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United Healthcare Oxford Medicare Advantage Denies Coverage

ABC NEWS/GOOD MORNING AMERICA: Senior With Fractured Back Battles UnitedHealthcare Oxford Health Insurance Company Medicare Advantage Plan GMA segment shows UnitedHealthcare/Oxford’s Medicare Advantage Plan would not authorize woman’s care due to alleged age discrimination. Audit shows Medicare Advantage providers with backlogs of unanswered patient complaints, plans that improperly denied claims, and concerns about marketing practices which do not follow government guidelines.

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Healthcare Compliance Guide: How to Create a Healthcare Compliance Program in 7 Easy Steps

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Home Page > Health > Nutrition > Healthcare Compliance Guide: How to Create a Healthcare Compliance Program in 7 Easy Steps

Healthcare Compliance Guide: How to Create a Healthcare Compliance Program in 7 Easy Steps

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Posted: Feb 05, 2008 |Comments: 0
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It is dangerous to assume that because your practice is small that you don’t need to have a healthcare compliance program. Any healthcare practice can become the target of a fraud investigation!

With just 7 easy steps, you can create a bona fide healthcare compliance program that will keep you and your practice safe…

Step 1: Assess the areas of your practice that pose the greatest liabilities.

To determine this, you will need to consider the following:

Do you provide healthcare to patients who are either employees of the Federal Government who will be filing claims against/with their employers’ carrier, or who will be filing claims under a government contract (e.g., Medicare/ Medicaid)?
Do you accept Letters of Protection on 3rd-party liability claims?
Do you have high employee turnover?
Do you file your billing electronically?
Do you out-source your collections?
Do you contract with independent practitioners?
Do you contract with outside vendors?
Have any of your providers been sued for malpractice?
What percentage of your billings are denied/reduced?
Do you have a mechanism for responding to either denials or reductions in reimbursement?
Do you provide ongoing training to billing and collections employees regarding CPT coding and ICD-9 coding?
Do you perform background investigations on all employees prior to hire?
Do you provide a mechanism for reporting complaints for internal resolution?

Step 2: Develop policies and procedures to allow management of each potential liability.

To develop healthcare compliance policies and procedures, create a Compliance Manual that addresses areas of exposure to which attention must be directed to lessen the exposure arising in each area. This is one of the most critical areas of any compliance program, and should not be given short-shrift.

You will also want to create an Employee Manual that lists employees’ duties and responsibilities. It is recommended that the manual be tailored to your individual practice.

Step 3: Delegation of Duties:

Appoint a Compliance Officer who is qualified to oversee a healthcare compliance program. Role. The individual appointed must be someone who refuses to compromise the quality and integrity of the compliance program. Policies pertaining to billing, coding, documentation, etc. should be viewed as mandatory, not optional!

Step 4: Create a Compliance Committee:

Determine what departments within your practice should be represented on a Compliance Committee that your Compliance Officer will report to. Frequently, providers mistakenly conclude that the practice consists of only one department. Rarely would this be the case.

Most practices will have, if nothing else, the following:
Record keeping;
Billing
Collections
Production.

Although one individual may wear hats for each department, it is best to consider these departments as discrete entities. This permits more effective management and analysis of your overall practice.

Step 5: Design Hotline Protocol

This protocol should be effective in providing a reporting mechanism for concerns/complaints arising either internally (i.e., employees) or externally (e.g., patients, insurance adjusters et al.).

Step 6: Educate Your Employees on Correct Healthcare Compliance Policies and Procedures

The policies/procedures contained in your healthcare compliance manual serve as an excellent educational tool for all employees and agents. However, to be effective, it is necessary for those policies and procedures to animate those with whom they are shared. Merely having a dormant document in which such policies/ procedures are contained will not accomplish your intended goal of developing a vibrant bona fide healthcare compliance program.

You need to set a time and place for training session(s). It is important to conduct training in a manner most likely to capture the largest number of employees/agents for which the training is intended.

Step 7: Set Up Disciplinary Procedures

Setup disciplinary procedures to ensure licensed providers y are the individuals to whom boards of examiners will look for accountability. They are the ones law enforcement will look at as the instigator of abusive and unnecessary procedures. And, they are the ones governmental agencies will address inquiries into questionable/unusual practices.

