Section 1233 And The Dem's True Intentions

On Sunday I gave the following scenario and asked if anyone believes that under ObamaCare the man in the scenario, my father, would receive the same excellent medical care that he currently enjoys:

White male, 81 years old. He has suffered a series of strokes that has left him paralyzed on the right side of his body. His left knee has been replaced; he has a pace-maker and cancer. His every need has been covered under his private insurance.

Erik Erickson, writing at RedState:

Let’s back up for a minute. I noted some time ago Jay Rockefeller went on record to say that at some point the government has to decide whether or not you are allowed to receive any more medical benefits if the cost outweighs the potential benefits.

As Mickey Kaus has noted, both Ezra Klein and Matt Yglesias are on record agreeing. Kaus writes:

Democratic blogger Ezra Klein appears to be positioning Dem health care reforms as a way to cut costs, on the grounds that a reformed system will be able to make “hard choices” and “rational” coverage decisions, by which Klein seems to mean “not providing” treatments that are unproven or too expensive–when “a person’s life, or health, is not worth the price.” Matthew Yglesias’ recent post seems to be saying the same thing, though clarity isn’t its strong suit.

Erickson notes, as I did in Is The President Telling Us Everything We Need To Know About National Health Care? that Peter Singer, who Erickson correctly labels as favoring post-birth abortion, wrote a lengthy NT Times article arguing in favor of rationing care and euthanizing our elderly.

Look to H.R. 3200, the Democrat’s health care bill itself, and particularly Section 1233 and the Administration’s intent becomes crystal clear. Erickson:

The section, titled “Advanced Care Planning Consultation” requires senior citizens to meet at least every 5 years with a doctor or nurse practitioner to discuss dying with dignity.

The section requires that they talk to their doctor, not a lawyer, about living wills, durable healthcare powers of attorney, hospice, etc. Given the progressive intelligentsia already being on the record in favor of euthanizing the elderly, it is no small leap to see where the Democrats are headed with this.

Legally forcing senior citizens to have “death with dignity schedules every few years is just another way to say the government wants to make sure seniors know it is time to commit suicide to save the system money.

And saving any medical system through encouraged deaths of the elderly or unborn is not a medical system worth having. The Hippocratic Oath requires doctors to “do no harm.” That’s meant toward the patient, not the costs to the government.

In the early 90’s there was a television show called “Dinosaurs”. On the show, elderly were expected to throw themselves off a cliff once they were no longer ‘productive’. Perhaps that was the Democrat’s inspiration for ObamaCare.

H/T The Daley Gator