Health Care Reform Calumnies
9/4/09 11:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wobblerlorriHave you seen this email yet?
Subject: Check out #59 & #50
Major list of items in present Health Care Bill. Wonder if changes are to be made??????
Things we need to know.
POLITICS ASIDE - THIS IS NOT THE AMERICAN WAY. WE NEED TO STOP THE MADNESS!
A few highlights from the first 500 pages of the Healthcare bill in congress
Contact your Representatives and let them know how you feel about this. We, as a country, cannot afford another 1000 page bill to go through Congress without being read. Another 500 pages to go. I have highlighted a few of the items that are down right unconstitutional.
• Page 22: Mandates audits of all employers that self-insure!
• Page 29: Admission: your health care will be rationed!
• Page 30: A government committee will decide what treatments and benefits you get (and there will be no appeals process)
• Page 42: The "Health Choices Commissioner" will decide health benefits for you. You will have no choice. None.
• Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free healthcare services.
• Page 58: Every person will be issued a National ID Healthcard.
• Page 59: The federal government will have direct, real-time access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funds transfer.
• Page 65: Taxpayers will subsidize all union retiree and community organizer health plans (read: SEIU, UAW and ACORN)
• Page 72: All private healthcare plans must conform to government rules to participate in a Healthcare Exchange.
• Page 84: All private healthcare plans must participate in the Healthcare Exchange (i.e., total government control of private plans)
• Page 91: Government mandates linguistic infrastructure for services; translation: illegal aliens
• Page 95: The Government will pay ACORN and Americorps to sign up individuals for Government-run Health Care plan.
• Page 102: Those eligible for Medicaid will be automatically enrolled: you have no choice in the matter.
• Page 124: No company can sue the government for price-fixing. No "judicial review" is permitted against the government monopoly. Put simply, private insurers will be crushed.
• Page 127: The AMA sold doctors out: the government will set wages.
• Page 145: An employer MUST auto-enroll employees into the government-run public plan. No alternatives.
• Page 126: Employers MUST pay healthcare bills for part-time employees AND their families.
• Page 149: Any employer with a payroll of $400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays an 8% tax on payroll
• Page 150: Any employer with a payroll of $250K-400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays a 2 to 6 % tax on payroll
• Page 167: Any individual who doesn’t' have acceptable healthcare (according to the government) will be taxed 2.5% of income.
• Page 170: Any NON-RESIDENT alien is exempt from individual taxes (Americans will pay for them).
• Page 195: Officers and employees of Government Healthcare Bureaucracy will have access to ALL American financial and personal records.
• Page 203: "The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax." Yes, it really says that.
• Page 239: Bill will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors and the poor most affected."
• Page 241: Doctors: no matter what specialty you have, you'll all be paid the same (thanks, AMA!)
• Page 253: Government sets value of doctors' time, their professional judgment, etc.
• Page 265: Government mandates and controls productivity for private healthcare industries.
• Page 268: Government regulates rental and purchase of power-driven wheelchairs.
• Page 272: Cancer patients: welcome to the wonderful world of rationing!
• Page 280: Hospitals will be penalized for what the government deems preventable re-admissions.
• Page 298: Doctors: if you treat a patient during an initial admission that results in a readmission, you will be penalized by the government.
• Page 317: Doctors: you are now prohibited for owning and investing in healthcare companies!
• Page 318: Prohibition on hospital expansion. Hospitals cannot expand without government approval.
• Page 321: Hospital expansion hinges on "community" input: in other words, yet another payoff for ACORN.
• Page 335: Government mandates establishment of outcome-based measures: i.e., rationing.
• Page 341: Government has authority to disqualify Medicare Advantage Plans, HMOs, etc.
• Page 354: Government will restrict enrollment of SPECIAL NEEDS individuals.
• Page 379: More bureaucracy: Telehealth Advisory Committee (healthcare by phone).
• Page 425: More bureaucracy: Advance Care Planning Consult: Senior Citizens, assisted suicide, euthanasia?
• Page 425: Government will instruct and consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney, etc. Mandatory. Appears to lock in estate taxes ahead of time.
• Page 425: Government provid es approved list of end-of-life resources, guiding you in death.
• Page 427: Government mandates program that orders end-of-life treatment; government dictates how your life ends.
