Posts Tagged ‘Health Insurance’

Do You Trust Government Run Health Care?

Update at bottom -

As a follow-up to the previous post “Trust Government? HAH!“, let’s ask the question:  Do we really trust Government, i.e., the current Administration and Congress, with something as important and personal as our medical health?

Let’s see what our current President has to say about what he believes is the right course of action:

h/t to Indigo Red and many others (found it at Indigo’s place first)

Let’s now look at a news report from a main-stream media, ABC’s 20/20, of the Canadian system that is a single-payer system that treats people worse than pets:

h/t from Dee at Conservatism With Heart for this one.

But what happens in Canada and other countries with a single-payer government run health-care system can’t happen here, right?  Well, let’s take a look at what happened to cancer patients in Oregon:

and

So if you are too expensive to heal, the government will give you pain-killers and hemlock to ease you over into the next world?  Almost sounds like putting the sick and old folks on an ice flow and setting them adrift…  And then there is the other option which is part of the “shovel-ready” projects in the stimulus plan:

Still trust the Administration and Congress to take care of you if you are sick?  Then you are truly drinking the Kool-Aide.  Consider the following short list summary of the House health-care bill from Brushfire of Freedom (you know, the one that is over a 1,000 pages and too long for our elected leaders to read?):

Pg 22 of the Health Care Bill mandates the Government will audit books of ALL EMPLOYERS that self-insure.

Pg 30 Sec 123- There will be a government committee that decides what treatments/benefits you get.

Pg 29 lines 4-16 – Your health care will be rationed.

Pg 42 – The “Health Choices Commissioner” will choose your HC Benefits for you.

PG 50 Section 152- HC will be provided to ALL non-US citizens, illegal or otherwise.

Pg 53- Severability

“If any provision of the Act, or any application of such provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be unconstitutional, the remainder of the provisions of this Act and the application of the provision to any other person or circumstance shall not be affected.”

Pg 58 – Govt. will have real-time access to individual’s finances & a National ID Health card will be issued

Pg 59 lines 21-24- Govt. will have direct access to your bank accounts for electronic funds transfer.

PG 65 Sec 164 is a payoff subsidized plan for retirees and their families in Unions & community organizations (i.e. ACORN).

Pg 72 Lines 8-14 Govt. is creating an HC Exchange to bring private HC plans under Govt. control.

PG 84 Sec 203 – Govt. mandates all benefit packages for private HC plans in the Exchange

PG 85 Line 7 – Specs for Benefit Levels for Plans

PG 91 Lines 4-7- Govt. mandates linguistic appropriate services. Example: Translation for illegal aliens

Pg 95 Lines 8-18 The Govt. will use groups i.e., ACORN & Americorps to sign up individuals for Govt. HC plan.

PG 85 Line 7 – Specs of Benefit Levels For Plans.

PG 102 Lines 12-18- Medicaid-Eligible Individual will be automatically enrolled in Medicaid. No choice.

pg 124 lines 24-25 No company can sue Govt. on price fixing. No “judicial review” against Govt. Monopoly.

pg 127 Lines 1-16- RE: Doctors- The Govt. will determine your salary.

Pg 145 Line 15-17 An Employer must auto-enroll employees into public option plan.

Pg 126 Lines 22-25 Employers must pay for HC for part time employees and their families.

Pg 149 Lines 16-24 Any Employer w/ payroll $400k & above who doesn’t provide public option pays 8% tax on all payroll.

PG 150 Lines 9-13- Business w/ payroll between 251k & 400k who doesn’t provide pub. opt pays 2-6% tax on all payroll.

Pg 167 Lines 18-23 Any individual who doesn’t have acceptable HC according to Govt. will be taxed 2.5% of income.

Pg 170 Lines 1-3 Any NONRESIDENT Alien is EXEMPT from individual taxes.

Pg 195 Officers & employees of HC Admin (GOVT) will have access to ALL Americans financial/personal records

PG 203 Line 14-15 “The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax.” Yes, it actually says that.

