Health reform reality check
Published Tuesday, August 11, 2009
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WASHINGTON — Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said the health care overhaul bill would set up a “death panel.” Federal bureaucrats would play God, ruling on whether ailing seniors are worth enough to society to deserve life-sustaining medical care. Palin and other critics are wrong.
Nothing in the legislation would carry out such a bleak vision. The provision that has caused the uproar would instead authorize Medicare to pay doctors for counseling patients about end-of-life care, if the patient wishes. Here are some questions and answers on the controversy:
Q: Does the health care legislation bill promote “mercy killing,” or euthanasia?
A: No.
Q: Then what’s all the fuss about?
A: A provision in the House bill written by Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., would allow Medicare to pay doctors for voluntary counseling sessions that address end-of-life issues. The conversations between doctor and patient would include living wills, making a close relative or a trusted friend your health care proxy, learning about hospice as an option for the terminally ill, and information about pain medications for people suffering chronic discomfort.
The sessions would be covered every five years, more frequently if someone is gravely ill.
Q: Is anything required?
A: Monsignor Charles Fahey, 76, a Catholic priest who is chairman of the board of the National Council on Aging, a nonprofit service and advocacy group, said no.
“We have to make decisions that are deliberative about our health care at every moment,” Fahey said. “What I have said is that if I cannot say another prayer, if I cannot give or get another hug and if I cannot have another martini — then let me go.”
Q: Does the bill advocate assisted suicide?
A: No. It would block funds for counseling that presents suicide or assisted suicide as an option.
Q: Who supports the provision?
A: The American Medical Association, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and Consumers Union are among the groups supporting the provision. AARP, the seniors’ lobby, is taking out print advertisements this week that label as false the claim that the legislation will empower the government to take over life-and-death decisions from individuals.
Q: Should the federal government be getting involved with living wills and end-of-life questions — decisions that are highly personal and really difficult?
A: It already is.
The government requires hospitals to ask adult patients if they have a living will, or “advance directive.” If the patient doesn’t have one, and wants one, the hospital has to provide assistance. The mandate on hospitals was instituted during a Republican administration, in 1992, under President George H.W. Bush.
Q: How does a living will work, and how is it different from a health care proxy?
A: A living will — also called an advance directive — spells out a patient’s wishes if he or she becomes incapacitated. Often people say they don’t want to be kept alive on breathing machines if their condition is terminal and irreversible.
A health care proxy empowers another person to make medical decisions should the patient become incapacitated.
There’s also a power-of-attorney, which authorizes another person to make financial decisions for someone who is incapacitated.
Such legal documents have become standard estate-planning tools in the past twenty years.
Q: Would the health overhaul legislation change the way people now deal with making end-of-life decisions?
A: It very well could.
Supporters of the provision say the main consequence would be to formally bring doctors into a discussion that now takes place mainly among family members and lawyers.
“When you execute a legal document with your lawyer, it ends up in your files and in the lawyer’s files,” said John Rother, a senior policy and strategy adviser for AARP. “Unless the doctor is part of this discussion, it’s unlikely that your wishes will be respected. The doctor will be the one involved in any decisions.”
The American Medical Association said involving doctors is simple common sense.
“There has been a lot of misinformation about the advance care planning provisions in the bill,” AMA President Dr. James Rohack said in a statement. “It’s plain, old-fashioned medical care.”
Q: So why are some people upset?
Some social conservatives say stronger language is needed to protect seniors from being pressured into signing away their rights to medical treatment in a moment of depression or despair.
The National Right to Life Committee opposes the provision as written.
“I’m not aware of ‘death panels’ in the bill,” said David O’Steen, executive director of the group. “I’m not aware of anything that says you will be hauled before a government bureaucrat. But we are concerned. ... It doesn’t take a lot to push a vulnerable person — perhaps unwittingly — to give up their right to life-sustaining treatment.”
The White House said it is countering false claims with a “reality check” page on its Web site, www.whitehouse.gov.
Community Discussion
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RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR of the AP needs a reality check.
It appears that AP stories are actually being written inside the White House these days.
Hum-m-m .. National Council of Aging, AARP, the American Medical Association, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and Consumers Union all support the provision for including doctors in the patients decisions of a living will.
Looks like Sarah Palin may have "misunderstood" what is written in the pending health care legislation before Congress?
Guess we can blame it on the Wasilla mushrooms for causing the delusional effects of those 'evil' strings, where the whole medical profession are in cahoots with Congress to exterminate us old folks. <wink>
A: A provision in the House bill written by Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., would allow Medicare to pay doctors for voluntary counseling sessions that address end-of-life issues.
SURE , I believe that yeah right sure thing.......I believe everything Obama says, He always tells the truth!