• Page 429: Advance Care Planning Consult will be used to dictate treatment as patient's health deteriorates. This can include an ORDER for end-of-life plans. An ORDER from the GOVERNMENT.
• Page 430: Government will decide what level of treatments you may have at end-of-life.
• Page 469: Community-based Home Medical Services: more payoffs for ACORN.
• Page 472: Payments to Community-based organizations: more payoffs for ACORN.
• Page 489: Government will cover marriage and family therapy. Government intervenes in your marriage.
• Page 494: Government will cover mental health services: defining, creating and rationing those services.
======================
On page 425 it says in black and white that EVERYONE on Social Security, (will include all Senior Citizens and SSI people) will go to MANDATORY counseling every 5 years to learn and to choose from ways to end your suffering (and your life). Health care will be denied based on age. 500 Billion will be cut from Seniors healthcare. The only way for that to happen is to drastically cut health care, the oldest and the sickest will be cut first. Paying for your own care will not be an option.
Now, CALL YOUR PEOPLE IN WASHINGTON Tell them to read page 425 if they don't read anything else. Surely some of them have parents.
This appeared on my vestibulopathy chat list last night (we have two, one for just chit chat, one for medical information related to vestibulopathy). I saw red -- not 2 weeks ago I had sent an email when there were rumblings of teh stupid regarding HR 3200, directing people to the summary and to the full text in an effort to STOP this stupidity in its tracks.
Didn't work. So I reposted the links, and then went point by point through this list, refuting each and every one of them. Here's my work, with citations to sections:
• Page 22: Mandates audits of all employers that self-insure!
FALSE: Sec. 133.b mandates that a study be done of insured and self-insured employers to make sure that the law does not provide an incentive for employers to “create adverse selection in the risk pools of large group insurers and self-insured employers”. In other words, the study will make sure the law doesn’t make it easy for insurance companies or self-insured employers to deny coverage to anyone in their groups.
• Page 29: Admission: your health care will be rationed!
FALSE: Sec. 122, which starts on page 26, defines the Essential Benefits Package. 122.a.3 specifically states “does not impose any lifetime or annual limit on the coverage of covered health care items or services”; 122.c.2 on page 29 discusses the annual deductible (or cost-sharing) for an individual and a family ($5000 and $10,000 respectively) on the basic, “essential” plan.
• Page 30: A government committee will decide what treatments and benefits you get (and there will be no appeals process)
FALSE: page 30 says nothing about this at all. It is a continuation of Section 122, and the beginning of Section 123, Health Benefits Advisory Committee. Its purpose will be to recommend covered benefits and essential, enhanced, and premium plans.
• Page 42: The "Health Choices Commissioner" will decide health benefits for you. You will have no choice. None.
FALSE: nothing on this page about this. It is a continuation of Subtitle E: Governance, Section 141: Health Choices Administration; Health Choices Commissioner. The Commissioner’s functions are to establish qualified health benefit plan standards, to establish and operate a Health Insurance Exchange, to administer individual affordability credits, to promote accountability of entities wanting to meet Federal health insurance requirements, and conduct audits those entities to make sure they’re meeting the Federal requirements.
• Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free healthcare services.
FALSE: nothing about this. Sec. 152.a. states “Except as otherwise explicitly permitted by this Act and by subsequent regulations consistent with this Act, all health care and related services (including insurance coverage and public health activities) covered by this Act shall be provided without regard to personal characteristics extraneous to the provision of high quality health care or related services.”
• Page 58: Every person will be issued a National ID Healthcard.
TRUE, to a degree: Sec. 1173A.a.2.d. provides, as part of the standardization of electronic records administration, for the real-time or near real-time determination of an individual’s financial responsibility at the point of service or prior to service, including whether an individual is eligible for a specific service with a specific physician at a specific facility, which MAY include utilization of a machine-readable health plan beneficiary identification card. Which sounds like what a Medicare card already does for you…
• Page 59: The federal government will have direct, real-time access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funds transfer.
FALSE: 1173A.a.4.c. enables electronic funds transfers to allow automated reconciliation with the related health care payment and remittance advice. It doesn’t say this is mandatory, and it isn’t the patient who is involved. It’s transfers between the provider and the Federal plan.