Pg 239 Line 14-24 Govt. will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors, low income, poor will be affected.

Pg 241 Line 6-8 Doctors, doesn’t matter what specialty you have, you’ll all be paid the same.

PG 253 Line 10-18 Govt. sets value of Dr’s time, professional judgment, etc. Literally sets the value of humans.

PG 265 Sec 1131 Govt. mandates and controls productivity for private HC industries

PG 268 Sec 1141 Fed Govt. regulates rental and 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 for what Govt. deems “preventable re-admissions.”

Pg 298 Lines 9-11 Doctors, treat a patient during initial admission that results in a readmission? Govt. will penalize you.

Pg 317 L 13-20 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 opportunity to apply for exception BUT community input required.

Pg 335 Lines 16-25, Pg 336-339 – Govt mandates establishment of outcome based measures. HC the way they want. Rationing.

Pg 341 Lines 3-9 Govt. has authority to disqualify Medicare Adv. Plans, HMOs, etc. Forcing people into Govt. plan

Pg 354 Sec 1177 Govt. will RESTRICT enrollment of Special needs people

Pg 379 Sec 1191 Govt. creates more bureaucracy – “Telehealth Advisory Committee.”

PG 425 Lines 4-12 Govt. mandates “Advanced Care Planning Consultations.”

PG 425 The Federal Government will require EVERYONE who is on Social Security to undergo a counseling session every 5 years with the objective being that they will explain to them just how to end their own life earlier.

Pg 425 Lines 17-19 Govt. will instruct & consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney. Mandatory!

PG 425 Lines 22-25, 426 Lines 1-3: Govt. provides approved list of end of life resources, guiding you in death.

PG 427 Lines 15-24 Govt. mandates program for orders for end of life. The Govt. has a say in how your life ends.

Pg 429 Lines 1-9 An “advanced care planning consult” will be used frequently as patients health deteriorates

PG 429 Lines 10-12 “Advanced care consultation” may include an ORDER for end of life plans. AN ORDER from the Government.

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 you will have at end of life.

Pg 469 – Community Based Home Medical Services = Non profit organizations.

Page 472 Lines 14-17 PAYMENT TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORG. 1 monthly payment to a community-based org. (ACORN?)

PG 489 Sec 1308 The Govt. will cover Marriage & Family therapy. Which means they will insert Govt. into your marriage.

Pg 494-498: Govt. will cover Mental Health Services including defining, creating, rationing those services.

PG 502 Section 1181 Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research Established.

PG 502 Line 5-18 Government builds the “Center” to conduct, support, and synthesize research to define our HealthCare Services.

PG 503 Line 13-19 Government will build registries and data networks from YOUR electronic medical records.

PG 503 Line 21-25 Government may secure data directly from any department or agency of the US including your data.

PG 504 Line 6-10 The “Center” will collect data both published & unpublished (that means public & your private info)

PG 506 Line 19-21 The Center will recommend policies that would allow for public access of data

PG 518 Line 21-25 The Commission will have input from HealthCare consumer reps

PG 524 18-22 Comparative Effectiveness Research Trust Fund set up. More taxes for ALL.

PGs 525-620 Deals with the Govt. basically taking over nursing homes, long-term care facilities (think assisted living) through regulations of the facilities, the owners of said facilities, the employees of said facilities and even the land owners of that said facilities reside on. Additionally as you read these 90+ pages you can come to the conclusion that any Health related services will be determined and rationed by the Govt. for our senior citizens and others in nursing homes. This one post should do enough to raise awareness of the control the Govt. is exerting over the older population of American citizens.

PG 620 Line 1-9 The Government will define, prioritize, and nationalize your Health Care Services.

PG 621 Lines 20-25 Government will define what Quality means in HealthCare.

PG 622 Lines 2-9 To pay for the quality Standards, Government will transfer $$ from and to other Government Trust Funds. More Taxes.

