Healthcare Rationing: Real scary...Newt speaks again!

[Frustratedlady]

Where was his concern when he asked his wife for a divorce, while she was in the hospital with cancer?

Healthcare Rationing: Real scary - Aug. 16th

When Sarah Palin said that the emerging healthcare reform legislation would lead to "death panels" and government rationing of care, her language was explosive, but her premise about rationing was not.

The most critical test of any reform proposal is whether it will empower individuals or impose on them. It is a fact that the leading bills in Congress would increase the power of government and decrease individual freedom. You cannot spend an additional $1 trillion of taxpayer money and reduce the role of government. You will get new bureaucracies, more regulation, more complexity. That means you will have less control of your healthcare.

Disagree? Just read the versions of healthcare legislation:H.R.3200 in the House. One key proposal is to mandate an "essential benefit package" for every private insurance policy sold in the United States. Currently, individuals and employers usually make these coverage decisions. This legislation creates a new federal Health Benefits Advisory Committee that would decide instead. For example, if you are a single male with no children, the legislation still requires you to have maternity benefits and well-baby and well-child care coverage. You don't want or don't need that coverage? Sorry, you have to pay for it anyway.

Other planned agencies would give the federal government unprecedented and unaccountable control over your healthcare. The so-called Health Choices Administration and the National Health Insurance Exchange would set various standards for all health insurance policies. The president is also pushing for another new agency called the Independent Medicare Advisory Council. Described as a cost-control initiative,it would be made up of five government appointees who would, by determining Medicare reimbursement amounts, in essence decide what would be covered and what would not. The fear of government rationing is based on the premise that once government has such power, especially the ability to control what is covered by your private insurance policy, it also has the power to deny and restrict.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-gingrich16-2009aug16,0,3301006.story

[Cleita]

1. No facts on the rampage again.

Instead of listening to the industry apologists and spinners, people should go read their policies and I think they will see that the industry rations what they will pay for as well. Also, anyone who can't afford insurance is automatically rationed to having no health care.

[sinkingfeeling]

2. OMG, setting standards for a basic policy! And here I thought that was done by either state insuranc

boards and/or the insurance companies! Wonder how much old Newt pays for his customized policy that only includes what he wants it to?