Unlicensed individuals must realize that their activities may also result in the accrual of personal criminal liability. Neither licensed nor unlicensed individuals are immune from prosecution. I was involved in one investigation in which a provider whose name was affixed to billing statements had been dead for more than six months. The office manager’s sentence was actually longer than the doctors’.

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Tom Rhudy -
About the Author:

Chiropractor and attorney, Dr. Tom Rhudy teaches thousands of healthcare providers and administrators how to keep their practice watertight when it comes to healthcare compliance rules, laws and regulations. Now you can get his FREE 106-page SPECIAL HEALTHCARE COMPLIANCE GUIDE created to minimize healthcare fraud and abuse at www.complianceinformationnetwork.com

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The REAL horrible truth about healthcare “reform” why we have to fight it

www.platformforthefuture.com The Stench of Truth (300).mp4 What is being planned is not a “government takeover of health care”. What is on the table is a mandate to people who don’t have jobs to buy insurance they may not need or want in order to prop up private insurance companies. This is a bailout of the PRIVATE insurance sector. Paid for by you. It is also a systematic destruction of the social safety net of Medicare, and soon that will be followed by Social Security. Far from socialism or socialized medicine my friends. This is the beginning of putting us all at the mercy of rapacious corporations in every area and the so-called “free market”. Just want to set the record straight on this point.

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Wireless MedCARE Raises $535,000 for Healthcare Technology Product

Roanoke, VA (PRWEB) December 10, 2009

Despite a challenging economy, Wireless MedCARE, LLC has raised $ 535,000 in equity and debt offerings since October 2008 to develop the VivaTRAK™ Activity Monitoring system for use in long-term care facilities.

The Roanoke, Va.-based company has received investment from the Carilion Biomedical Institute, Optimum Sensor Holdings and individual investors primarily in southwest Virginia.

Wireless MedCARE (WMC) was created in 2006 to address common quality of care and efficiency problems in skilled nursing sector of healthcare delivery. Many occupants of the 1.6 million beds in U.S. nursing homes in the United States are at risk for pressure ulcers and falls.

WMC’s first product, VivaTRAK, is a complete system that uses wireless and sensor technology to track the activity of patients and their caregivers in nursing homes. The system ensures that care tasks are completed on time and documented in healthcare records for quality assurance, reimbursement, and liability risk mitigation purposes.

After completing its first clinical evaluation in a Virginia long-term care facility, WMC sought funds to transition from prototypes to production.

“We are pleased that even in these difficult economic times, especially as investments are highly scrutinized, we’ve been successful in communicating to the investment community the value proposition for healthcare IT systems that address quality of care and staff efficiency issues,” said Dan Wrappe, CEO of Wireless MedCARE. “Our funding has supported development of an innovative system that promises real solutions for a critical population.”

Filings available from the Securities and Exchange Commission indicate the company has made a series of private offerings of debt and equity.

According to statistics available from PricewaterhouseCoopers MoneyTree, the amount of capital invested in seed and early-stage companies in recent years has been down dramatically.

“The landscape for new companies seeking capital, either institutional venture or angel investment, in the last 18 months has been utterly dismal,” noted Dave Gilroy, managing director of Scale Finance in Charlotte, N.C. “Successful fund-raising results of this kind place Wireless MedCARE above 95% of early-stage ventures in their category. Congratulations to Dan and the WMC team.”

About Wireless MedCARE, LLC

Wireless MedCARE, LLC is a privately funded, early-stage company applying advanced wireless, sensor and information technology to healthcare. The company offers sensor assisted care systems with a strong emphasis on web-enabled and wireless technologies. To learn more, visit: http://www.wirelessmedcare.com.

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Healthcare Services: Why is our role as consumer being denied?

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Home Page > Finance > Insurance > Healthcare Services: Why is our role as consumer being denied?

Healthcare Services: Why is our role as consumer being denied?

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Healthcare Services: Why is our role as consumer being denied?

By: Rene Luis

About the Author

Rene Luis is the Founder of VitalOne Health and has worked in the Health Care and Health Insurance Industry for over 15 years. In 1991 he passed is certified public accounting examination in San Antonio, Texas.