PG 624 “Quality” measures shall be designed to assess outcomes & functional status of patients.

G 628 Section 1443 Government will give “Multi-Stake Holders” Pre-Rule Making input into Selection of “Quality” Measures.

PG 630 9-24/631 1-9 Those Multi-stake holder groups including Unions & groups like ACORN deciding HealthCare quality.

PG 632 Lines 14-25 The Government may implement any “Quality measure” of HealthCare Services as they see fit.

PG 633 14-25/ 634 1-9 The Secretary may issue non-endorsed “Quality Measures” for Physician Services & Dialysis Services.

PG 635 – 653 Physicians Payments Sunshine Provision – Government wants to shine sunlight on Docs but not Government.

PG 660-671 Doctors in Residency – Government will tell you where your residency will be, thus where you’ll live.

PG 676-686 Government will regulate hospitals in EVERY aspect of residency programs, including teaching hospitals.

PG 686-700 Increased Funding to Fight Waste, Fraud, and Abuse such as the Government’s $18M website

PGs 701-704 Section 1619 If your part of HealthCare plan that isn’t in Government HealthCare Exchange but you qualify for Federal aid, no payment.

705-709 SEC. 1128 If Secretary gets complaints on HealthCare provider or supplier, Government can do background check.

G 711 Lines 8-14 The Secretary has broad powers to deny HealthCare providers/suppliers admittance into HealthCare Exchange.

Pg 719-720 Section 1637 ANY Doctor who orders durable medical equipment or home medical services MUST be enrolled in Medicare.

PG 722 Section 1639 Government Mandates Doctors must have face-to-face with patient to certify patient for Home Health Services.

PG 724 Lines 16-22 Government reserves right to apply face-to-face certification for patient to ANY other HealthCare service.

PG 724 23-25 PG 725 1-5 The same Government certifications will apply to medicaid & CHIP (your kids) Pg 735 lines 16-25 For law enforcement purposes, the Secretary of Health & Human Services will give Attorney General access to ALL data.

PG 740-757 Government sets guidelines for subsidizing the uninsured

Pg 757-762 Fed Government will shift burden of payments to Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH) to States. (Taxes)

Page 763 1-8 No DS/EA hospitals will be paid unless they provide services without regard to national origin

Pg 765 Section 1711 Government will require Preventative Services including vaccines.

Pg 768 Section 1713 Government – Nurse Home Visitation Services

Pg 769 3-5 Nurse Home Visit Services – “increasing birth intervals between pregnancies.”

Pg 769 11-14 Nurse Home Visit Services include-economic self-sufficiency, employment advancement, school-readiness.

Pg 770 SEC 1714 Federal Government mandates eligibility for State Family Planning Services. Say abortion & State Sovereign.

Pg 789-797 Government will set & mandate drug prices, controlling which drugs will be brought to market.

Pgs 797-800 SEC. 1744 PAYMENTS for grad medical education. The government will now control Dr’s education.

PG 801 Sec 1751 The Government will decide which Health care conditions will be paid.

Pg 810 SEC. 1759. Billing Agents, clearinghouses, etc. required to register. Government takes over private payment system.

Page 820-824 Sec 1801 Government will identify individuals ineligible for subsidies. Will access all personal finances.

Pg 824-829 SEC. 1802. Government Sets up Comparative Effectiveness Research Trust Fund. Another tax black hole.

PG 829-833 Government will impose a fee on ALL private health insurance plans including self insured to pay for Trust Fund

PG 835 11-13 Fees imposed by Government for Trust Fund shall be treated as if they were taxes.

838-840 Government will design & implement Home Visitation Program for families with young kids & families expecting kids.

PG 844-845 This Home Visitation Program includes Government coming into your house & telling you how to parent

Pg 859 Government will establish a Public Health Fund at a cost of $88,800,000,000. Yes thats Billion.

PG 865 to 876 The NHS Corps is a program where Drs. perform mandatory HealthCare for 2 years for part loan repayment.

