There's been a lot said about the pork stuffed in the stimulus sausage by Democrats, but one thing few mentioned (before Rush Limbaugh, that is) is the slide to socialized medicine.
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. Having electronic medical records at your fingertips, easily transferred to a hospital, is beneficial. It will help avoid duplicate tests and errors.
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. 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.”
"Guide" is Demospeak for "require," meaning that the government will be deciding what treatment you'll receive, not you and your doctor (or even you, your doctor, and your insurance company, for those who think it's impossible to get treatment without insurance). And if you think HMO's and PPO's have reduced your choices, you ain't seen nothing yet.
Socialized medicine isn't bad for the people who don't get sick or need/want various procedures. But when you do, rest assured, Tom Daschle has the prescription for you: suffer.
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. 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).
Emphasis mine.
Now, this doesn't mean that Teddy Kennedy isn't going to get the best treatment for his brain tumor. Nor does it mean that Teh One will have to accept the conditions that come with age. I'm sure the politicians will still get the best healthcare on earth. But the rest of us? Well, I've said it before: instead of getting a hip replacement at 60, your socialized medicine will give you a cane. And if you women get osteoporosis, better get that ramp installed in your house because there won't be any treatments for your bone loss. I've already documented a dozen examples of how well socialized medicine works in other countries (as a Canadian told my husband, "Oh, yeah, it's great. If you can wait."). But that's the system liberals want imposed on the rest of us. Well, except for the wealthy, who will always be able to get private care. And the politicians, who never think the rules apply to them.
No, just you and me. We'll have to go blind in one eye before the government will treat you for a very treatable disease. Your high blood pressure will kill you because the government doesn't authorize a better drug. Or you could get cancer and be told you've lived long enough. Because it's only fair that you die, rather than be a tax burden. Get it?
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