Is Sarah Palin At Least Close To Being Right About “Death Panels?”

In order to answer that question, we need to look into HR3200 and analyze what is written in the relevent sections that may pertain to Special Needs patients or the elderly and how those sections may be used to deny care to members of those groups.

Sec. 1177 on page 354 of HR3200 (America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009). The title reads: “EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY OF SPECIAL NEEDS PLANS TO RESTRICT ENROLLMENT.” That section essentially makes it legal to turn away patients like Trig Palin.

Sec. 1162 of HR3200, under which on page 335 the government will be empowered to approve treatments that are established by “outcome-based measures.” This loop-hole will be used to deny care to elderly and Special Needs patients as some of the measures considered will include “patient mortality and morbidity following surgery” and “health functioning (limitations of activities of daily living).”

Sec. 1123 that begins on page 424 of HR3200. Under that section on page 430 is written:

The level of treatment indicated under subparagraph (A)(ii) may range from an indication for full treatment to an indication to limit some or all or specified interventions. Such indicated levels of treatment may include indications respecting, among other items— (i) the intensity of medical intervention if the patient is pulse less, apneic, or has serious cardiac or pulmonary problems; (ii) the individual’s desire regarding transfer to a hospital or remaining at the current care setting; (iii) the use of antibiotics; and (iv) the use of artificially administered nutrition and hydration.

Although the above references subparagraph (A)(ii), subparagraph (A)(i) essentially gives the government control over any medical orders relating to the covered individual.

From what I’ve read of HR3200, Gov. Palin is closer to getting it right than any of her detractors are. In fact, I have yet to see any of her detractors actually reference anything in HR3200 to prove her wrong about the government possibly denying care to the elderly and Special Needs patients.

You can access HR3200 on-line here:

America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009

Media Treatment Of Sarah Palin: Where In Her Quote Did She Say “Could Kill My Down Syndrome Baby?”

Leftists never cease to amaze me with their blind alligiance to anyone who comes out with a leftist screed, even if such screed is proven to be a lie.

All over the Internet, you read about idiots repeating, like trained parrots, the same lie over and over. Somewhere, someone twisted the facts and claimed that Sarah Palin said that Obama’s “death panels” could kill her Down Syndrome baby.

Well, let’s test that claim by comparing it with the actual statement that Sarah wrote on Facebook:

The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.

Yes, she did use the words “death panel.” But that is the limit of the truth in the leftist claims. Nowhere in the above quote did she say “kill my Down Syndrome baby” or anything about killing her grandparents.

But that doesn’t matter to leftist liberals. They simply follow their leaders like sheep without even bothering to check out whether they are being told the truth or not. Then, these same “enlightened” progressives go out and repeat the lie like mindless trained parrots.

We should note that Gov. Palin did say the following: “based on a subjective judgment of their ‘level of productivity in society,’ whether they are worthy of health care.”

In that, her concerns are extremely valid as I pointed out in the following post:

And Speaking Of People Carrying Swastikas
84rules
August 6, 2009

In that post you will find the writings of Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, advisor to Barack Obama on health care issues, who embraces a health care policy known as the “complete lives system” in which infants, elderly and special needs patients are deliberately denied medical treatment so that others (i.e. more productive people) will always have adequate care.

If any libs out there want to argue this point or argue the misquote, please feel free to leave a thoughful response. I’d love to hear from you.