DO YOU CARE IF HEALTH CARE IS RATIONED FOR SENIORS?

Are you aware of the rationing of health care for seniors that was slipped into the stimulus bill? Do you wonder why you've heard very little or nothing about it? And why it's included in this so-called stimulus bill. Maybe you're young and it won't affect you, but how do you feel about the effect it will have on your parents or grandparents. I was hoping to live to a ripe old age, but feel that is a lot less likely if Pelosi and Congress have their way.

See below excerpts published Feb. 9 in the Bloomberg Press, Ruin Your Health With the Obama Stimulus Plan: Betsy McCaughey, Commentary by Betsy McCaughey, former lieutenant governor of New York and an adjunct senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.

"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.”

"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."

"Daschle says health-care reform “will not be pain free.” Seniors should be m ore 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). "

"The Federal Council is modeled after a U.K. board discussed in Daschle’s book. This board approves or rejects treatments using a formula that divides the cost of the treatment by the number of years the patient is likely to benefit. Treatments for younger patients are more often approved than treatments for diseases that affect the elderly, such as osteoporosis."

You can read the whole article here. Bloomberg

Let's not forget, last week ago Nancy Pelosi defended giving hundreds of millions of dollars to family planning services as part of the stimulus package. Basically, fewer children reduces the cost to the state.

But I'm pretty sure we'll be giving illegals access to free nationalized health care.

TRYING TO BE POSITIVE, BUT CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER

I'm trying to be positive. I haven’t blogged since the day Barack Obama was elected to be our next President. I wanted to give him a chance. As our President, he deserves the respect of the office.

I did wonder who would be our president, Obama or Pelosi. I also wonder how he can claim there are no earmarks in the so-called stimulus bill. I wonder what he plans to do with the Gitmo detainees (terrorists) after he closes Gitmo. I wonder how he plans to get information from Bin Laden and his buddies and where he will put them. I notice Pelosi wants no part of them at Alcatraz. If we are about to be nuked and my children are in harm’s way, President Obama, please waterboard the terrorists! I wonder if Presidents Obama/Pelosi/Reid will wage a war against the people who want to kill us, or just discuss what to call it now that there is no longer a “war on terror”. If we are attacked again because of the naiveté and foolishness of President Obama and the Congress, say goodbye to President Obama and the rest of the Democrats for a very long time. I hope and pray that will not be the case.

I wonder if the so-called Fairness Doctrine will be passed, with the result being the end of free speech.

I still wonder. Do you?