• Page 65: Taxpayers will subsidize all union retiree and community organizer health plans (read: SEIU, UAW and ACORN)
ABSOLUTELY FALSE: There is nothing on this page about this at all. It is a continuation of Section 1173A, and the beginning of Section 164. Reinsurance Program for Retirees. It is meat to provide reimbursement to assist employers with the cost of providing health benefits to retirees and eligible spouses, surviving spouses, and dependents. It is limited to people who are over 55, not eligible for title XVIII of the Social Security Act (Medicare), and is not an active employee of the employer maintaining the plan.
• Page 72: All private healthcare plans must conform to government rules to participate in a Healthcare Exchange.
FALSE: Subtitle A: Health Insurance Exchange. Sec. 201. only the qualified health benefits plan providers who want to participate in the Healthcare Exchange have to meet Federal requirements.
• Page 84: All private healthcare plans must participate in the Healthcare Exchange (i.e., total government control of private plans)
FALSE: Sec.203. Benefits Package Levels specifies only that a qualified health benefits plan provider must offer a basic plan, and has the option of offering an enhanced or premium plan.
• Page 91: Government mandates linguistic infrastructure for services; translation: illegal aliens
TRUE, to a point: Sec. 204.b.7. Culturally and Linguistically appropriate services and communications. The entity (a participating QHBP provider) shall provide for culturally and linguistically appropriate communication and health services. In other words, if someone doesn’t speak English, the QHBP provider has to provide a translator. It does NOT automatically mean illegal aliens.
• Page 95: The Government will pay ACORN and Americorps to sign up individuals for Government-run Health Care plan.
FALSE: Sec.205 provides for outreach activities to inform and educate individuals and employers about the Health Insurance Exchange and Exchange participating health benefits plan options. Think open enrollment.
• Page 102: Those eligible for Medicaid will be automatically enrolled: you have no choice in the matter.
TRUE, in a way: you have the choice of enrolling in the Health Insurance Exchange, but if you fail to do so AND you’re Medicaid eligible, you will be automatically enrolled in Medicaid. Everyone is going to be covered by some sort of health insurance, just like everyone is supposed to be covered by insurance if you drive a car.
• Page 124: No company can sue the government for price-fixing. No "judicial review" is permitted against the government monopoly. Put simply, private insurers will be crushed.
FALSE: Sec.223.c. makes an existing law USC Title 5.Chapter 5 apply to the process of initial establishment of payment rates. This section is to prevent price gouging on the part of QHBP providers, keeping them from raising their rates beyond what the Heath Exchange says they can charge. Non-providers can charge what they like.
• Page 127: The AMA sold doctors out: the government will set wages.
FALSE: Sec.225 outlines the payment scheme for participating physicians, much like Medicare. If a physician doesn’t want to participate, he/she doesn’t have to.
• Page 145: An employer MUST auto-enroll employees into the government-run public plan. No alternatives.
FALSE: Sec.312. The employer must offer either the government plan OR a private plan, and the employees must be enrolled in one or the other. Employees are allowed to opt out of enrollment altogether in Sec312.c.2.
• Page 146: Employers MUST pay healthcare bills for part-time employees AND their families.
FALSE: Sec.312.b.3. There will be a minimum contribution of the employer to the PREMIUM for health coverage for employees, and part-time employees will get a contribution that is pro-rated based on the hours they work each week.
• Page 149: Any employer with a payroll of $400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays an 8% tax on payroll
FALSE: the tax is paid if the employer offers NO COVERAGE OF ANY KIND.
• Page 150: Any employer with a payroll of $250K-400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays a 2 to 6 % tax on payroll
TRUE: under $250,000 pays 0%, $250,000 - $300,000 pays 2%, $300,000 - $350,000 pays 4%, $350,000 - $400,000 pays 6%, over $400,000 pays 8%. Remember these are employers who OFFER NO COVERAGE OF ANY KIND.
• Page 167: Any individual who doesn’t' have acceptable healthcare (according to the government) will be taxed 2.5% of income.
TRUE, with caveats: acceptable coverage is either the government plan, a private plan, Medicare, Medicaid, VA, or active duty military. Also there are exceptions from having to pay the tax at all.
• Page 170: Any NON-RESIDENT alien is exempt from individual taxes (Americans will pay for them).
TRUE, but with a caveat: non-resident aliens DON’T PAY INCOME TAXES.
• Page 195: Officers and employees of Government Healthcare Bureaucracy will have access to ALL American financial and personal records.
