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HHS Says “Units” Over 70 Will Receive “Comfort Care” Instead Of Actual Neurological Care

by Kendall Antekeier
on December 28, 2011

Those who have implied that the President’s health care law will establish “death panels,” have encountered excessive criticism. Yet, more and more information is being released identifying that rationing of care will in fact occur, and that it will be done by government bureaucracies.

For example, a phone call into The Mark Levin Show on WLS 890 from a Chicago neurosurgeon last month revealed that a Health and Human Services (HHS) document, associated with the Obama Administration’s federal health law, will inhibit patients over the age of 70 from receiving neurological care. Instead of receiving “advanced neurosurgical care,” “units,” (meaning patients), over 70 will receive care to make them “comfortable.” In order to provide the neurosurgical care, a physician would have to appeal to a “ethics committee” made up of administrators, not physicians, to determine if the services can be administered.

This document, not surprisingly, has not been presented to the public.

Listen to the call by clicking the link below:

Obamacare Rationing – A Phone Call From A Neurosurgeon

Tagged as: Death Panels, health care, HHS, Obama administration, Obamacare, Rationing

by Kendall Antekeier

Kendall Antekeier joined The Heartland Institute in June 2011 as the Legislative Specialist on Health Care. Kendall's responsibilities include interacting with elected officials and staff on health care issues; tracking new legislation; and drafting responses to emerging issues via talking points, news releases, and op-ed pieces, with the goal of educating legislators and informing them about free-market ideas. Prior to becoming a member of the Heartland staff, Kendall graduated from Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana in 2011. There she earned a dual-degree in political science and communication studies, as well as completed scholarly research on the film Frost/Nixon, evaluating its implications regarding the relationship between journalists and politicians. As a student, Kendall worked with the Saint Joseph County Republican Party in South Bend, Indiana, aiding the Party's communication efforts by reporting on both local and national issues and facilitating contact with County candidates. She also held a communication internship position at WZZM 13 News in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

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  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_Q2WGFXLGRYZP5QYQRUPSXEQF54 John

    Alpha..this is Zappa, moon UNIT one to moon UNIT two, come in, over.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_CL2QIWH5GQL6OGYORN4AUFXLI4 Marcy C

    Years ago they wanted we nurses to call them “clients” instead of patients.  I saw this rationing of healthcare coming down the pike years back. I hope everyone will write to their senators and ask them if these same rules would apply to them when they become UNITS ?

  • Anonymous

    How dare this or any administration refer to me as a unit….I am so ticked off I want to spit….

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_RPTNVHKHCI6OY64UO46XG2X2DM Tom

    Gee, wouldn’t it be good journalism to at least verify if this is correct? Of course this sounds awful, but most of the e-mail crap that I receive in this context turns out to be false and is designed to get people all riled up. They never bother to determine if it is true or not because it fits into their predetermined views. “Comfort Care” directives are a normal part of DNR procedures.  I, for one, am going to try and find out the truth before getting my blood pressure out of wack.  This certainly deserves some followup.

  • Anonymous

    Kendall, please post an update to this article. The facts do not support the caller to Levin’s show, and truth needs to be upheld. There was no such meeting and there is no such rule or policy as was described. It serves no purpose to get excited about false information when there are legitimate gripes about ObamaCare that need discussion, such as the disallowance of government to negotiate lower drug prices from Big Pharma.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-bergthold/the-last-viral-lie-of-201_b_1175576.html

  • donald951

    What about the people who aren’t millionaires over 65?

  • donald951

    …And currently the “units” under 65 are on their own.  Why don’t we combine Medicare and Medicaid, with an income cap somewhere between that of the two former systems?

  • Anonymous

    Since 1980 our politicians have been using deficit spending to extend the life of retirees and obtain their votes.
    Even though the deficit spending is compromising the economic future of our children and grandchildren our Politicians and retirees could care less.
    For our retirees their immortality is more important.
    For our Politicians the retirees votes are more important.

  • Kathryn Evenson

    Dear Ms. Antekeier, Critics of this measure would do well to withhold comment until theyhave done a little fact-checking. While I too am wary of the health care reforms to be enacted, this story doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. 

    Here’s a complete transcript of the radio call:

    http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2011/11/full-transcript-neurosurgeon-briefed-by.html
    Then, I found the following rebuttals from the organizations which the caller claimed had received this policy directive:
    http://www.cns.org/advocacy/wc/news_MarkLevinShow.aspx
    http://www.cns.org/advocacy/wc/pdf/MarkLevinStatementFINAL.PDF

    Lastly, as a retired career Federal employee, I can tell you that the vast majority of Federal employees won’t enact any policy that isn’t fully documented in writing in the CFR. If there is really a document with this directive, it would have a CFR number. You can check Federal regulations online at this Website: 
    http://www.regulations.gov/#!home                    to check out a claim such as this.   And this site
    http://www.healthcare.gov/law/full/index.html               takes you to the complete searchable text version of the law.

  • LILLIAN PORTER

    Five more years and I’ll be a “unit”. Meanwhile, Medicare is going to cost me $300 per month – a sixth of my social security. Saving money for Medicare, every two weeks for 40 years, should have made me a millionaire – well able to pay for  my medical care. Instead, I am having to fork out more money per month, than I ever paid for private health insurance. You’d think that, as a RN who has worked primarily in critical care units, saving lives and giving total care, that I’d be eligible for some kind of health care assistance. (My son works for a hotel chain and can get cheap rooms). I remember hearing, incredulously, years ago, that caring for the sick is unproductive – i.e. no product is sold – now I know that human beings are devalued in our society.

  • Anonymous

    This is false – someone intentionally putting emphasis on the CON in conservative.  The discussion never occured and someone’s intent to mislead is carried even farther by people like Kendall.  All she  has to do is check Snopes and make a few other phone calls and she will learn the truth. Rather than continue to mislead people, she could investigate for herself and share facts instead of political BS. 

    Kendall, be responsible for once in your life, think of others for once in your life and remove this false report from  your site.  And then take a course in journalism from an accredited college.

    Regards,

    The Virtual Writer

  • Anonymous

    I just turned 64 and my unit is still working fine.  I wonder if Ms. Antekrist would like – uh, nevermind, I forgot my point.

    Anyway, if Heartland Institute knows this is false, I wonder why they do not take it down.  Could it be they have an agenda and this obvious lie supports that agenda?  That, by the way, is a rhetorical question. Heartland Institute is not a research organization – it is an opinion blog. 

    The Virtual Writer

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