ALLOW Medicare to PAY "doctors" for VOLUNTARY "counseling"for end of life issues???????
Ah, Thanks but no Thanks I'll take my chances in the FREE Market
From CMS at FreeRepublic.com:
• Page 16: States that if you have insurance at the time of the bill becoming law and change, you will be required to take a similar plan. If that is not available, you will be required to take the government option!
• Page 22: Mandates audits of all employers that self-insure!
• Page 29: Admission: your health care will be rationed!
• Page 30: A government committee will decide what treatments and benefits you get (and, unlike an insurer, there will be no appeals process)
• Page 42: The "Health Choices Commissioner" will decide health benefits for you. You will have no choice. None.
• Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free healthcare services.
• Page 58: Every person will be issued a National ID Healthcard.
• Page 59: The federal government will have direct, real-time access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funds transfer.
• Page 65: Taxpayers will subsidize all union retiree and community organizer health plans (example: SEIU, UAW and ACORN)
• Page 72: All private healthcare plans must conform to government rules to participate in a Healthcare Exchange.
• Page 84: All private healthcare plans must participate in the Healthcare Exchange (i.e., total government control of private plans)
• Page 91: Government mandates linguistic infrastructure for services; translation: illegal aliens
• Page 95: The Government will pay ACORN and Americorps to sign up individuals for Government-run Health Care plan.
• Page 102: Those eligible for Medicaid will be automatically enrolled: you have no choice in the matter.
• Page 124: No company can sue the government for price-fixing. No "judicial review" is permitted against the government monopoly. Put simply, private insurers will be crushed.
• Page 127: The AMA sold doctors out: the government will set wages.
• Page 145: An employer MUST auto-enroll employees into the government-run public plan. No alternatives.
• Page 126: Employers MUST pay healthcare bills for part-time employees AND their families.
• Page 149: Any employer with a payroll of $400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays an 8% tax on payroll
• Page 150: Any employer with a payroll of $250K-400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays a 2 to 6% tax on payroll
HERE IT IS, AS WRITTEN........Gov.Run Death Panel...s
Page 425: More bureaucracy: Advance Care Planning Consult: Senior Citizens, assisted suicide, euthanasia?
• Page 425: Government will instruct and consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney, etc. Mandatory. Appears to lock in estate taxes ahead of time.
• Page 425: Government provides approved list of end-of-life resources, guiding you in death.
• Page 427: Government mandates program that orders end-of-life treatment; government dictates how your life ends.
• Page 429: Advance Care Planning Consult will be used to dictate treatment as patient’s health deteriorates. This can include an ORDER for end-of-life plans. An ORDER from the GOVERNMENT.
• Page 430: Government will decide what level of treatments you may have at end-of-life.
Here's some more Evillll stuff AS WRITTEN in th Obama Palosi Demonoctatic socialist H.C.Bill
• Page 494: Government will cover mental health services: defining, creating and rationing those services.
OK AP, Instead of a proppaganda no facts arcticle, Why not examin the bill in depth with real quotes from the actual bill to prove your theories,...well B.S. is more like it///
Read Paglia and you will understand why Obama has blown this deal:
http://www.salon.com/opinion/paglia/2009...
Holy crap, where does someone find underware that big? The enormous size of those bloomers still can't contain the amount of crap this bill is spewing.
Is this a paid political advertisement?
The Associated Press is nothing but a propaganda machine. At least Rush Limbaugh doesn't pretend that he reports the news. He tells you up front that it he is stating his opinions, whether you like them or not. The AP should be just as honest about their "news articles". They are every bit as biased.
Maybe the public got the idea about Obamacare being callous about seniors from when he told the man at a town hall, with the lively 90 something mother, that the will to live might not be as important as cost when it comes to medical procedures for old people. BHO told that man that perhaps some pain killers would be more appropriate than spending a lot of money for costly surgery for old people.
Maybe the public got the idea that the end goal of Obamacare is single payer, as Obama has been quoted many times, before he was elected, as his goal. There are tapes of him. Now, today, he says that he never said that. Either he is lying, or all of our eyes and ears are lying.
Maybe BHO should blame himself. Not that that's likely to happen. That might make him appear "stupidly".
bigDip said:
"The Associated Press is nothing but a propaganda machine."
Seek help, bigDip.
dog
Crap propaganda from the AP.
NOTICE: it all statements of OPINION.
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Last summer AARP spent dues money campaigning for a single payer medical care program.
I could not figure why! Until the commercials were paired with a Democrat Nation Committee advertisements.
Also, not mentioned nor discussed.
NO congress can bind the action of any future congress.
Translation: they will change it at any time. Therefore, HR3200 is written in jelly-O.
