Posted on 08/04/2009 3:45:39 PM PDT by Cindy
THE BRIEFING ROOM • THE BLOG
THE BLOG
TUESDAY, AUGUST 4TH, 2009 AT 6:55 AM Facts Are Stubborn Things Posted by Macon Phillips
Opponents of health insurance reform may find the truth a little inconvenient, but as our second president famously said, "facts are stubborn things."
Scary chain emails and videos are starting to percolate on the internet, breathlessly claiming, for example, to "uncover" the truth about the President’s health insurance reform positions.
In this video, Linda Douglass, the communications director for the White House’s Health Reform Office, addresses one example that makes it look like the President intends to "eliminate" private coverage, when the reality couldn’t be further from the truth.
For the record, the President has consistently said that if you like your insurance plan, your doctor, or both, you will be able to keep them. He has even proposed eight consumer protections relating specifically to the health insurance industry.
There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.
Here are the complete videos that Linda refers to. First from the AARP:
And then from the President's news conference:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2553304/posts
http://www.hipaasurvivalguide.com/hit-subchapter-d/hit-170-302.php
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_public_laws&docid=f:publ005.111
###
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/69436
“Obesity Rating for Every American Must Be Included in Stimulus-Mandated Electronic Health Records, Says HHS”
Thursday, July 15, 2010
By Matt Cover, Staff Writer
SNIPPET: “(CNSNews.com) – New federal regulations issued this week stipulate that the electronic health records—that all Americans are supposed to have by 2014 under the terms of the stimulus law that President Barack Obama signed last year—must record not only the traditional measures of height and weight, but also the Body Mass Index: a measure of obesity.
The obesity-rating regulation states that every American’s electronic health record must: “Calculate body mass index. Automatically calculate and display body mass index (BMI) based on a patient’s height and weight.”
The law also requires that these electronic health records be available—with appropriate security measures—on a national exchange.
The new regulations are one of the first steps towards the government’s goal of universal adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) by 2014, as outlined in the 2009 economic stimulus law. Specifically, the regulations issued on Tuesday by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Dr. David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, define the “meaningful use” of electronic records. Under the stimulus law, health care providers—including doctors and hospitals—must establish “meaningful use” of EHRs by 2014 in order to qualify for federal subsidies. After that, they will be subjected to penalties in the form of diminished Medicare and Medicaid payments for not establishing “meaningful use” of EHRs.”
#
Previously...
http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=43463
“Final Stimulus Bill Creates Government Database that Will Hold Every American’s Personal Medical Records”
Thursday, February 12, 2009
By Fred Lucas, Staff Writer
SNIPPET: “(CNSNews.com) - The final version of the stimulus bill, negotiated by the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate, includes a provision creating a federal database that will hold the personal medical records of every American, Katie Grant, spokeswoman for House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told CNSNews.com Thursday.
The full language of the final package had not been released as of press time. But the bills that passed both the House and Senate created an “Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology” and called for the coordinator to create a national database and a plan for “the utilization of an electronic health record (EHR) for each person in the United States by 2014.”
Asked if the provision for the “utilization of an electronic health record for each person in the United States by 2014” was in the final bill agreed to by the House-Senate conference committee, Grant said, “It is.” She later said “correct” when asked a second time if this language was in the final bill.
The legislation called for creating a National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and said that this person “shall perform the duties under subsection (c ) in a manner consistent with the development of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure for the electronic use and exchange of information.””
Also, the definition of "obesity" has changed within the last 10 years or so, adjusted so that the "ideal" weight is less than it was previously. That change alone is a significant reason that so many are considered obese, who would previously be considered merely overweight. For example, the "normal" weight range for an adult male, 6 ft 1 inches tall (73") was between 160 and 195 pounds (20.7 to 26.4 BMI) as noted in a chart in "Nutrition, Concepts and Controversies", 1997. The same "normal" range was found to be 141 to 189 pounds (BMI of 19-25) in "Fitness and Health, Fifth Edition", 2002.
Similar changes in the BMI range considered to be obese were noted, with the newer chart calling anybody with a BMI of 30 or over "obese" while the older chart called a male with a BMI of 31.1 and over "extremely overweight". Presumably, the word "overweight" wasn't abusive enough so they dummied down the definition of "obese" to include those folks.
I will note that the change in the definition of obese occurred during the Clinton administration. Given that the BMI doesn't measure body fat or fitness, and given the fact that Clinton was a liberal, I'm certain that this change in definitions had NOTHING to do with health.
