Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Are You Lazy? Busy?

Maybe you don't have time to read the whole article below.

Here's some highlights -

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.
....snip....
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.

Who will decide what treatment is appropriate & cost effective?

Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research.
*****snip****
The Federal Council is modeled after a U.K. board discussed in Daschle’s book.

What's the formula?

This board (in the UK) 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.

Ahhhh, and why is it that Tom Daschle thinks we need this?

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.
and
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.

And how did Daschle proposed ramming this radical new philosophy on healthcare down our throats?

Hiding health legislation in a stimulus bill is intentional. Daschle supported the Clinton administration’s health-care overhaul in 1994, and attributed its failure to debate and delay. A year ago, Daschle wrote that the next president should act quickly before critics mount an opposition. “If that means attaching a health-care plan to the federal budget, so be it,” he said. “The issue is too important to be stalled by Senate protocol.”

1 comment:

Stella by Starlight said...

Daschle 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 WTF? That is patently untrue. Sweden has built the best oncology care in the industrialized world: Spain, Canada, Denmark, Norway, and England have superior research facilities. Maggie, I know first hand that Daschle is spewing a load of crap.

Seniors should be more accepting of the conditions that come with age instead of treating them. I need research, although I always trust your posts. If Daschle is making these comments, he's a disgrace. Since he gets top-notch medical care, I guess the rest of us don't matter. Then again, Cheney and Bush weren't all that empathetic with funding the elderly.

I need to look more closely at the new medical legislation. Bush's agenda was similar, and I need to study Obama's fiscal plan. Just too tired to read your post and need to look closer into the new budget.

The NYT has a surprising (at least to me) article, which lists LBJ & W as supporting increased health care. Again, I need to check on this more, because there are articles that are contrary to the NYT report.

Maggie, you think there's only one party in this country now? "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss..."