Vast powers of "interpolation" are granted to the President who makes rules regulations.
Is President Obama trust worthy?
Rush played speeches where President talks out of both sides of his mouth.
I am sure he has posted them on his web page.
Perhaps some would ask this question --
If you go to any meetings: ask have you read ALL of the Bill and do you understand it?
The only allowed answer is YES.
Test the him by asking a questing about a specific section to find out is he telling the truth. Senator Spector was nailed to the wall by a woman who did her home work.
A NO and or Double talk answer means the speaker is lying to your face!
ALL Senators and House members are YOUR EMPLOYEES AND CAN BE FIRED.
100% of House members are up for re election next year.
About 1/3 of the Senators are up for election.
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This link goes the government printing office. It is the official copy.
In .pdf format 1017 pages about 2 megs
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/...
I hope everyone reads it.
And plows the lawyer double speak.
Watch for the references to other laws. You have no idea what they are changing! ONE change makes a big difference.
A question:
If you went to buy a house and the legal document 1017 pages long would you sign on the dotted line?
NOT ME.
FYI:
Clipped from Sloan.
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" Obama's healthcare horror
Heads should roll -- beginning with Nancy Pelosi's!
By Camille Paglia
[snip]
"I just don't get it. Why the insane rush to pass a bill, any bill, in three weeks? And why such an abject failure by the Obama administration to present the issues to the public in a rational, detailed, informational way? The U.S. is gigantic; many of our states are bigger than whole European nations. The bureaucracy required to institute and manage a nationalized health system here would be Byzantine beyond belief and would vampirically [2 ] absorb whatever savings Obama thinks could be made. And the transition period would be a nightmare of red tape and mammoth screw-ups, which we can ill afford with a faltering economy."
[snip] "
[1]
http://www.salon.com/opinion/paglia/2009......
[2]
vampire
(redirected from vampirical)
Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.06 sec.
vam·pire (vmpr)
n.
1. A reanimated corpse that is believed to rise from the grave at night to suck the blood of sleeping people.
2. A person, such as an extortionist, who preys upon others.
3. A vampire bat.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/vampiri......
Geesh bullseye, where to begin. Page 16 simply does not say that. The audits requirement on page 22 is to ensure that employers who self insure actually have the financial means to do so. Page 29 doesn't ration your health care, it sets a maximum out of pocket expense for individuals and families. You are misreading it. I could go on and on. The death panel lie has been debunked by many sources and received a pantsonfire rating from politifact.com. For those who want to take the time to read the bill for yourself, the link is http://waysandmeans.house.gov/media/pdf/...
Additionally,
• Page 30: A government committee will decide what treatments and benefits you get (and, unlike an insurer, there will be no appeals process)
• Page 42: The "Health Choices Commissioner" will decide health benefits for you. You will have no choice. None.
Every insurance company decides what treatment you get now. That is part of the motivation for healthcare reform. Insurance company bureaucrats deny coverage all the time. They also decide what they'll pay the provider. I recently got a bill for an MRI totalling $1599. My insurer (TriCare) only allowed $850, so that's what the provider got. And like it or not, once you turn 65 you will go on Medicare, which is government run and sets limits on what it pays providers. I think every insurance company outside of congress requires that.
Appears like the Rush , and Hannity listening Republicans ,and the others that can't read or think are out in droves .
Looks like how one interprets it...like statistics
This is sickening. People are informed of what the bill contains, yet they still make up crap that really isn't in there.
There is actually 5 versions of a Health Care Reform bill in progress at the moment. 3 in the Senate and 2 in the House. None of them contain what BullsEye claims.
They are not Obama's bills, he doesn't control them, he isn't writing them. He merely put forth a "wish list" of what he wanted to see in a Health Care Reform bill.
13khael how can we be informed of what the bill contains when it is over a thousand pages long.
Let me get this straight.
Obama's health care plan will be written by a committee whose head says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that hasn't read it and whose members will be exempt from it, signed by a president who smokes, funded by a treasury chief who did not pay his taxes, overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that is broke.
What could possibly go wrong?
coldarmyguy,
It's called readin' an' writin'.
Turn off Fox news and put down that chew and stop yer' clingin' there dude.
Someone (The Government) will be making the decisions in regrads to COVERAGE of certain items that pertain to your healthcare.
There was a woman who was just recently denied coverage for Cancer Treatment because of cost issues but she was offered an assisted suicide alternative.
She appealed 2 times and was denied the Governments Coverage.
NOW SHE WILL DIE because of rationing due to cost factors in a Government RUN Health Plan.
Comment on that supports of Government Health Plans
AKbychoice, please debunk page 58 and 59 as well.
Im SURE the Government could not possibly have access to every American's bank account, right?
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