Fast-forward to today, and it's easy to see that the government will use the BMI as a lever to start dictating diet to Americans.
Quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2555068/posts
Maryland Becomes Second State to Offer Federally Funded Abortions Under Obamacare
CNS NEWS.com ^ | July 16, 2010 | by Matt Cover
Posted on July 19, 2010 2:37:45 AM PDT by Cindy
SNIPPET: “(CNSNews.com) - Maryland will join Pennsylvania as the second state to use federal tax dollars to pay for abortions under the new health care law signed by President Barack Obama in March, according to information released by Maryland’s State Health Insurance Plan.
Maryland will receive $85 million in federal funds for its federally mandated high-risk insurance pool, which will cover abortions. As CNSNews.com reported on July 14, Pennsylvania will receive $160 million in federal funds for its high-risk insurance pool, which will also cover abortions.”
(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/69891
“Some Insurers Stop Writing New Coverage for Kids”
Friday, July 23, 2010
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press
SNIPPET: “Washington (AP) - Some major health insurance companies have stopped issuing certain types of policies for children, an unintended consequence of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul law, state officials said Friday.”
SNIPPET: “Starting later this year, the health care overhaul law requires insurers to accept children regardless of medical problems - a major early benefit of the complex legislation. Insurers are worried that parents will wait until kids get sick to sign them up, saddling the companies with unpredictable costs.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2557690/posts
“Mama Can’t Find a Doctor, and Other Fallout From New Democratic Legislation”
Townhall.com ^ | July 23, 2010 | Matt Towery
Posted on July 23, 2010 7:54:43 AM PDT by Kaslin
SNIPPET: “Lately, even the most elite in media have started to report some of the intended and unintended consequences of the rushed and ill-conceived federal health care bill passed earlier this year by the Barack Obama administration and the Democrat-controlled Congress.
And I’ve had my first eye-opener. Like everyone of their generation, my parents automatically qualify for Medicare. Soon after the new health care bill passed, their personal physician retired. When they set about looking for a new one, they kept hearing the same refrain: “We are no longer accepting new patients.”
Why? Because while Congress fashioned a massive — and massively expensive — new health care program, they have also allowed Medicare reimbursements to physicians to be reduced. Many seniors have physicians who are their contemporaries because they’ve been under their care for many years. As these older physicians retire, their patients are scrambling to find replacements. They’re encountering “do not apply” signs on the doors of medical facilities.
Now that’s change you can believe in.
Next comes the unfolding realization that the new law is stocked with all sorts of little gems that are destined to make life harder for the young and those still working. For example, many small businesses already dread the annual task of creating 1099 tax forms for those individual contractors they pay each year for goods and services. Apparently they now also will be required to issue similar forms to every corporation, vendor or other party they pay during the taxable year.
As interpreted by many, the new law suggests the need for, say, a local hardware store to search out the tax identification number of huge corporations they pay for products or services. If this interpretation of the law is correct, and it’s truly enforced, business in America will be ground to a halt by a cascade of paperwork.
Also in the coming months, all types of entities touched by the new financial reform laws will suddenly learn that they are required to comply with new bureaucratic rules related to the ethnicity, or other demographic profiles, of their employees. Maybe this is well-intended, but once again the burden of compliance will be staggering.
There’s more.”
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/70074
“Rep. Pence: Medicare Chief Berwick ‘Not Entitled to That Job,’ Must Explain Praise for UK ‘Socialist Health Care System’”
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
By Adam Cassandra
SNIPPET: “Washington (CNSNews.com) – Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) says he is concerned about the prospect of health care rationing following the recess appointment of Dr. Donald Berwick to serve as the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services.
Pence, speaking Tuesday at a Congressional Health Caucus event, said Berwick was “not entitled to that job” and should have had a confirmation hearing.
“I think an appointment of such magnitude, at a time of enormous public debate, as a recess appointment was wrong,” Pence told CNSNews.com. “I think it was wrong for the president to bypass the confirmation process at a time when the American people are so focused on legislation where the ink is barely dry.
“I also believe, as a part of those confirmation hearings, Dr. Berwick would certainly have an opportunity to explain why he referred to the British socialist health care system as ‘a global treasure,’” said Pence.”