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Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Healthcare Services: Why is our role as consumer being denied?

The fact is we need to either ask the office manager, the plan administrator, the network provider, or the doctor how much it is for a particular health service. The reason is that prices for healthcare services are not easily accessible. They are difficult to compute, assess and manage. For this reason, we as consumers do not feel empowered to make good decisions with respect to our healthcare. The cards are stacked against us.

In recent times, it has come to light that many hospitals and providers charge special lower rates for services rendered to policy-holders of large insurance companies. Whereas, uninsured patients are charged the highest rates for the same services rendered. In addition, it is practically impossible to track and manage these costs. This is unfair and unjust.

Healthcare is not a transparent industry that caters to consumers. Most other industries that service consumers are focused on market conditions that drive their businesses. This means that promoting their prices is important. Imagine going to a gas station and not knowing how much they were charging for unleaded gasoline! Imagine attending a spa and just not knowing the cost of the services, but also later receiving the final bill that would be impossible to understand and that it would include items and services that you did not feel you received! There are not many businesses that could survive with this strategy.

As consumers, we are very disconnected from the healthcare services and costs that we receive. This is not a good model that entices good consumerism. Due to the fact that we are removed from the process of acting like a consumer, it is then easier to understand why we are not as focused on the costs. Yet, we complain and scream at our rising health insurance premiums. The truth is that it is not entirely our fault. We want to be better consumers, but the system doesn’t work to assist us. It is common practice to keep prices confusing to consumers and not to promote them.

All of us understand that healthcare is complex and includes many, many different goods and services, but it is definitely not as difficult as it is represented. American consumers are smart, intelligent, and able to make decisions with respect to their healthcare while also assessing a provider’s economic value for their goods and services. It is paramount that consumers are brought back into the healthcare model; they will drive up competition and quality service.

Like most of every other industry in the United States, pricing is an important gauge for goods and services. It is not acceptable that the healthcare industry does not provide its prices for goods and services to the users of those goods and services on a more formal and easier basis. As our healthcare industry matures, this will be a reform change that will come to the front of issues being raised.

As more and more health insurance plan designs incorporate consumer risk through high-deductible and health savings accounts, consumers will demand more transparency from their providers. It is only fair; it is only the right thing to do. There is no need to keep prices and costs behind locked doors where only a select group has readable access.

One may ask why government run businesses do not work, and they only need to look at our Medicare and Medicaid programs. In these cases, the consumer again has been removed from the equation therefore there are no checks and balances to guide the ship.

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Rene Luis -
About the Author:

Rene Luis is the Founder of VitalOne Health and has worked in the Health Care and Health Insurance Industry for over 15 years. In 1991 he passed is certified public accounting examination in San Antonio, Texas.

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New Survey Shows Insurance Agents Spend Substantial Time Assisting Clients with Healthcare Claims Issues

Falls Church, VA (Vocus) October 15, 2010

A new survey by the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors reveals that agents are an important point of contact when consumers have difficulty filing a health insurance claim.

According to the poll of 807 NAIFA members who serve health insurance clients, agents say they receive an average of 223 requests each year from clients seeking help filing claims. More than two-thirds of the agents (69%) said that each claims issue requires them to contact the insurance company at least twice on behalf of the client, while 11% said each claims issue requires six or more calls. Additionally, 82% said they contact the client at least twice per problem claim to follow up, provide updates or request additional information.

“In the wake of our country’s massive healthcare overhaul, the role of the agent is more important than ever,” said NAIFA President Terry Headley, LUTCF, LIC, FSS. “Agents are highly trained professionals who handle many of the complex issues in healthcare — including claims assistance — that would otherwise result in headaches for consumers, not to mention add to the workload of state insurance departments if consumers had nowhere else to turn.”

NAIFA conducted the survey at the request of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, which consists of state insurance regulators from all U.S. states and territories as well as the District of Columbia. NAIFA will present the results to the commissioners at the NAIC Fall 2010 National Meeting, October 18 – 21, 2010, in Orlando.

The survey results carry added relevance in light of the Obama administration’s healthcare reform and the launch of the Department of Health and Human Services’ new healthcare web portal, www.healthcare.gov , which provides a listing of insurance companies, along with a breakdown of their various plans and pricing information, but offers no information on the services registered agents provided to consumers.

