Stimulus Package: The Deceitful Way To Nationalize Healthcare
January 28, 2009 / 10:54 am • By Dr. Melissa ClouthierA stimulus bill ostensibly stimulates the economy to grow. That means that money is put into a system to grow or build things that people want to buy–creating jobs and then creating money and then creating consumers who buy other stuff. It’s not rocket science, really.
That’s not what this Stimulus bill before the American people is all about though. So far, beyond being a big “I love you” blank-check to Democrat constituencies, it’s also a huge power-grab by the government. Perhaps the most disturbing power taking is happening in health care. From the New York Times:
As Congress rushes to inject cash into a listless economy, it is setting aside many of the restraints that have checked new domestic spending for more than a decade. The White House said the changes contemplated by Congress would provide coverage for nearly 8.5 million newly uninsured people who had lost their jobs and would protect Medicaid for many more whose eligibility would otherwise be at risk.
Of the $127 billion cost, the Congressional Budget Office said, $87 billion would be used to increase the federal share of Medicaid, $29 billion would subsidize private insurance and $11 billion would finance Medicaid for unemployed workers who could not otherwise qualify.
Most of the aid is billed as temporary. But Republicans fear that states would get hooked on it, just as they might grow accustomed to a big increase in federal aid to education, also included in the bill.
Democrats said the current economic crisis did not allow time for public hearings on the legislation.
The Democrats know that the American people won’t like a huge expansion of the government. But really, it’s not just expansion but what the Obama administration wants to do with the expansion. From Amanda Carpenter:
And, as written today, the bill gives billions to Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Daschle’s to conduct “comparative medical research” and issue a final report.
Under the bill univeral health care advocate Daschle would receive $400 million to compare various medial treatments. The language, on page 135 of the bill, says it would fund “conduct, support, or synthesize research that compares the clinical outcomes,effectiveness, and appropriateness of items, services, and procedures that are used to prevent, diagnose, or treat diseases, disorders, and other health conditions; and encourage the development and use of clinical registries, clinical data networks, and other forms of electronic health data that can be used to generate or obtain outcomes data.”
In other words, his job would be to find out what medical practices work and which ones don’t.Daschle would receive another $1.5 billion to give a final report to President Obama “containing information describing Federal activities on comparative effectiveness research and recommendations for additional investments in such research.”
The government, nameless, faceless bureaucrats will decide what is acceptable treatment and what is not. They will decide who deserves to die and who does not. They will make choices for the “greater good”.
Doctors and patients and the insurance worker familiar with the case won’t be making these choices–all have a direct stake in the outcome of the decision–a government worker will. Think IRS worker but for your health. Think DMV but life or death decisions with mile long waits.
This is what the Democrats are proposing and don’t have time for public hearings for. No discussions from patients or insurers or doctors, just the Congress and President Obama ramming through legislation because they can–they control the House, the Senate and the executive branch. They are taking advantage of the position.
Far from the economy being stimulated, the health care industry will be controlled by the government. Evidently, the auto industry, banking industry and Wall Street isn’t enough for these people. They want to control it all.
More at the Wall Street Journal
H/T Matt Lewis
12 Responses to “Stimulus Package: The Deceitful Way To Nationalize Healthcare”
January 28 2009 / 6:56 pm
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“As Congress rushes to inject cash into a listless economy, it is setting aside many of the restraints that have checked new domestic spending for more than a decade.”
Heh. Only the NY Times could miss how much conservatives hated the increased spending under a Republican president and congress (I am a big fan of Bush for other reasons, BTW). I am proud of the House Republicans sticking together to vote no. Now, if the Senate Republicans can keep together and bring to light all the wasteful spending, maybe we can get somewhere. Nonetheless, now the Democrats own it.
February 10 2009 / 12:48 pm
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Party Time – Tea Party that is….
NOW IS THE TIME TO TAKE ACTION!
We as a country cannot afford the “stimulus bill.” We need to stand up against what will cause our country’s downfall.
Do you recall the Boston Tea Party? Over the years, the Boston Tea Party has become a symbol of rebellion against the establishment. It is now time to “rebel” against the largest redistribution of wealth in our country’s history.
It is time to send a tea bag or an “e-tea” message to Washington, D.C. Let them know that we will NOT stand for this.
February 10 2009 / 12:55 pm
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Thank you very much for providing more information regarding the Health Care provisions in the Economic Stimulus Package. I, however, must disagree with your bleak assessment of having the government support and help those who have or lost or never had or are losing health care. The decisions you mention, that of bureaucrats deciding who lives or dies, seems to lead one to believe that an insurance company or a self employed physician (both working for profit) do not make those decisions. The information for each patient will always be managed by clinics and physicians. That is the case in all modern health care systems. In fact, the insurance companies are notorious for doing exactly what you claim the government will do. The government is most likely going to come up with a flow-chart, that all health care providers do, that sets an efficient pay structure for procedures. If you want the government to act more like a business, than it would seem you would support this portion of the bill. As it allows many people who are not served by the current employer based insurance scheme to gain access to much needed health care for themselves and their families and have it run efficiently.
I hope you take a closer look at the details of the bill and take a moment to think about what our current health care system really looks like.
February 10 2009 / 8:59 pm
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Lane,
One particular phrase in your comment sticks out to me; namely, the following.
“The decisions you mention, that of bureaucrats deciding who lives or dies, seems to lead one to believe that an insurance company or a self employed physician (both working for profit) do not make those decisions.”
I find it interesting that you mention as an aside that insurance companies and self-employed physicians work for profit. Please correct me if I have interpreted this phrase wrongly, but it seems to me that your implication is that working for profit is somehow a bad thing.
