARP members – U Health care WILL b rationed
-PG 102 Lines 12-18 HC Bill – Medicaid Eligible Indiv. will b automat.enrolled in Medicaid. No choice
pg 124 lines 24-25 HC No company can sue GOVT on price fixing. No “judicial review” against Govt Monop
pg 127 Lines 1-16 HC Bill – Doctors/ #AMA – The Govt will tell YOU what u can make.
Pg 145 Line 15-17 An Employer MUST auto enroll employees into pub opt plan. NO CHOICE
Pg 126 Lines 22-25 Employers MUST pay 4 HC 4 part time employees AND their families.
Pg 149 Lines 16-24 ANY Emplyr w payroll 400k & above who does not prov. pub opt. pays 8% tax on all payroll
pg 150 Lines 9-13 Biz w payroll btw 251k & 400k who doesnt prov. pub. opt pays 2-6% tax on all payroll
Pg 167 Lines 18-23 ANY individual who doesnt have acceptable HC accrdng 2 Govt will be taxed 2.5% of inc
Pg 170 Lines 1-3 HC Bill Any NONRESIDENT Alien is exempt from indiv. taxes. (Americans will pay)
Pg 195 HC Bill -officers & employees of HC Admin (GOVT) will have access 2 ALL Americans finan/pers recs
PG 203 Line 14-15 HC – “The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax” Yes, it says that
Pg 239 Line 14-24 HC Bill Govt will reduce physician svcs 4 Medicaid. Seniors, low income, poor affected
Pg 241 Line 6-8 HC Bill – Doctors, doesnt matter what specialty u have, you’ll all be paid the same
PG 253 Line 10-18 Govt sets value of Dr’s time, prof judg, etc. Literally value of humans.
PG 265 Sec 1131Govt mandates & controls productivity for private HC industries
PG 268 Sec 1141 Fed Govt regulates rental & purchase of power driven wheelchairs
PG 272 SEC. 1145. TREATMENT OF CERTAIN CANCER HOSPITALS – Cancer patients – welcome to rationing!
Page 280 Sec 1151 The Govt will penalize hospitals 4 what Govt deems preventable readmissions.
Pg 298 Lines 9-11 Drs, treat a patient during initial admiss that results in a readmiss-Govt will penalize u.
Pg 317 L 13-20 OMG!! PROHIBITION on ownership/investment. Govt tells Drs. what/how much they can own.
Pg 317-318 lines 21-25,1-3 PROHIBITION on expansion- Govt is mandating hospitals cannot expand
pg 321 2-13 Hospitals have oppt to apply for exception BUT community input required. Can u say ACORN?!!
Pg335 L 16-25 Pg 336-339 – Govt mandates estab. of outcome based measures. HC the way they want. Rationing
Pg 341 Lines 3-9 Govt has authority 2 disqual Medicare Adv Plans, HMOs, etc. Forcing peeps in2 Govt plan
Pg 354 Sec 1177 – Govt will RESTRICT enrollment of Special needs ppl! WTF. My sis has down syndrome!!
Pg 379 Sec 1191 Govt creates more bureaucracy – Telehealth Advisory Cmtte. Can u say HC by phone?
PG 425 Lines 4-12 Govt mandates Advance Care Planning Consult. Think Senior Citizens end of life
Pg 425 Lines 17-19 Govt will instruct & consult regarding living wills, durable powers of atty. Mandatory!
PG 425 Lines 22-25, 426 Lines 1-3 Govt provides apprvd list of end of life resources, guiding u in death
PG 427 Lines 15-24 Govt mandates program 4 orders 4 end of life. The Govt has a say in how ur life ends
Pg 429 Lines 1-9 An “adv. care planning consult” will b used frequently as patients health deteriorates
PG 429 Lines 10-12 “adv. care consultation” may incl an ORDER 4 end of life plans. AN ORDER from GOV
Pg 429 Lines 13-25 – The govt will specify which Doctors can write an end of life order.
PG 430 Lines 11-15 The Govt will decide what level of treatment u will have at end of life
Pg 469 – Community Based Home Medical Services=Non profit orgs. Hello, ACORN Medical Svcs here!!?
Page 472 Lines 14-17 PAYMENT TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORG. 1 monthly payment 2 a community-based org. Like ACORN?
PG 489 Sec 1308 The Govt will cover Marriage & Family therapy. Which means they will insert Govt in2 ur marriage
Pg 494-498 Govt will cover Mental Health Svcs including defining, creating, rationing those svcs
Let’s see, the President has a filibuster proof Democratic Senate, a +60 seat margin in the House, a favorable press, a fawning Hollywood, a supportive academia and he is still whining about Republicans.
Makes me wonder what President Biden would do ?
National ID health cards? And these dems pitched such a fit about issuing ID cards to vote. Consistentcy is not their strong point. What am I saying? We all know anything that benefits them at the moment is gold even if it is diatremetricly the opposite of what went on before. This health care bill, if passed, will regulate all our lives from cradle (if we make it that far) to grave (and gov. will make sure that comes sooner rather than later). Obama is a disaster.
This whole health care bill is unconstitutional.
President Biden would go to the Ukraine and say “Whoa, buddy, your womyns are HOT!”
Well at least that’s what Vice President Biden did!
Nobody seems to have mentioned the Nasty Unwritten Part….access to and quality of health care will both depend on your status as a Democrat Party contributor.
I have friends who live in the Democrat part of Pennsylvania – and they report that if you want your elected representatives to do ANYTHING, you have to write a check to their campaign fund.
Add to this the fact that Obama is a product of the Chicago political machine, the hands-down winner of the Most Corrupt Government competition in the United States. We’re talking about a Fourth World kleptocracy here.
Does anyone seriously think that the Democrats won’t use this as an opportunity to wring campaign contributions from the sick? Or use it as a tool to silence critics?