“It’s shortsighted of the government to expect consumers will receive a high level of service from a computer database without giving them access to the expertise and personalized attention of an agent,” Headley said.

Agents offer a range of expertise, Headley said, such as helping a small business comply with complicated state and federal obligations, including COBRA, ARRA, CHIP, ongoing CMS reporting, HIPAA, and Mental Health Parity requirements. In addition, licensed health insurance specialists design benefit plans, explain how individuals can coordinate available public and private benefits, and solve problems that may occur once coverage is in place.

Agents also serve an educational role when it comes to the claims process. More than 71% of survey respondents said they provide service calls to clients to explain the claims process and answer questions.

Earlier this summer, Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-LA) stated his opinion on the role of an agent in a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius signed by 24 other members of Congress: “The portal and planned call center will provide individuals and small businesses with basic coverages and price information in a centralized location, but will not provide the personal service and plan policy knowledge that distinguishes independent and state licensed health insurance agents and brokers,” the letter states. “These professionals provide individuals and small businesses with information and advice about all products in the marketplace, so that consumers can adequately compare the value and appropriateness of every health insurance option available to them.”

Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada also sent a letter to HHS.

For more on the role of the agent, visit the NAIFA Blog.

About NAIFA:

NAIFA comprises more than 700 state and local associations representing the interests of approximately 200,000 agents and their associates nationwide. NAIFA members focus their practices on one or more of the following: life insurance and annuities, health insurance and employee benefits, multiline, and financial advising and investments. The Association’s mission is to advocate for a positive legislative and regulatory environment, enhance business and professional skills, and promote the ethical conduct of its members.

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Vocus, PRWeb and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

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Shop Around, Savvy Capitalists: Texas Could Save Big On Healthcare

Texans could save up to eighty percent on certain medical bills if they play their cards right, according to several publications released over the past few years. A typical American family of four is expected to receive $14,500 worth of medical care this year, and an insured family will pay an average of over a third of that — $5,100 — on their own. That’s eight percent higher than last year. With out-of-pocket expenses rising at least eight percent every year since 2000, it’s no wonder over 46 million Americans are going without health insurance — including over one-quarter of Texans.

In fact, according to John Holahan, Allison Cook, and Lisa Dubay of the Urban Institute, co-authors of Characteristics of the Uninsured: Who Is Eligible for Public Coverage and Who Needs Help Affording Coverage? released by the Kaiser Family Foundation, fifty-six percent of the uninsured are ineligible for public programs, but still need help to make typical health insurance plans affordable. Seventy-six percent of parents lacking health coverage are in working families, and 900,000 uninsured children are ineligible for public assistance-based coverage due to family income. Finding a way to make health care even slightly more affordable could be the difference in whether or not someone receives care.

According to the Commonwealth Fund, a private, non-partisan foundation supporting independent research on health and social issues, in 2005, thirty percent of the millions in the U.S. who lacked health insurance were between the ages of nineteen and twenty-nine. Texas had the worst record overall, with twenty-five percent of its total population going unprotected. The state actually failed to insure even more of its young adults — twenty-seven percent. Improving this statistic, as well as establishing ways for patients to pay at least part of their expenses, could be especially pertinent for cities like Dallas, Houston, and Austin, where facilities are financially overwhelmed by the uninsured.

Children are more likely to be eligible for public assistance-based coverage than their parents — and therefore more likely to qualify for help with medical expenses. This is because most states set family income limits for minors higher than for their parents. For instance, the majority of states will cover children if their families make 200% of the federal poverty level (though current policies are under dispute) — sometimes more — but many will only insure parents if that income level is at, or below, federal poverty level standards. Only twenty-eight percent of uninsured parents are actually eligible for Medicaid or the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, whereas three-quarters of uninsured children would qualify for those programs under current policies.

A study commissioned by the Kaiser Family Foundation and authored by Jack Hadley of the Urban Institute states that “the uninsured receive less care and have worse outcomes following an accident or onset of a new chronic condition than those with insurance.” This is mostly due to cost. Albeit seemingly somewhat anti-intuitive, an extremely helpful trick is to treat health care costs like any other bill — shop around, bargain, and don’t be afraid to ask for breaks. The following tips are summarized from the Prevention article, “Health care For Less” by Julian Kesner.