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/70143
“Senators DeMint and Brownback Open to GOP Filibusters to Force Hearing on Medicare Chief”
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
By Adam Cassandra
SNIPPET: “Washington (CNSNews.com) – At a press conference on Wednesday, Senators Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) indicated they were open to filibustering any and all legislation in the Senate until a confirmation hearing is held for Dr. Donald Berwick, who was recently recess-appointed by President Obama to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Dr. Berwick is controversial because he supports rationing health care services, has said a “just” health care funding plan “must redistribute wealth,” and has praised Britain’s government-run National Health Service. President Obama nominated Berwick back in April and then recess-appointed him on July 7, while Congress was away on the July 4 vacation. The Senate Finance Committee, headed by Sen. Max Baucus (D- Mont.), did not call a hearing for Berwick.”
Quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2561407/posts
America’s New Health Care Zookeeper
IBD Editorials ^ | July 29, 2010 | SALLY C. PIPES
Posted on July 29, 2010 4:51:59 PM PDT by Kaslin
American seniors take note: There’s a new bureaucrat in charge of your health care. Perhaps zookeeper is a more appropriate title, as the newly appointed but never-to-be confirmed head of Obama’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) likes to refer to the U.S. health care payment system as a zoo.
If you haven’t heard of Dr. Donald Berwick, that’s because President Obama and his Capitol Hill Democratic colleagues don’t want you to have this information. After leaving the post vacant, Obama snuck him in on Independence Day weekend with a recess appointment. A Washington Post columnist admiringly called the move “positively dictatorial.”
First among those who are shocked by the president’s dictatorial move must be Berwick himself. “I wonder if I am less effective for having been radicalized,” he said in 2004. “I can no longer take moderation.”
The self-described radical will have the opportunity to be effective as head of CMS. This bureaucratic organization is the largest single player in American health care, spending 4% of the nation’s economy and setting the terms under which seniors and low-income Americans receive health care.
Berwick’s task under the new health reform law will be to take from Medicare, the program for seniors, and give to Medicaid, the program for low-income Americans.
In a sense, he’s the right man for the job. A Harvard-trained doctor and policy advocate, he spent a few years treating children in a Boston HMO, and he spent many more proselytizing through his multimillion-dollar Institute for Healthcare Improvement on how the American health care system should be retooled to focus on quality, patient service and cost control.
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
...and now, time out for a warm-fuzzy-words proclamation:
Quote:
www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-proclamation-45th-anniversary-medicare-and-medicaid
Home • Briefing Room • Presidential Actions • Proclamations
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
July 30, 2010
Presidential Proclamation—45th Anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid
45TH ANNIVERSARY OF MEDICARE AND MEDICAID
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law on July 30, 1965, millions of Americans and about half our Nation’s seniors lacked health care coverage, unable to afford basic health care services or weather a medical emergency. The signing of Medicare forged a promise with older Americans — that those who have contributed a lifetime to our national life and economy can enjoy their golden years with peace of mind and the security of reliable medical insurance. Medicaid created an essential partnership between the Federal Government and the States to provide a basic health care safety net for some of the most vulnerable Americans: low-income children, parents, seniors, and people with disabilities. Forty-five years later, we must ensure this inviolable trust between America and its citizens remains stronger than ever.
Medicare and Medicaid support longer, healthier lives and economic security for some of the neediest among us. Since their expansion in 1972, Medicare and Medicaid have covered millions of people with disabilities, protecting individuals who otherwise might not have access to affordable health coverage. Today, Medicare provides over 47 million Americans with dependable medical insurance, and is the largest health care provider in our Nation. State Medicaid programs provide health and long-term care coverage to more than 56 million low income Americans. With too many communities stricken by the economic crisis, Medicaid provides a critical support for those struggling to raise healthy families or cope with illness or injury. No American should be one illness away from financial ruin, and we must continue to keep Medicare and Medicaid strong for the millions of beneficiaries who rely on these vital safety nets.
Medicare is not simply an entitlement program that starts at age 65 — it is earned over a lifetime. The health care reforms in the landmark Affordable Care Act (ACA) renew and strengthen our pledge to America’s seniors and families, ensuring Medicare and Medicaid will be there when they need it. Guaranteed Medicare benefits will not change, and participants will see greater savings, improved quality, and increased accountability in their health care coverage.
