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Health Care

UPDATE: HHS Says Units Over 70 Will Receive “Comfort Care” Instead of Actual Neurological Care

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.

A self-proclaimed Chicago neurosurgeon called into the The Mark Levin Show on WLS 890 last month to reveal a supposed Health and Human Services (HHS) document, associated with the Obama Administration’s federal health law, that will inhibit patients over the age of 70 from receiving neurological care. Instead of receiving “advanced neurosurgical care,” the caller claimed, “units,” (meaning patients), over 70 will receive care to make them “comfortable.” In order to provide the neurosurgical care, he stated, 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 call has received criticism based on its factuality. It even prompted the American Association of Neurological Surgeons to send out a press release claiming the document does not exist nor was there a meeting in Washington, D.C. You can listen to the call by clicking the link below:

Obamacare Rationing – A Phone Call From A Neurosurgeon

We can’t be sure if the caller was who he claimed to be, but what it is factual is the inevitable existence of rationing that will derive from the federal health care law.

Rationing of care has already been seen in countries with similar health systems like the one being proposed by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), and it can be anticipated in the United States by looking at the new government agencies created by  law. Government officials, not physicians, will be make decisions as to whether medical services are “necessary,” and access to health care will be limited.

The Obamacare Disaster, written by Heartland Institute Senior Fellow Peter Ferrara, explains in detail the many flaws within the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, including exactly how government agencies will be in charge of determining coverage of care.

 

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Kendall Antekeier

— 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.