(1) Shop Around For Labs

Compare different labs’ prices. Almost any lab can complete a basic blood analysis, for instance, but they won’t all charge the same. To streamline the process, obtain the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code, a universally accepted number that corresponds to every billable medical service, and start asking around. The American Medical Association’s website, www.ama-assn.org, provides a free search engine for CPT codes.

Independent labs are cropping up in response to the high cost of health care, so investigate those, too; some of them charge up to seventy-five percent less than non-independent facilities. The site www.MyMedLab.com, with over 3,000 independent lab listings, is a good source with which to start your research. Just make sure the facilities are legal in your state — sorry residents of California, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island — and check with your doctor to make sure they’re of good caliber.

(2) Negotiate Your Hospital Bills

Here is something most hospitals won’t tell you: very few of their medical bills are paid in full. Insurance companies often negotiate charges and receive discounts — up to two-thirds of the bill — based on their contracts. If they can haggle, why can’t you? Especially if whatever you owe is a financial hardship — be it from deductibles, co-pays, or the full cost of services if uninsured — medical facilities will usually work with patients to make sure a solution is reached.

“The number of payers, including patients and insurance plans, who pay hospitals 100% of our charges is probably less than two percent,” said Ruth Levin, the vice-president for managed care at Continuum Health Partners in New York City.

Financial assistance programs associated with hospitals may also be useful.

(3) Make Sure You Aren’t Tested Twice Or Come In When It’s Not Necessary

According to a recent survey from the Commonwealth Fund, seventeen percent of adults report that their doctors have ordered duplicate tests. This is especially likely when a specialist is involved, as he or she may not have received the results of previous labs. Sign out x-rays and other labs from your primary care office, and bring them along. With the shortage of family doctors in this country, they’re often extremely busy and can’t always be counted on to forward results to another physician. Considering that a co-payment or deductible is almost always involved with lab tests, this could save a bundle.

Also, make sure in-office follow-up visits are necessary. It’s standard procedure to ask a patient to return after the results of a certain test or undergoing particular procedures, but a phone call may suffice. It never hurts to ask.

(4) Be Savvy With Prescription Drugs

Cheaper and generic drugs can cost up to seventy-five percent less. Ask your doctor if a cheaper alternative to your medication is available, or — even better — if there’s a generic version.

“Just be sure your doctor is intimately familiar with the benefits and risks of the alternate drugs for your condition,” warned Jerome P. Kassirer, M.D. and professor at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston.

Shopping for drugs online is becoming increasingly popular, and with due cause. Large distributors often offer lower prices, as well as saving their clients the time and expense of visiting the local drug store. The website, www.Rxaminer.com, offers price comparisons and has a reputation for independence from special interest groups.

Try splitting pills, as well. Prescriptions are often based on the number of units per bottle, not necessarily on the actual dosage. If getting eighty milligram pills, instead of forty, for a refillable prescription and then splitting them in two is more economical, ask your doctor about it. This won’t be appropriate for all medications, of course, but if it is, you’ve just saved fifty percent.

(5) Barter

Hey, doctors need plumbing and massage services, too. If you have a service you feel may be useful to a physician, try bartering. You just never know.

(6) Negotiate With Your Doctor

Hopefully, doctors are in their profession because they’re compassionate. If you can’t make your co-payments and deductibles, ask him or her to work with you on the bill. Offering cash upfront for services may also be fruitful — either in exchange for the full cost of the bill, or for co-payments and deductibles you know you won’t be able to meet. Paying upfront often produces a situation that’s less of a hassle for physicians, anyway, as they will deal with fewer administrative and paperwork issues.

“They are the ones who can direct their billing department to give the patient a break,” said Levin.

(7) Hire An Advocate

Try hiring an advocate to help you deal with financial disputes when all else fails. Companies like Healthcare Advocates, Inc., based in Philadelphia, charges by the case — anywhere from fifty to four hundred dollars. Like it or not, even when you have insurance, you are responsible for whatever bills remain unpaid, and refusing to deal with outstanding balances may ruin your credit. Just make sure the flat-rate charge is worth what you think will be saved by hiring the intermediary.

