The democrats learned their lesson with Hillary Care. Time and daylight killed that plan and they don’t want to be defeated again. So they’re trying to sneak it into an alleged economic rescue plan. This is outrageous!
Senators should read these provisions and vote against them because they are dangerous to your health. (Page numbers refer to H.R. 1 EH, pdf version).
The bill’s health rules will affect “every individual in the United States” (445, 454, 479). Your medical treatments will be tracked electronically by a federal system. Having electronic medical records at your fingertips, easily transferred to a hospital, is beneficial. It will help avoid duplicate tests and errors.
But the bill goes further. One new bureaucracy, the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, will monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective. The goal is to reduce costs and “guide” your doctor’s decisions (442, 446). These provisions in the stimulus bill are virtually identical to what Daschle prescribed in his 2008 book, “Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis.” According to Daschle, doctors have to give up autonomy and “learn to operate less like solo practitioners.”
Keeping doctors informed of the newest medical findings is important, but enforcing uniformity goes too far.
New Penalties
Hospitals and doctors that are not “meaningful users” of the new system will face penalties. “Meaningful user” isn’t defined in the bill. That will be left to the HHS secretary, who will be empowered to impose “more stringent measures of meaningful use over time” (511, 518, 540-541)
What penalties will deter your doctor from going beyond the electronically delivered protocols when your condition is atypical or you need an experimental treatment? The vagueness is intentional. In his book, Daschle proposed an appointed body with vast powers to make the “tough” decisions elected politicians won’t make.
The stimulus bill does that, and calls it the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research (190-192). The goal, Daschle’s book explained, is to slow the development and use of new medications and technologies because they are driving up costs. He praises Europeans for being more willing to accept “hopeless diagnoses” and “forgo experimental treatments,” and he chastises Americans for expecting too much from the health-care system.
Elderly Hardest Hit
Daschle says health-care reform “will not be pain free.” Seniors should be more accepting of the conditions that come with age instead of treating them. That means the elderly will bear the brunt.
Medicare now pays for treatments deemed safe and effective. The stimulus bill would change that and apply a cost- effectiveness standard set by the Federal Council (464). Read full article.
Millions of Americans who struggle to provide health insurance to their families will be punished by having the government interfere in our medical care. The elderly, in the eyes of the state are no longer considered human beings who deserve medical care. Where is AARP on this issue and why aren’t they speaking up?
Well, they’ve got population under control – vote control up to bat.
Their support and funding of abortions coupled with killing off the elderly through denial of health services can help fund their SCHIP revision, which removes the requirement of proving citizenship – which will guarantee them millions of votes in years to come.
I am so disturbed it makes me sick to my stomach. This crap sandwich is served with a side of barf and a smegmalicious cup of tea.
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Arlen Specter, the RINO who voted for this didn’t even know these provisions were in the bill, and when he was “told” about it, he said he would have to change a few thing (the vote was only hours away). I feel just like Liz K – sick to my stomach.
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Much like your representatives, doctors need to be watched. According to The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care organization, physician care across the country varies for patients with the same condition just based on where they live! Example: A patient in Dayton, OH is over 78 percent more likely to have coronary artery bypass surgery than a patient in Dallas, TX. They are also 2.5 times more likely to have that surgery than a patient in Miami, FL. This is due to inefficiencies in preference-sensitive care, effective care, and supply-sensitive care (i.e., doctor’s got a new toy in Miami and wants to use it). Luckily doctors are held to an ethical standard that can’t be bent by cost-driven prerogatives without penalty, so no worries on that front!
The Washington “slug” is, and always has been imperfect, especially when it comes to appropriating relief money. It’s lovely to see everyone engaged with how our money is spent and what is changing, using a sharp and skeptical eye on our representatives. However, it was not long ago that our oversight of these matters was intentionally blurred, if not prevented and unwanted by many of the same representatives that covet an opposition to beneficial action today… perhaps to save face for 2012 and not seem like the goose at the back of the V, no matter what pillow fight club they belong to. I for one am grateful during this time of stimulus package talk for the gift of transparency, which in it of itself should mitigate unruly spending and skewed intentions.
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I read an article about these Health Care provisions of the bill today and was amazed that there has been no discussion. It is more amazing still that AARP has not made a peep about this. In fact I found your blog by googling “AARP and the stimulus package”.
I have long had a suspicion that AARP has a liberal bias at it’s core and their silence on this issue seems to confirm this.
The irony is that while I support the government reducing their medical costs and considering the cost effectivness of treatments is something we must consider when the government is paying I detest the idea of an elite like Daschle who hiding this from public debate by slipping these provisions into the “bogus” stimulus bill.
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I’m now asking “Where is John Galt?” I do so badly want the people who make everything work–all those now being targeted–to just walk away. Walk away. Because I know how to survive without them, but Obamapeople don’t. I cannot believe the pace at which the nation is about to implode. I cannot believe nobody is making noise about this (well, yes, I can, because the media is on the other team). I cannot believe that naive people—not even EVIL people, naive people!–have done this. I am already personally starting to hear some of them say “but…but…that wasn’t supposed to be the deal”. Pffffft.
If you need anything fixed, you’d better schedule your surgery asap.
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Oh Daneen, we’ve already stopped all unneccessary spending. We’re stocking up on necessities and planning a large vegetable garden for the spring/summer. We were going to convert our wood burning fireplace to gas but now we’re holding off thinking that may be the only way to heat our home in the next year or two. We are preparing for the worst. Save up, stock up and watch the carnage!
I think the jobs numbers since the election tell us that John Galt has already left the building.
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