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Protestors march near Portsmouth High School in Portsmouth, N.H., Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009, where president Barack Obama will speak about his health care plan. (AP Photo/Jim Cole) |
There has been a great deal of controversy, misconception, and argument over the details of the House’s health care reform bill. Last night, Wolf Blitzer stood in for Larry King and dedicated the show to a health care reform fact check. His choice of panel included Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a practicing neurosurgeon, former U.S. Senator Bill Frist, Dr. Michael Roizen from Ohio, and president of the American Medical Association, Dr. Michael Roizen.
The fact check session began with Dr. Sanjay Gupta bringing the conversation back to the basics of health care reform. Wolf Blitzer asked, “What's the single most important thing that we have to understand about this debate right now?”
Dr. Gupta replied, “It's a good question. And, obviously, there's a lot of different issues here. But let me try and boil it down, as much as I can, to get back to the basics.
Almost since the beginning of this, you've heard the president talk about the health care and the economy. And when asked, how could he afford to do all of this with regard to health care right now, his response has always been how can we afford not to do this?
And the reason that's important is because this idea of -- of trying to cut costs in an effort to increase access has really been at the heart of all of this.
You have -- what you're hearing out of -- out of these various bills is, first of all, is the president doesn't have a specific plan. The Senate is currently debating one. It's only so far in the House that you've actually had a bill passed, trying to fill in the gaps of the 46 million people who don't have insurance.
And that's really where a lot of the crux of this debate lies -- how are you going to do it, how are you going to pay for it?
The House bill, incidentally, Wolf -- and a lot of debate swirling around this -- according to the Congressional Budget Office, is going to come up about $240 billion short in terms of being able to pay for itself. Some of it would be paid for by -- by cutting inefficiencies, by focusing on prevention and wellness, those sorts of things.
I've read through this bill, Wolf. It's almost 1,200 pages. There are a lot of things in the bill that I think are confusing, still, to people.
Will there be federal subsidies for abortion?
What will happen with illegal immigrants?
What about end of life care?
And what is the government's role going to be in this eventually, as things sort of play out -- Wolf?”
In response to the points that Dr. Gupta brought up, here are fact check responses for the three main questions:
1. Will there be federal subsidies for abortion?
2. What will happen with illegal immigrants?
3. What about end of life care?
According to the fact check site: PolitiFact, the belief that the health care reform bill would include public, taxpayer-funded abortions is false. In fact, California Representative, Lois Capps has introduced an amendment to ensure that tax payer dollars will not be used to fund abortions.
Politifact also states that the idea of free health care being provided to illegal immigrants is false. Responding to emails that have been sent, stating that all non U.S. citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free health care services, Politifact gave this a ‘Pants on Fire’ rating. They also stated that in their analysis, no one will have free health care.
The greatest controversy might be the one referring to death panels, euthanasia, and end of life counseling. Regarding Sarah Palin’s claim that health care would become rationed or that death panels would be set up, determining who gets health care based upon their productivity in society, Politifact gave this a fact check rating of ‘Pants on Fire.’ Click here to read the full findings by Politifact regarding claims of death panels
Addressing rumors of euthanasia, set forth by Michele Bachmann, and reiterated today by Sarah Palin on her defense of the death panel theory. Ezekiel Emmanuel, who is being attributed to as being in favor of euthanasia, according to Politifact, is not. To read the entire fact check article regarding euthanasia, Ezekiel Emanuel, and Sarah Palin as well as Michelle Bachmann, click here. Politifact Euthanasia and End of Life Counseling
- Senator Grassley on death panels, euthanasia, and pulling the plug on Grandma
- Sarah Palin defeds death panel claim on Facebook
- AARP on board with Health Care Reform Bill? Not so fast, they say.
- President Obama not in favor of death panels. What does the H.R. 3200 bill say?
- Read Health care bill H.R. 3200 now
- Health Care Reform Town Hall or Town Hell. Senator Arlen Specter is condemned to hell by a protester
- President Obama town hall meetings abortion, euthanasia, and H.R. 3200
- President Obama on Health Care and Absurd Attacks
- Sarah Palin calls President Obama's health care plan evil
- Town Hall protests across the country (video)
- Health Care Reform Bill: President Obama Town Hall pt. 1
Comments
Since the health care bill is not in its final form, these issues being raised are important to the final result that is to be written and agreed upon by House and Senate. We already know that Senators and Representatives of both parties neither read, nor understand many of the bills they vote on. The town hall meetings serve as a last chance effort for constituents to be heard. There are a few extremists on both sides attempting to set their agendas, but the great majority are citizens that are tired of being ignored by those they voted for. These elected officials have been put on notice. Listen or lose votes.
According to the facts, the belief that the health care reform bill would include taxpayer-funded abortions is TRUE. AP confirms: Obama plan would allow abortion coverage.
As the Associated Press accurately reports in a new story, the health care legislation being pushed by the Obama White House would cover elective abortions. Under the Senate bill, sponsored by Senator Kennedy, "the public plan -- and private insurance offered in the exchange -- would be allowed to cover abortion, without funding restrictions," the AP reports. Phony "compromise" language approved by a House committee, over pro-life objections (the Capps Amendment), would authorize the new government-run "public plan" to cover elective abortions, and also permit new federal premium subsidies to flow to private plans that cover elective abortions.
Prof. William A. Jacobson, of Cornell Law School, has penned an intriguing piece titled “An Inconvenient Truth About The ‘Death Panel,’” in which he calls the issue of allocating resources away from the elderly and infirm “the ethical elephant in the room.” He directs readers’ attention to the philosophy espoused by key Obama health care adviser Dr. Ezekial Emanuel (brother of Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel), in his article "Principles for Allocation of Scarce Medical Interventions," published on January 31, 2009.“…considers prognosis, since its aim is to achieve complete lives. A young person with a poor prognosis has had a few life-years but lacks the potential to live a complete life. Considering prognosis forestalls the concern the disproportionately large amounts of resources will be directed to young people with poor prognoses. When the worst-off can benefit only slightly while better-off people could benefit greatly, allocating to the better-off is often justifiable.... When implem
The meat and potatoes of this health care crisis is saving money, and a quality of care that everybody can participate in? The amount of cold hard cash spent on doctors, hospitals and a subsidiary of middle men goes into the trillions of dollars annually. Health care is a major part of the GMP, because our system of health care contains very little preventative medicine and--EVERYTHING--to do with keeping the status quo well furnished with dollars. The AMA has ruled the roost since the 1920's and allowed very little alternative medicine to surface amongst the now multi billion dollar industry such as Cancer. A good example is the Rife machine that was heralded by many doctors in the the 1930's, but because of its was a new innovation to combat disease it disappeared, with its inventor ostracized and black listed by the medical Federation. The medical profession suddenly come to the realization, that perhaps this new medical tool could cut down the patient line at their office. Instead
From Congressman Lamar Smith's website on a new CRS report:
According to CRS: “Under H.R. 3200, a ‘Health Insurance Exchange’ would begin operation in 2013 and would offer private plans alongside a public option…H.R. 3200 does not contain any restrictions on noncitzens—whether legally or illegally present, or in the United States temporarily or permanently—participating in the Exchange.”
Further information is available on his site or other articles.
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