Seniors are expendable in America today. This is according to The National
Healthcare, H.R.3590 - Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (referred to
as Obamacare), and supported by fact. If you are a senior and need expensive
live saving treatment and care it will not be given to you in the very near
future. This is not rumor or partisan politics...it is factual!
Let's first look at the background leading up to Obamacare, that sets the
stage for this legislation. Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel was a chief advisor to President
Obama on healthcare. Both by words and implication Dr. Emanuel indicated that
expensive healthcare treatment should be given to those only most productive to
society. A direct Emanuel quote: “When implemented, the complete lives system
produces a priority curve on which individuals aged between roughly 15 and 40
years get the most substantial chance…” The clear implication here is that
seniors are not a priority, thus discriminated against. This has been followed
by President Obama, himself, in answer to questions on ABC, where he said that
"maybe you're better off not having the surgery, but taking the painkiller." (In
reference to the elderly). In another instance he said, "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. It is very difficult to imagine
the country making those decisions just through the normal political channels.
And that’s part of why you have to have some independent group that can give you
guidance".
Now that Obamacare has been passed President Obama has chosen Harvard
Professor, Dr. Donald Berwick, to head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services, who will be overseeing implementation of America’s new government-run
health care. Berwick said in the Biotechnology Journal in 2009, "The decision is
not whether or not we will ration care; the decision is whether we will ration
with our eyes open". He stated costs must be contained, so decisions are made
through a "comparative effectiveness" formula, which compares various treatments
versus benefits the patient receives. If a treatment costs more than the
"quality adjusted life years" merit, treatment is denied. Is there any doubt
whatsoever that by designed intent that this will be extremely detrimental to
seniors and their healthcare?
It is a fact that $ 717 Billion will be taken out of Medicare, essentially
to fund Obamacare. What this means is that the doctor reimbursement rate will be
significantly reduced. (A new Independent Payment Advisory Board will do this.)
Already many doctors are refusing new Medicare patients due to the financial
hardship. In addition Obamacare is designed to take on 30 million new patients
not previously covered. As it is implemented this will cause a shortage of
doctors. If doctors are already refusing new Medicare patients, this will cause
an even further de facto rationing of healthcare that will exclude seniors,
especially from expensive treatment for serious illnesses. Former AMA President
Donald Palmisano has warned that the 15 member "Advisory Board" will represent
an immediate danger to seniors since in order to cut costs they will refuse to
provide certain effective treatments to patients who need them based on costs
and patients’ remaining "quality adjusted life years", in other words cut off
treatment for seniors.
The massive Obamacare bill is 2,409 pages long, with several reiterations
that make it even more confusing. If we can freeze one version for a moment,
Page 29, Lines 4-16 mandates the rationing of healthcare; Page 30, Section 123
states that there will be a committee that decides allowed treatments and
benefits; Page 42 recognizes the power of the Health Choices Commissioner to
determine your health benefits; Page 85, line 7 gives the government the right
to ration benefits for Medicare basically rationing the care of every senior
citizen; Page 268, Section 1141 regulates costs of power drive wheelchairs
affecting many seniors; Page 272, Section 1145 regulates cancer hospitals, again
rationing the care of cancer patients greatly affecting seniors; Page 335, Lines
16-25 and Pages 336-339 mandates the establishment of "outcome based
healthcare". This will result in seniors being denied treatments simply because
the statistics of success in their demographic category (age / seniors) is poor;
Page 425 Lines 4-12 mandates "Advance Care Planning Consultation" encouraging
seniors to accept death rather than expensive treatments to continue life.
How many facts and how much proof do we need? The premises of, and
background planning intent of Obamacare, show a discrimination against seniors
and the person responsible for implementation has clearly stated that he
believes in rationing. Obamacare provides for both de facto rationing and
explicit line items in the Bill support cutting costs by rationing as well as by
denying expensive care to seniors.
Finally, there is no mention whatsoever that the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act violates the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 that dictates
that no federally funded legislative program can discriminate against seniors.
Obamacare clearly does.
What has happened to our country where legislation can be proposed and
passed by our Congress that denies life saving treatment to one segment of our
population - seniors? What kind of country have we become?
No comments:
Post a Comment