(8) Get Individual Health Insurance

If you are uninsured, take the time to research an affordable policy that offers reasonable coverage. This may even make sense if you have an individual health insurance policy you are not pleased with due to high cost and/or poor benefits. An individual plan actually may be a better option for you than group health insurance at work, depending on how much your employer pays, and how well your dependents are covered.

Searching online is becoming an increasingly popular option, and often yields results. If you know you can afford something, but just haven’t wanted the hassle of looking, do it anyway! It may save you thousands in the end, as well as your health.

Pat Carpenter writes for Precedent Insurance Company. Precedent puts a new spin on health insurance. Learn more at Precedent.com

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Five Healthcare Questions

www.kimsnider.com If you are planning to retire before age 65 … 1. Do you have retiree healthcare benefits available through your employer or union? Is it available for just you or you and your dependents? If you are among the few who have retiree benefits, count your lucky stars. According to a February 2003 Issue Brief by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, only 12% of private US firms offered retiree healthcare benefits. That number is expected to continue shrinking in the future because of rapidly rising costs. Even if you do have coverage, remember that not all plans are good plans, nor are they necessarily affordable. You also must be aware, as an early retiree, that your employer is not required to continue to offer you coverage and may discontinue the plan at any time. 2. Do you have any pre-existing conditions which would impact your ability to get coverage? This is an especially important question for those who will access the private insurance market. Individual insurance goes through a medical underwriting process. If you are un-insurable due to a chronic illness or condition, your only option may be the state high risk pool, which is usually very expensive. 3. Have you examined the relative merits of all your options? For example, someone with retiree coverage may also be eligible for COBRA and private insurance. It is important to look at the benefits available under each policy and their relative costs. What is the lifetime maximum? Are there …

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The Secret Republican Strategy on Healthcare

Watch more at www.theyoungturks.com

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Universal Healthcare And Death Panels – Sarah Palin Was Right

Sarah Palin was roundly criticized, laughed at, and excoriated by supporters of Obama when she said that the universal health care plan would lead to death panels. The characterization of the term ‘death panels’ was quickly associated with people wearing tin foil hats. It is ironic that a group of people who believe the twin towers were brought down by inside conspiracies and that a plane never crashed into the Pentagon, could call other people ‘tin foil hat wearers’.

When liberals are afraid of a person or of a particular point, they attack it with a vengeance. It’s much like the story ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ by Hans Christian Andersen. The Emperor is told that his clothes will be invisible only to the incompetent and the stupid. He doesn’t want to seem incompetent so, of course he says that he sees the clothes, as does everyone else until a child says “He hasn’t got any clothes on!”

The moment the term ‘Death Panels’ is labeled as a lunatic term; everyone is supposed to be afraid to explore the logic behind the term. It is a strategy often used by liberals. We see the proof that there are, in fact, ‘Death Panels’ but we are supposed to be afraid to say it for fear of being labeled incompetent or stupid – but if you see the emperor wearing a pair of stripped boxer shorts, it’s stupid to pretend that he’s wearing a three piece suit.

When this health care debate started, the first instinct was to look at other countries which have tried universal health care. What we saw was frightening – long waits for MRIs, horrific survival rates for cancer, waits for hip surgeries and on and on. It is so bad in England that there is a waiting list just to get on the waiting list! There are 40,000 people in the UK who have been waiting over a year for surgeries. There are shortages of critical supplies, drugs and medical equipment. According to the Burton Report, it is so bad in some countries that there is a black market in health care. In Japan life saving devices such as defibrillators are rarely available.

Socialized medicine has ruined the medical profession in any country where it has been tried. It’s basic economics. Increase the demand for a product and decrease the incentive to supply that demand and you create a shortage. Not only is there a shortage in medical care, there is little to zero medical innovation and advancement. There is no money to invest in research and no incentive to even try. There is a reason why most new medical innovations come out of the United States – it is called the free market.

People who support the Obama-Pelosi-Reid Health care plan say that their plan is different. They say their plan will give people a choice; that people will be able to keep their current plan and won’t be forced into anything they don’t want. Their own words, however, prove that this is not the case.