I know it is a common conception that it is evil, selfish, and destructive to work for profit. The rich are maligned for their accomplishments, and the name of Capitalism itself is associated somehow with an aura of evil. However, it is the ambitious individuals that came to this country in order to pursue their own happiness and their own profit that made us so great. The people on whose backs this country was built were not working for their neighbor, they were not building their businesses so that they could hand off their hard-earned money to undeserving third parties; they did it for themselves.
When I go see my physician, I know that I am getting the best care possible, simply because I know that she is working for her own profit. A wise businessman knows that the best way to make a profit and stay competative is to provide the best services possible at the lowest prices affordable. My doctor has never failed to give me excellent service, and that’s what keeps me going back to her…and she knows it.
The government, however, is not a business, nor should it try to function as one. Their purpose is (or should be) to protect the rights of businesses and individuals, not to dictate them. It is, in the words of our founding fathers, “a necessary evil.” The government has absolutely no initiative to provide the best services possible, because if it is the only entity you can go to for your product, there is no need for competetive quality. It has no need to provide its services at the lowest price possible because it doesn’t have to worry about profit. All of its expenses are paid for in taxes by the very people who “buy” from them. By socializing healthcare, the government is essentially making our medicine system into one of the largest, most dangerous monopolies in history. Remember what happened to England when it socialized its healthcare? All its best doctors packed up and moved to America, where they could function freely under the free market.
Our free market is being shackled by the current administration. The greatest evil a government can do is to put its hand into businesses. The social project failed. Miserably. And yet it is being recreated here in our own great nation.
You advised the previous posters to carefully consider the current healthcare system, and I urge you to do the same. Check your premises.
I strongly urge any who wish to expand their educational horizons to read any of the works by Ayn Rand. It is amazing how well she predicted just the kinds of things that are happening now…which is astounding, given the fact that she died five years before I was even born.
If you have ears to hear…
February 12 2009 / 11:01 pm
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Rachel,
I appreciate your comments, but can’t help but wonder if you have actually read the last published health care resolutions section of the proposed stimulus package,(perhaps available throught your rep’s office, or if not online at loc) or are just basing your comments on the divisive media hype about some of the measures.
Also, one particular phrase in your post strikes me as ironic; “Their purpose is (or should be) to protect the rights of businesses”. Recent events certainly indicate that left on its own, a poorly regulated industry can potentially wreak havoc on a global economy. Please consider.
February 13 2009 / 8:21 pm
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Just found out yesterday the new so-called stimulus is a STEALTH bill
which contains an 800 page pro-Socialist written section where it
says
that the PUBLICS pratitioners are to give treatment ONLY that WHICH
is
COST EFFECTIVE to GOVERNMENT and that GOV says is appropriate NOT
what is BENEFITIAL to make PUBLIC healthy and NOT what will keep the
PUBLIC alive and NOT what will protect the PUBLIC.
iT also states that any illness lets say osteoporosis for example, if
you are x percent chances of survival—they will let you DIE. Same
thing with any illness allergies, asthma, add adhd and osteoporosis children as well.
Also, the Bill states that the PUBLIC must meet GOVERNMENT
requirements to receive care and it leaves it up to GOVERNMENT to
decide what those REQUIREMENTS ARE. (politically religious or otherwise) for GOV to make up as they go along.
In it’s present state it alloows GOV to DICTATE to PUBLIC Political, religious, and any stipulations it wants–the same as Russia and other countries.
If coupled with mislabeled “fairness doctrine” it will give a BLANK check to GOV to deny healthcare to NON-MUSLIMS.
And, for whaaat??? So that American’s can work hard to GIVE their money to GOV to satify the GOV want for pork at the expense of you and your childs health, safety.
NO WONDER Obama wanted to shove this IRRESPONSIBLE so-called stimulus
down an unsuspecting NATIONS throats, because they think Americans are
as Stupid as the ACLU and DEMS think they are.
go see for yourselves melanie malkin did a whole expose on it. we have been trying to get the word out but typing is difficult so feel free to cut paste print
this is a STEALTH bill designed to turn an unsuspecting Nation into a
SOC/GLOBALIST/COMMUNIST/MARXIST/FACIST Nation
February 14 2009 / 12:58 pm
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HR 219 THIS WILL SAVE SOCIAL SECURITY—but guess why PUBLIC hasn’t heard about it?? Because DEMS don’t want anyone to know that this bill will for DECADES to come SECURE SOCIAL SECURITY for the PUBLIC how?
1. Creates enough SURPLUS to pay all SOC SEC benefits for decades to come
2.Keeps politicians from cutting PRESENTSOC SEC benefits
3. keeps politicians from raising taxes.The lobby groups put out the info yesterday and that DEMS don’t want anyone to know because then politicians would have to stop using the SOC SEC for pork projects. introduced to Congress by RON PAUL OF TEXAS.
If you want to put a stop to this worst spending you can write your congressman, Christopher Kit Bond and Claire McCaskill at the US Senate, Washington D.C. 20510 or your US Congressman Respresenting the 8th District, Jo Ann Emerson, Washington D.C., 20510.
Tell them your want to see the Social Security Preservation Act HR 219 which would require 100% of the trust fund money saved be passed. It is clear politicians will not pass the Social Security preservation Act HR 219 unless a tidal wave of support for the American public forces them too.
It is time to let Congress know how you feel about this. Let them hear from you.
February 17 2009 / 5:04 pm
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Good info. Thanks.
November 11 2009 / 12:28 am
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i hope that those Stimulus Package coming from the government would really kick start the Economy. the economic recession has been very bad on my business. `