FALSE: the only information the Health Choices Administration can get is: the taxpayer identity information, filing status, adjusted gross income, number of dependents, and any other information needed to determine if taxpayer is due any affordability credits. This is to make sure the taxpayer didn’t overpay during the year, and if they did, the surplus is refunded to the taxpayer. Like Earned Income Credits.
• Page 203: "The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax." Yes, it really says that.
FALSE: what it really says is “The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax imposed by this chapter for purposes of determining the amount of any credit under this chapter or for purposes of section 55.” This is part of Sec. 441 and Sec.59B. Surcharge on High Income Individuals, and defines how much high income individuals will be taxed. Incidentally, people who make over $350,000 but not more than $500,000 will be taxed 1% of their modified adjusted gross income; $500,000 but less than $1,000,000 will be taxed 1.5%; and over $1,000,000 will be taxed 5.4%.
• Page 239: Bill will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors and the poor most affected."
FALSE: language simply changed so that payment is made for services under the new fee schedule.
• Page 241: Doctors: no matter what specialty you have, you'll all be paid the same (thanks, AMA!)
FALSE: the coding for services will be the same, regardless of specialty. If you have a cut sewn up at the doctor it will be coded the same as if you had it sewn up by a plastic surgeon.
• Page 253: Government sets value of doctors' time, their professional judgment, etc.
TRUE: as part of quality control, and this is already done at many hospitals and health networks.
• Page 265: Government mandates and controls productivity for private healthcare industries.
FALSE: It’s already being done under the Social Security Act; this is just amending the language, not changing the meaning of the law.
• Page 268: Government regulates rental and purchase of power-driven wheelchairs.
FALSE: It’s already being done under the Social Security Act; this is just amending the language, not changing the meaning of the law.
• Page 272: Cancer patients: welcome to the wonderful world of rationing!
FALSE: has nothing to do with “rationing”. Sec.1145 amends the Social Security Act to compare the costs between hospitals to determine if there are vast differences in cost, and, if so, to adjust for the higher cost.
• Page 280: Hospitals will be penalized for what the government deems preventable re-admissions.
TRUE: in an effort to make hospitals more accountable and improve quality, if the readmission is preventable.
• Page 298: Doctors: if you treat a patient during an initial admission that results in a readmission, you will be penalized by the government.
TRUE: but only IF the readmission was preventable. This will prevent patients from being discharged too soon, as happens now under private insurance.
• Page 317: Doctors: you are now prohibited for owning and investing in healthcare companies!
FALSE: if a patient is referred to a hospital or facility that is owned by the referring physician, the patient must be informed of that.
• Page 318: Prohibition on hospital expansion. Hospitals cannot expand without government approval.
TRUE and FALSE: the hospital can expand if it can show a need and community input indicates there is a need.
• Page 321: Hospital expansion hinges on "community" input: in other words, yet another payoff for ACORN.
FALSE: community input is comment from the people who would be served by the hospital.
• Page 335: Government mandates establishment of outcome-based measures: i.e., rationing.
FALSE: Sec.1162.a.2.3.B.ii. authorizes a study based on people enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, in an effort to determine risk-adjustment and quality control measures to reduce risk. Nothing about rationing.
• Page 341: Government has authority to disqualify Medicare Advantage Plans, HMOs, etc.
TRUE with a caveat: Sec.1162.a.2.3.E.iv. can disqualify a plan if it has deficiencies in the plan’s compliance with the rules. In other words, plans that don’t play fair will get canned from Medicare.
• Page 354: Government will restrict enrollment of SPECIAL NEEDS individuals.
FALSE: Absolutely not. Sec.1177 gives certain plans operated by individual states the authority to restrict enrollment in their plans. It has nothing to do with special needs individuals.
• Page 379: More bureaucracy: Telehealth Advisory Committee (healthcare by phone).
FALSE: Subtitle F. Medicare Rural Access Protections. Sec.1191. covers expansion and enhancements to an already existing service. How many hospitals have a number you can call and talk to a nurse?
• Page 425: More bureaucracy: Advance Care Planning Consult: Senior Citizens, assisted suicide, euthanasia?
RIDICULOUSLY FALSE: Advance care planning is something everyone should have – it makes your wishes known in terminal situations if you are unable to say. Advance care planning can be do not resuscitate, or it can be do everything humanly possible. It has NOTHING to do with “assisted suicide” or “euthanasia”. Both those are murder, and are illegal in the US.