PG 876-892 The Government takes over the education of our Medical students and Drs.

PG 898 The Government will establish a Public Health Workforce Corps. to ensure supply of public health professionals.

PG 898 The Public health workforce corps shall consist of officers of Regular & Reserve Corps of Service.

898 The Public health workforce corps shall consist of civilian employees of the U.S. as Secretary deems.

PG 900 The Public Health Workforce Corps includes veterinarians.

901 The Public Health Workforce Corps WILL include commissioned Regular & Reserve Officers.

PG 910 The Government will develop, build & run Public Health Training Centers.

PG 913-914 Government starts a HealthCare affirmative action program thru guise of diversity scholarships.

PG 915 SEC. 2251. Government MANDATES Cultural & linguistic competency training for HealthCare professionals.

Pg 932 The Government will establish Preventative & Wellness Trust fund – intial cost of $30,800,000,000-Billion.

PG 935 21-22 Government will identify specific goals & objectives for prevention & wellness activities. Control You!!

PG 936 Government will develop “Healthy People & National Public Health Performance Standards” Tell me what to eat?

PG 942 Lines 22-25 More Government? Offices of Surgeon General -Public Health Services, Minority Health, Women’s Health

PG 950- 980 BIG Government core public health infrastructure includes workforce capacity, lab systems; health information systems, etc

PG 993 Government will establish school based health clinics.

PG 994 School Based Health Clinic will be integrated into the school environment.

PG 1001 The Government will establish a National Medical Device Registry. Will you be tracked?

PG 1003 9-11 National Medical Dev Reg ‘‘(iii) other postmarket device surveillance activities” you WILL be tracked.

PG 1018 States give up some of their State Sovereignty.

On page 879-880, the bill states that the Secretary of Health and Human Services:

“…shall make grants to, or enter into contracts with, eligible entities . . . to operate a professional training program in the field of family medicine, general internal medicine, general pediatrics, or geriatrics, to provide financial assistance and traineeships and fellowships to those students, interns, residents or physicians who plan to work in or teach in the field of family medicine, general internal medicine, general pediatrics, or geriatrics.”

On page 881-882 the bill states:

“In awarding grants or contracts under this section, the Secretary shall give preference to entities that have a demonstrated record of the following: . . . Training individuals who are from underrepresented minority groups or disadvantaged backgrounds.”

On page 883 the bill states:

“The Secretary shall make grants to, or enter into contracts with, eligible entities . . . to operate or participate in an established primary care residency training program, which may include-(A) planning and developing curricula; (B) recruitment and training of residents; and (C) retention of faculty.”

On page 884-885 the bill states:

“In awarding grants and contracts . . . the Secretary shall give preference to entities that have a demonstrated record of training . . . individuals who are from underrepresented minority groups or disadvantaged backgrounds . . . .”

On page 887-889 the bill states that the

“Secretary shall make grants to, or enter into contracts with, eligible entities . . . to operate a professional training program for oral health professionals, to provide financial assistance and traineeships and fellowships to those professionals who plan to work in or teach general, pediatric, or public health dentistry, or dental hygiene, to establish, maintain, or improve academic administrative units (including departments, divisions, or other appropriate units) in the specialties of general, pediatric, or public health dentistry, to operate a loan repayment program for full-time faculty in a program of general, pediatric, or public health dentistry.”

On page 889-890 the bill states:

“In awarding grants or contracts under this section, the Secretary shall give preference to entities that have a demonstrated record of the following: . . . Training individuals who are from underrepresented minority groups or disadvantaged backgrounds.”

On page 908-909 the bill states: “The Secretary shall award grants and contracts to eligible entities” to do the same things for the field of public health as the Secretary can do for dentistry.

On page 909 the bill states:

“In awarding grants or contracts under this section, the Secretary shall give preference to entities that have a demonstrated record of the following: . . . Training individuals who are from underrepresented minority groups or disadvantaged backgrounds.”