My Administration is taking steps to extend the life of the Medicare trust fund and to slow the growth of Medicare costs. The ACA helps accomplish this by addressing overpayments to insurance companies that operate Medicare Advantage plans; aggressively fighting waste, fraud, and abuse; and better coordinating the care of individuals with chronic conditions. The ACA also helps seniors and people with disabilities in Medicare who fall in the Part D coverage gap for prescription drug costs, or the “donut hole,” and Medicare beneficiaries who reach the donut hole this year are receiving a $250 rebate. Additionally, beneficiaries will see 50 percent discounts on brand name drugs in the coverage gap starting next year, and an end of the coverage gap altogether by 2020. To encourage health maintenance, the ACA enables Medicare to provide a free annual physical examination and other effective preventative care services, like certain colorectal cancer screenings and mammograms, with no co-pays or deductibles. Through focus on preventative care, increased efficiencies, and better management, the ACA is modernizing the health care system to make it work better for older Americans.
As President, I will protect the promise of Medicare and Medicaid, and make sure they continue to be strong and solvent for our children and grandchildren. As we celebrate the 45th anniversary of these critical programs, we reflect on a moment when our Nation made an enduring commitment to care for those who have given the most to our society, and those living in poverty. Let us continue protecting Medicare and Medicaid so older Americans can age with dignity, and so all Americans can live longer, healthier, and happier lives.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim July 30, 2010, as the 45th Anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities that recognize the vital safety net that Medicare and Medicaid provide for millions of Americans.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.
BARACK OBAMA
SWEDEN:
http://www.thelocal.se/28150/20100803/
“Jonas, 32, sewed up his own leg after ER wait”
Published: 3 Aug 10 08:27 CET
Updated: 4 Aug 10 15:35 CET
SNIPPET: “A 32-year-old took the needle into his hands when he tired of the wait at Sundsvall hospital in northern Sweden and sewed up the cut in his leg himself. The man was later reported to the police for his impromptu handiwork.”
SNIPPET: “”It took such a long time,” the man told the local Sundsvall Tidning daily.
The man incurred the deep cut when he sliced his leg on the sharp edge of a kitchen stove while he was renovating at home.
“I first went to the health clinic, but it was closed. So I rang the medical help line and they told me that it shouldn’t be closed, so I went to emergency and sat there,” the man named only as Jonas told the newspaper.
After an hour-long wait in a treatment room, he lost patience and proceeded to sew up his own wound.
“They had set out a needle and thread and so I decided to take the matter into my hands,” he said.””
http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/JFAO-883LV3/$file/MotionToDismiss.pdf
#
Quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2566252/posts
MEMORANDUM IN OPPOSITION TO DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO DISMISS (in 20-State suit challenging ObamaCare.
ATTORNEY GENERAL OF FLORIDA Website ^ | 8/6/10 | BILL MCCOLLUM ATTORNEY GENERAL OF FLORIDA
Posted on August 6, 2010 11:59:02 PM PDT by BCrago66
Click the above link for the 80 page brief; about 60 pages when to take out the table of contents, table of authorities, etc.
Note: There are now 20 States who have joined this particular suit, plus at least 1 other State - Virginia - has separately filed suit challenging ObamaCare. That’s pretty impressive, maybe unprecedented; almost half the States are now suing the feds over ObamaCare, including big and electorally important ones such as Virginia, Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Washington. These ain’t just “red States.”
To follow this 20-State case, here’s a dedicated website.
Here’s a site that includes updates on the Virginia suit against ObamaCare.
Here’s a page from the Thomas More Law Center, which includes links to the legal documents of that public interest law firm’s suit against ObamaCare.
And here’s a Forbes article on a suit brought by the Texas Spine & Joint Hospital, along with the Physician Hospitals of America trade group, challenging a provision of ObamaCare barring doctors from owning hospitals.
There may be other suits challenging ObamaCare I don’t know about (there’s one by a guy who looks to be impersonating a lawyer, which I didn’t include.)
(Excerpt) Read more at myfloridalegal.com ...
#
Quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/2567116/posts
THE DEADLY PACT: How ObamaCare will ‘Save’ Money
AMERICAN THINKER.com ^ | August 9, 2010 | By John Griffing
Posted on August 8, 2010 11:58:48 PM PDT by Cindy
SNIPPET: “Andy Griffith, the former TV Sheriff of Mayberry and guardian of small town America, is now the national spokesman for ObamaCare. More specifically, this venerable gentleman is the spokesman for the new Medicare. Apparently Griffith is under the naïve belief that ObamaCare is a genuinely good thing for seniors. As much as it pains me to say this, Griffith is dead wrong. ObamaCare is a fatal bargain for seniors, and all Americans.”
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Ping
Thank you for the ping Bouhahah.
http://www.cms.gov/ReportsTrustFunds/downloads/tr2010.pdf
https://www.cms.gov/ActuarialStudies/Downloads/PPACA_Medicare_2010-04-22.pdf
#
http://www.nationalreview.com/critical-condition/242932/fraud-exposed-and-ignored-james-c-capretta
Critical Condition
NRO’s health-care blog.
