Day: August 14, 2009

The Palin Hypocrisy

A couple of days ago I wrote on a hypocrite named Grassley and his support for the “death panel” thingy.  Well the person who pretty much started the term “death council is a huge hypocrite also.  I am speaking of the gformer governor of Alaska, one Sarah Palin.  She recently wrote on her Facebook page:

In a Facebook posting titled “Concerning Death Panels,” Palin argued Wednesday night that the elderly and ailing would be coerced into accepting minimal end-of-life care to reduce health care costs based on the Democratic bill in the House.

“With all due respect, it’s misleading for the president to describe this section as an entirely voluntary provision that simply increases the information offered to Medicare recipients,” and added, “It’s all just more evidence that the Democratic legislative proposals will lead to health care rationing.”

The issue is no longer viable for the six members of the Senate Finance Committee — three Republicans and three Democrats — working on a bipartisan bill, according to Grassley. In a statement, Grassley criticized the House bill, saying there was a difference between a “simple education campaign, as some advocates want,” and paying “physicians to advise patients about end-of-life care.”

Ain’t that great she is standing by her recent accusation of grandma being put before a “death panel” if the Dem health plan is passed.  Nice words from a politician and Ms. Palin is just that…a politician and she does what politicians do…forget there is always a paper trail of their actions.

She has seemingly forgot her action on April 16, 2008, yes that was before she became the Repub candidate for vice pres, she endorsed the following:

WHEREAS, Healthcare Decisions Day is designed to raise public awareness of the need to plan ahead for healthcare decisions, related to end of life care and medical decision-making whenever patients are unable to speak for themselves and to encourage the specific use of advance directives to communicate these important healthcare decisions. […]

WHEREAS, one of the principal goals of Healthcare Decisions Day is to encourage hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, continuing care retirement communities, and hospices to participate in a statewide effort to provide clear and consistent information to the public about advance directives, as well as to encourage medical professionals and lawyers to volunteer their time and efforts to improve public knowledge and increase the number of Alaska’s citizens with advance directives.

WHEREAS, the Foundation for End of Life Care in Juneau, Alaska, and other organizations throughout the United States have endorsed this event and are committed to educating the public about the importance of discussing healthcare choices and executing advance directives.

I would like to thank Thinkprogress.org for the quote.

It is amazing how fast a conservative to change the position to fit the occasion  The more that their hypocrisy is pointed out the more informed the voters will be…now we can only hope that they take the time to read and educate themselves on ALL issues.  Sad to say, the “rational ignorance effect” is all too common when dealing with the public.

Steele Trap Of A Mind!

Many well respected GOP members are jumping on the bandwagon with a lie…the lie about “death Councils”…..it all stared with some conservative wingnut named McCoy and it has snowballed into a whole set of lies and a bunch of misinformation…..and the GOP isd climbing onto that vehicle.

Even the head of the RNC is playing this lousy game.  When asked about the comment that Palin recently made about “death councils” he said and I quote from his interview:

Well, I think it’s, I think it’s proper because its within the context of what people are seeing in some of the legislation that’s floating around out there. When you’re talking about panels that are going to be imposed, that will be making life and death decisions, that will be making decisions about whether or not you get health care or don’t receive health care. I think that’s perfectly appropriate.

This was Steele’s defense of Palin’s comment on “death councils” on FOX News with Cavuto. Take that for what it is worth.

There Is Always A Health Plan

I have written about several health plans that others are suggesting would make health costs more affordable.  This one is from the CEO of Whole Foods, Inc:

Remove the legal obstacles that slow the creation of high-deductible health insurance plans and health savings accounts (HSAs). The combination of high-deductible health insurance and HSAs is one solution that could solve many of our health-care problems.

Equalize the tax laws so that that employer-provided health insurance and individually owned health insurance have the same tax benefits. Now employer health insurance benefits are fully tax deductible, but individual health insurance is not. This is unfair.• Repeal all state laws which prevent insurance companies from competing across state lines. We should all have the legal right to purchase health insurance from any insurance company in any state and we should be able use that insurance wherever we live. Health insurance should be portable.

• Repeal government mandates regarding what insurance companies must cover. These mandates have increased the cost of health insurance by billions of dollars. What is insured and what is not insured should be determined by individual customer preferences and not through special-interest lobbying.

• Enact tort reform to end the ruinous lawsuits that force doctors to pay insurance costs of hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. These costs are passed back to us through much higher prices for health care.

• Make costs transparent so that consumers understand what health-care treatments cost. How many people know the total cost of their last doctor’s visit and how that total breaks down? What other goods or services do we buy without knowing how much they will cost us?

• Enact Medicare reform. We need to face up to the actuarial fact that Medicare is heading towards bankruptcy and enact reforms that create greater patient empowerment, choice and responsibility.

• Finally, revise tax forms to make it easier for individuals to make a voluntary, tax-deductible donation to help the millions of people who have no insurance and aren’t covered by Medicare, Medicaid or the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Mr. Mackey has a plan and according to him the plan that he uses for his employees is very satisfying and good way to travel.  My problem with his plan is that it sounds a lot like the plan the the GOP came up with, then abandoned and the same plan as that of Dr. Arthur Laffer, the conservative’s favorite economist, the father of the Laffer Curve theory.

read over his plan and see if that the tort reform, the HSAs, the tax cuts and the forecast of Medicare’s failure in the near future does not sound familiar.  It should…it is Republican all the way.  His biggest asrgument is that health care is a service not a right.