As the woman stated in the town hall with Specter and Sebelius noted in the previous post:

“I look at this health care plan and I see nothing that is about health or about care. What I see is a bureaucratic nightmare, Senator.”

A nightmare indeed. This government-run monstrosity needs to be killed before it ever sees the light of day.

Call & write your Congresscritter objecting to this insane proposal.

Update -

From Debbie at Right Truth comes a couple of more reviews of what is in store for us:

• First, another summary of HR3200 from the Liberty Council.
• Second, the “Plan B” just in case HR3200 doesn’t pass.  From The Weekly Standard.

Last, the text of HR3200 (aka ‘‘America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009’’) for your reference.

Note: If we can read and digest this bill, why can’t our Representatives, Senators, and President?  Isn’t that their job?

The True Cost of Health Care

While slurping the coffee this morning, I watched a portion of Fox News that featured a visualization of what the proposed health care plan would actually cost.  The creator is Matt, and runs a blog titled Political Math.

First, the video that ran on Fox News:

Pretty scary, isn’t it?  But what are we getting for our tax dollars?  An improved system?  Think again!

Here’s a comparison with a system that Obama is proposing to model (Massachusetts) and Georgia:

OK, billions of dollars, increased costs, less service, and eventually more taxes for everyone (except the slackers) to pay for the system.  And this has been proven by other similar healthcare systems throughout the world!

We, the populace, are under a billion-dollar sticker shock.  We are so used to our politicians throwing huge sums of money left, right, up, down, sideways, backwards, and forward to solve problems – real, perceived, and manufactured.  And all the while, they justify this outrageous spending stating that it is for the public’s good and use multitudes of chart & figures to back their actions.  To which I say:

Figures don’t lie, but Liars figure…

To quote Joe Friday of Dragnet fame:

Just the facts, Ma’am…

Which is what we need instead of flowery rhetoric.

What Healthcare Crisis?

Tonight, ABC will broadcast from the White House “the plan” for resolving the healthcare crisis.  What crisis?  I was totally unaware that people were dropping dead in their tracks in a plague-like manner on our city streets.  But lets look at some of the facts.

The first point that is always made is that there are 46 million people in the United States that do not have health insurance.  But do the facts actually support these numbers?  From a February 2007 article at Renew America:

Number 1 — Roughly 20 percent of the uninsured in this country are not citizens. Ergo, 36 million Americans lack insurance. Immigrants without insurance are a serious problem. But that is an immigration issue, not a health insurance matter.

Number 2 — Only about half the uninsured Americans at any given time are without insurance 5 months later. In our mobile society, 84 percent of the uninsured are without coverage for less than 24 months.  Or as Gratzer puts it: "The executive who leaves his corner office at Citigroup to look for greener pastures may soon join the ranks of the uninsured…If the gentleman lands a vice presidency at a rival bank, we would consider that a success story. Yet, statistically speaking, he became apart of the group of "uninsured Americans."

Number 3 — The uninsured are not a relatively homogeneous group — poor. The single mom with three children is not uninsured — she has Medicaid — as do her children and their neighbors.

Number 4 — Many Americans are uninsured by choice. Some of these are eligible for Medicaid, but choose not to sign up.

Number 5 (bottom line) — "A full 93 percent of Americans either are insured or could afford insurance."

So the remaining 7% is a crisis?  No, not really, unless you are one of the 7% and are ill.  And it is those people that need the help without the political grandstanding and rhetoric.

To cover those remaining 7% with insurance, President Obama via the Kennedy Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee is now wanting to create a government-run health insurance entity, a single-payer if you will, to compete with the existing health insurance companies to “keep the insurance companies honest.”

OK, so let me get this straight – Government is going to keep government honest while making sure everyone else is to.  If you can say this five times and keep a straight face, then you should try your hand at acting or politics…  As Wes Vernon stated:

Or more to point, how do we know that making the government both a "competitor" and the ultimate regulator is not a surefire way (if not a deliberate scheme) to put the government in the ultimate driver’s seat — running the entire health care system?