“A Fraud Exposed — and Ignored”
August 10, 2010 3:41 PM
By James C. Capretta
SNIPPET: ““Law Will Extend Medicare Fund, Report Says,” was the New York Times headline. “Medicare Funds to Last 12 Years Longer Than Earlier Forecast, Report Says,” was the similar take of the Washington Post. Those two stories were upbeat summaries of what the latest report on Medicare’s long-term financial outlook supposedly revealed.
But was that really the most newsworthy headline here?
How about the fact that the person who compiled all of the data for this report, and knows its contents better than anyone else, utterly repudiated its findings?
That’s right. Richard Foster, the chief actuary of the Medicare program and the man responsible for overseeing the production of the data which forms the basis of this annual report’s forecast, has advised the public — in his official “Statement of Actuarial Opinion” printed at the end of the trustees’ report — not to believe any of the modestly rosy conclusions contained within it.”
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/71515
“Americans Losing Confidence in ObamaCare’s Promise of Lower Costs and Medicare Guarantee”
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
By Fred Lucas, Staff Writer
SNIPPET: “(CNSNews.com) – Americans are less confident they will be able to afford their health care now than they were before President Barack Obama signed the $1 trillion health care overhaul package, according to a poll released on the five-month anniversary of the president’s signature. “
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=1134024
“Medical care facts and fables”
Thomas Sowell - Syndicated Columnist - 8/24/2010 9:50:00 AM
SNIPPET: “There is so much political spin, and so many numbers games being played, when it comes to medical care, that we have to go back to square one and the simplest common sense, in order to get some rational idea of what government-run medical care means. In particular, we need to examine the claim that the government can “bring down the cost of medical care.”
The most basic fact is that it is cheaper to remain sick than to get medical treatment. What is cheapest of all is to die instead of getting life-saving medications and treatment, which can be very expensive.
Despite these facts, most of us tend to take a somewhat more parochial view of the situation when it is we ourselves who are sick or who face a potentially fatal illness. But what if that decision is taken out of your hands under ObamaCare and is being made for you by a bureaucrat in Washington?”
###
###
http://www.pacificresearch.org/press/mass-mess-obamacares-ugly-future
“Mass. mess: ObamaCare’s ugly future”
New York Post
By: Sally C. Pipes
8.17.2010
http://www.gop.gov/policy-news/10/08/19/obamacare-and-seniors
“ObamaCare and Seniors”
AUGUST 19, 2010
Quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2584373/posts
Health Insurance Agents, RIP
Forbes ^ | 8/30/2010 | Merrill Matthews
Posted on September 7, 2010 2:35:15 AM PDT by bruinbirdman
The first casualties of ObamaCare.
The first casualties of ObamaCare—not counting truth and the trust the public had placed in President Obama to keep his promises—will be health insurance agents. That proud army of tens of thousands of Americans whose calling was to help individuals and employers work through the maze of available health insurance policies to find one that met their clients’ needs.
Democrats pushing ObamaCare, just as Democrats pushing ClintonCare 17 years ago, always saw the demise of health insurance agents as an acceptable, even a desirable, loss.
In November 1993, when then-First Lady Hillary Clinton headed up her own scheme for a government takeover of health care, an agent asked her what would happen to health insurance agents under her plan. The Wall Street Journal quoted Clinton as saying, “I’m assuming anyone as obviously brilliant as you could find something else to market.”
And now that the Clinton vision has finally come to pass in ObamaCare, many of those agents will indeed find something else to market—because they’ll have to.
It’s not like you couldn’t see this train wreck coming. Once the health care reform debate got underway, I began to warn health insurance agents in speeches and on conference calls that when Obama referred to administrative waste, he was talking about them.
Some of them told me they, in conjunction with their primary trade association, the National Association of Health Underwriters, were visiting members of Congress trying to convince the powers that be that agents provided value. That still appears to be NAHU’s basic strategy.
I think those efforts have been pointless. That’s because of what former President George H.W. Bush called “the vision thing.” The vision guiding those who are really driving the reform effort is a country in which people go online and choose
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2587473/posts
“SOCIALIZED MEDICINE THREAD ROUND UP 9/11-14/10”
Free Republic ^ | 9/11/10 | Gail A & socialismisinsidious
Posted on September 11, 2010 2:40:48 PM PDT by GailA
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.