Foundations quietly laid for massive government intervention
Aaron Klein
WorldNetDaily
2/14/2013
Did President Obama hint at healthcare rationing during last night’s State of the Union address?
In his speech, Obama listed healthcare reform as a key in reducing long-term government debt, specifically referring to the “rising cost of health care for an aging population.”
“And those of us who care deeply about programs like Medicare must embrace the need for modest reforms.”
Obama said he will work to “reduce taxpayer subsidies to prescription drug companies and ask more from the wealthiest seniors.”
He continued: “We’ll bring down costs by changing the way our government pays for Medicare, because our medical bills shouldn’t be based on the number of tests ordered or days spent in the hospital. They should be based on the quality of care that our seniors receive.”
Obama’s comments about quality of care deserve careful consideration in light of largely overlooked sections of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare.
Those sections, reviewed in full by WND, may lay the foundations for healthcare rationing and even so-called death panels.
There is also concern for preferential treatment based on race, ethnicity and so-called life preferences…
…In a 2009 study, the CATO Institute raised concerned about such government-funded research being politicized or influenced by lobbying.
“Unlike market-generated research, a federal comparative-effectiveness agency would be subject to political manipulation, which could block the generation of any useful research,” wrote CATO.
Continued CATO: “Such research necessarily poses a direct threat to the incomes of pharmaceutical manufacturers, medical device manufacturers, and millions of providers. If a government agency produces unwelcome research, those groups will spend vast sums on lobbying campaigns and political contributions to discredit or defund the agency.”
During the “stimulus” debate, Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., fought the $1.1 billion spending on effectiveness research, spotlighting countries like Britain as cautionary tales.
“Think about this a moment,” Kyl said on the Senate. “Do you want Washington bureaucrats, such as those who brought you the AIG mess, making your health care decisions for you and your family?”
Currently, in the UK, the equivalent to Obamacare’s Institute is the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, or NICE…
Read the complete article at WorldNetDaily.