Some of Obama’s fellow liberals have openly said that’s what they intend. At least they’re honest. Others in his camp wink and tell the socialist ideologues to cool it — that they will get what they want. Just give them time to lull the booboise into thinking a government plan is not the Trojan horse to knock private sector insurers out of business so that we can have a "single-payer" system. They want to run America’s 1300 health insurance companies out of business. If you watched Glenn Beck on Fox News the other night, you saw clips of them saying exactly that.

"Single payer" sounds so nice and warm and fuzzy, doesn’t it? How about "single-regulator?", "single dictator?", "single judge" as to whose life is worth saving?, or "single decider" — not as to whether health care will be rationed, but how to apply it without arousing the anger of the great unwashed until it’s a done deal?

So we have a big problem that rears its head before we can even enter the metaphoric room for a national conversation on the issue of health care reform: The president of the United States is not leveling with us. He is not a stupid man. He knows very well that when you create a government-entity to "compete" with private insurers, it takes no brain surgery to conclude that as long as government is both player and referee, the government is in a heads-I-win/tails-you-lose situation. End result: a government health care monopoly.

Costs and care are big sticking points with any government-run program.  After all, look at the shining examples of Welfare, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security and one wonders why we would let the government control anything as important as our health choices.  In fact, given the track record of our own government and the track records of health care systems in Canada & Europe, why would anyone think that this would end up being anything but a disaster?  Because Obama says so?  Horseradish!

The cost, according to the Congressional Budget Office, would be $1 Trillion over the next decade and would cover approximately one-third of the so called 46-million.  There are other estimates that estimate the costs at $1.5 Trillion, although the CBO warned that health care costs are extremely hard to accurately estimate.  This is on top of the stimulus bill already passed earlier this year.

Do I need to reiterate the horror stories from patients in Canada, England, and other European countries with government-run healthcare systems?  These are examples that we need to understand as to why government-run healthcare is not going to help alleviate “the crisis,” no matter what good intentions there are nor how much money is thrown at the “problem.”

But I also know that our current system is not perfect.  There are horror stories here too, and they are being used as reasons for reforming healthcare in this country.  And I know of some people reading this blog have been affected adversely by this system.  So instead of scrapping the current system and burdening the taxpayer more with another bureaucracy to support, let’s try to make things a bit easier.

One of the plans that shows some promise calls for a credit or voucher system.  The proposal is called the “Patient’s Choice Act,” and is summarized by The Wall Street Journal:

Four Republicans in Congress — Sens. Tom Coburn (Oklahoma) and Richard Burr (North Carolina) and Reps. Paul Ryan (Wisconsin) and Devin Nunes (California) — will today introduce a bill that moves away from federal centralization. Aptly called the Patients’ Choice Act, it provides a path to universal coverage by redirecting current subsidies for health insurance to individuals. It also provides a new safety net that guarantees access to insurance for those with pre-existing conditions.

The nexus of their plan is redirecting the $300 billion annual tax subsidy for employment-based health insurance to individuals in the form of refundable, advanceable tax credits. Families would get $5,700 a year and individuals $2,300 to buy insurance and invest in Health Savings Accounts.

Low-income Americans would get a supplemental debit card of up to $5,000 to help them purchase insurance and pay out-of-pocket costs. They would have an incentive to spend wisely since up to one-fourth of any unspent money in the accounts could be rolled over to the next year. The combination of the refundable tax credit and debit card gives lower-income Americans a way out of the Medicaid ghetto so they can have the dignity of private insurance.

Perhaps this is a better proposal, one that works with the current system without tearing it down.  And it seems to be less of a burden to the taxpayer.

I would much rather help people who really need it than create another mind-numbing bloated bureaucracy with a matching voice menu spouting the line “Please stay on the line – Your call is important to us.”  If some people have their way, there would only be one place to go, and that would be government.  And that, my friends, that is an extremely scary thought.