Hidden in Stimulus

I am going to try to stay rational and not emotional in this rant that’s coming.

First I should say that I was not in favor of the bailout. No one bails me out when I get in over my head by overspending or being irresponsible, or being married to stupid policies (read: uniones) that don’t work, are cumbersome, and hinder the bottom line (thank you Big 3).

I bitched during Bush’s administration as he spent and spent and spent and all the republicans spent right along with him. Sometimes I wonder what happened to being fiscally conservative. Most Americans live their lives being fiscally responsible. Why does the government not have to do the same? Why are they not held to the same standard? Why are they not afraid of NOT paying taxes? I have a theory- I think I’ll save it for later- but it boils down to people voting and not paying attention. Case in point- see this video. I could have told you this was going to happen before BHO was elected, based simply on things he said prior to his election. But hind-sight is 20/20, right?

I don’t know how many of you have read the stimulus bill that is being voted on in the Senate this morning. I’ve read parts of it, and you can find it here, if you’re interested in reading it. Frankly you should all be interested in this. I digress.

Hidden in the bill is a Healthcare Provision. People on both sides of the aisle are being quiet about this and frankly, that’s not okay. None of my senators (I’m not registered in SD yet so technically the folks here don’t represent me- though I’ve voiced my dissent for the damn bill to all four senators in the states that I live/vote) voted on cloture. In this bill there is a provision for a new form of medical care- and another government agency. Oh yay. Just what we need. “[The] National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, will monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective. The goal is to reduce costs and “guide” your doctor’s decisions.” Really? That’s fantastic. I want the government to decide what is good for me. Don’t you?

From the Bloomberg article linked above:

Medicare now pays for treatments deemed safe and effective. The stimulus bill would change that and apply a cost- effectiveness standard set by the Federal Council (464).

The Federal Council is modeled after a U.K. board discussed in Daschle’s book. This board approves or rejects treatments using a formula that divides the cost of the treatment by the number of years the patient is likely to benefit. Treatments for younger patients are more often approved than treatments for diseases that affect the elderly, such as osteoporosis.

In 2006, a U.K. health board decreed that elderly patients with macular degeneration had to wait until they went blind in one eye before they could get a costly new drug to save the other eye. It took almost three years of public protests before the board reversed its decision.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want this. Not just the healthcare provision either. I don’t want the stimulus. I want the government to stay out of this. Why is this a good idea? Will someone please tell me? Convince me, please.

PS. I did email both the senators in SD to asked them not to vote for this. Thune, I think is not in favor, but Tim Johnson is.