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, who is now an economics adviser for Barack Obama, said the following at a speech in 2007 at UC Berkeley. The premise of Reich’s comments is that this is what a presidential candidate would say if he were honest about healthcare:

“what I’m going to do is that I am going try to reorganize it (healthcare) to be more amenable to treating sick people but that means you, particularly you young people, particularly you young healthy people…you’re going to have to pay more. And by the way, we’re going to have to, if you’re very old, we’re not going to give you all that technology and all those drugs for the last couple of years of your life to keep you maybe going for another couple of months. It’s too expensive…so we’re going to let you die. Also I’m going to use the bargaining leverage of the federal government in terms of Medicare, Medicaid…to force drug companies and insurance companies and medical suppliers to reduce their costs. What that means, less innovation and that means less new products and less new drugs on the market which means you are probably not going to live much longer than your parents.”

Tom Daschle was Barack Obama’s first choice to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services. In Dashchle’s 2008 book, ‘Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis’, he laid out some of his ideas on healthcare: Doctors will have to “learn to operate less like solo practitioners” and be willing to accept mandatory government controls and guidelines. Daschle advocates the creation a brand new bureaucracy called the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology. This new government organization will monitor all medical treatments to make sure that your doctor is prescribing the exact drugs and medical treatments that the federal government believes are “appropriate” and “cost effective”. This would slow the development and use of new medications and treatments because they are driving up medical costs. According to Betsy McCaughey, 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. “The Federal Council is modeled after a U.K. board discussed in Daschle’s book. This board 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. Treatments for younger patients are more often approved than treatments for diseases that affect the elderly, such as osteoporosis.”

Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel is a special advisor to the President on health care. He believes people between the age of 15 and 40 should be given preferential treatment. Some quotes from Emanuel: “Suppose a 25-year-old and a 65-year-old have a life threatening disease. Since the 25-year-old has many more potential years of life ahead of him, he should receive preferential treatment.” “The complete lives system discriminates against older people…. Unlike allocation by sex or race, allocation by age is not invidious discrimination; every person lives through different life stages rather than being a single age. Even if 25-year-olds receive priority over 65-year-olds, everyone who is 65 years now was previously 25 years.” “Health services should not be guaranteed to individuals who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens. An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dementia.”

Barack Obama said: “So that’s where I think you just get into some very difficult moral issues. But that’s also a huge driver of cost, right? 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…I think that there is going to have to be a conversation that is guided by doctors, scientists, ethicists…It is very difficult to imagine the country making those decisions through normal political channels. And that’s part of why you have to have some independent group that can give you guidance.”

What is this independent group of Obama’s to be called? A death panel by any other name is still a death panel.

People may argue that the quotes listed above are taken out of context. An example of something truly taken out of context, ironically also involving Sarah Palin, is when Drew Griffin from CNN said to Palin, “some conservatives have been pretty hard on you… “The National Review” had a story saying that, you know, I can’t tell if Sarah Palin is incompetent, stupid, unqualified, corrupt, or all of the above? In actuality, the National Review article by Byron York said “Watching press coverage of the Republican candidate for vice president, it’s sometimes hard to decide whether Sarah Palin is incompetent, stupid, unqualified, corrupt, backward or, well, all of the above.” The words “Watching press coverage” completely change the meaning. There is nothing, in any of the quotes listed above, that can change the context of the meaning or the intent of what is said in the way that those three words “Watching press coverage” do.

The Health care proposals that are being shoved down the throats of the American people do, in fact, have death panels. It would be obvious if all we had to go on were the many examples of how socialized healthcare works in different countries around the world. In fact, we have so much more proof than that as stated in the very words of the very people who are shoving this immoral debacle down our throats. Who the hell do these people think they are? If I work and save my own money I won’t have the right to use my OWN money on the care of my elderly parents? It won’t be available? This is their moral plan? This plan is pure evil and it is a moral obligation to stop it.

Howard Jacobs
MBA Marketing Pace University
I currently work for a large finacial institution.
I started the blog EndTheChange because I am outraged at the direction our country is going in. People who feel this way want to know “What can I do?” This blog is my little way of trying to set the record straight on the upside-down state of our country.
http://endthechange.blogspot.com

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