MANAGER'S AMENDMENT INTENSIFIES RATIONING

www.nrlc.org...



INDEPENDENT PAYMENT ADVISORY BOARD AUTHORITY TO RECOMMEND, AND HHS SECRETARY TO LIMIT, RIGHT TO USE ONE'S OWN MONEY TO SAVE ONE'S OWN LIFE

"EFFICIENCY" MEASURES THAT MAY LEAD TO DISCRIMINATORY DENIAL OF TREATMENT BASED ON DISABILITY, AGE, AND OTHER QUALITY OF LIFE CRITERIA

Section 10304 (p. 152) empowers the Secretary of Health and Human Services to impose "efficiency measures," in addition to the "quality measures" provided for under the Reid Substitute, on health care providers. These measures are to be incorporated "in workforce programs, training curricula, and any other means of dissemination determined appropriate by the Secretary." Section 3014(b) adding Social Security Act Section 1890A(b)(1)(A) (p. 709). They are to be used in the calculation of value-based purchasing from hospitals, and renal dialysis services must abide by them or be penalized. Health care providers, including hospices, ambulatory surgical centers, rehabilitation facilities, home health agencies, physicians and hospitals must provide reports, generally made publicly available, based on these measures. Consequently, they exercise considerable influence on how health care providers practice medicine, and consequently on what treatment patients do – and do not – receive.

In the medical and bioethical literature, quality and efficiency measures are often based on "quality of life" standards that discriminate on the basis of age and disability. See www.nrlc.org... . Accordingly, during the period when the group of six Senators were negotiating in an attempt to achieve a bipartisan health care bill, agreement was reached to make anti-discrimination language applicable to the results of comparative effectiveness research. See note 1 at www.nrlc.org... . This language remains in the Reid Substitute, Section 6301( c), adding Social Security Act Section 1182 ( c), (d) and (e) , pp. 1685-87.

However, the quality and efficiency measures are NOT made subject to the same limits on employment of quality of life criteria that are applied to the use of comparative effectiveness research under Section 6301( c) of the Reid Substitute. Consequently, the Secretary is free to formulate such measures in a way that has the effect of rationing treatment on the basis of disability, age, or other "quality of life" criteria, as advocated by many mainstream bioethicists.

www.nrlc.org...

Limiting Senior Citizens’ Right to Use Their Own Money to Save Their Own Lives
Limiting Exchange Users’ Right to Use Their Own Money to Save Their Own Lives
“Shared Decisionmaking” – Advance Care Planning By Another Name?
The Medicare Commission
Assisted Suicide Funding?
The Secretary and Quality Discretion



www.nrlc.org...

[edit on 013131p://bSunday2009 by Stormdancer777]

Can you say "death panels?"

Not that I agree with a lot of what Palin has to say, but I knew this was coming in this bill. Every other country that has a socialized medical system has a board that sets standards and who and who doesn't get treatment. But people that want this don't believe it because they're idiots.

I also can't stand the argument that we have health care rationing here in the states already. We do not have health care rationing if you can come up with the money to pay for a surgery then you can get the surgery. With socialized medicine when the call comes down from the top that you can't get a surgery then you can't get the surgery even if you have the cash.

Freaking idiots.

reply to post by Hastobemoretolife



I knew it was coming too, but most laughed at me.