• Page 425: Government will instruct and consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney, etc. Mandatory. Appears to lock in estate taxes ahead of time.
FALSE: the practitioner will discuss living wills, durable powers of attorney, advance directives, and the continuum of end-of-life services and supports. It is NOT mandatory.
• Page 425: Government provid es approved list of end-of-life resources, guiding you in death.
FALSE: end of life services and supports means things like palliative care and hospice, not how to kill yourself.
• Page 427: Government mandates program that orders end-of-life treatment; government dictates how your life ends.
FALSE: the government wants to standardize the language used in end-of-life orders so that there is no confusion across facilities.
• Page 429: Advance Care Planning Consult will be used to dictate treatment as patient's health deteriorates. This can include an ORDER for end-of-life plans. An ORDER from the GOVERNMENT.
FALSE: no ORDER from the GOVERNMENT. The word “order” is used as in “doctor’s orders”, not a command. It “effectively communicates THE INDIVIDUAL’S preferences regarding life sustaining treatment, including an indication of the treatment and care desired BY THE INDIVIDUAL.”
• Page 430: Government will decide what level of treatments you may have at end-of-life.
FALSE: the government does not decide – YOU DO. The phrase “THE INDIVIDUAL’S DESIRE” is repeated throughout.
• Page 469: Community-based Home Medical Services: more payoffs for ACORN.
FALSE: Community based Home Medical Services are defined as a non-profit community or State based organization which (1) provides beneficiaries with medical home services and (2) provides those services under the supervision of and in close collaboration with the primary care physician or nurse practitioner designated BY THE BENEFICIARY, i.e. YOU.
• Page 472: Payments to Community-based organizations: more payoffs for ACORN.
FALSE: provides for payment to the above referenced Community based Home Medical Service, which employs health care workers.
• Page 489: Government will cover marriage and family therapy. Government intervenes in your marriage.
TRUE and FALSE: but this is an extension of something already covered by Medicare. The government will not “intervene” in your marriage. You and your spouse intervene by getting counseling.
• Page 494: Government will cover mental health services: defining, creating and rationing those services.
TRUE and FALSE: again, coverage is an extension of something covered by Medicare. There is no rationing.
Please feel free to cut'n'paste if and when you get the original email from well-meaning sheep.
Subject: Check out #59 & #50
Major list of items in present Health Care Bill. Wonder if changes are to be made??????
Things we need to know.
POLITICS ASIDE - THIS IS NOT THE AMERICAN WAY. WE NEED TO STOP THE MADNESS!
A few highlights from the first 500 pages of the Healthcare bill in congress
Contact your Representatives and let them know how you feel about this. We, as a country, cannot afford another 1000 page bill to go through Congress without being read. Another 500 pages to go. I have highlighted a few of the items that are down right unconstitutional.
• Page 22: Mandates audits of all employers that self-insure!
• Page 29: Admission: your health care will be rationed!
• Page 30: A government committee will decide what treatments and benefits you get (and there will be no appeals process)
• Page 42: The "Health Choices Commissioner" will decide health benefits for you. You will have no choice. None.
• Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free healthcare services.
• Page 58: Every person will be issued a National ID Healthcard.
• Page 59: The federal government will have direct, real-time access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funds transfer.
• Page 65: Taxpayers will subsidize all union retiree and community organizer health plans (read: SEIU, UAW and ACORN)
• Page 72: All private healthcare plans must conform to government rules to participate in a Healthcare Exchange.
• Page 84: All private healthcare plans must participate in the Healthcare Exchange (i.e., total government control of private plans)
• Page 91: Government mandates linguistic infrastructure for services; translation: illegal aliens
• Page 95: The Government will pay ACORN and Americorps to sign up individuals for Government-run Health Care plan.
• Page 102: Those eligible for Medicaid will be automatically enrolled: you have no choice in the matter.
• Page 124: No company can sue the government for price-fixing. No "judicial review" is permitted against the government monopoly. Put simply, private insurers will be crushed.
• Page 127: The AMA sold doctors out: the government will set wages.
• Page 145: An employer MUST auto-enroll employees into the government-run public plan. No alternatives.
• Page 126: Employers MUST pay healthcare bills for part-time employees AND their families.
• Page 149: Any employer with a payroll of $400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays an 8% tax on payroll
• Page 150: Any employer with a payroll of $250K-400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays a 2 to 6 % tax on payroll
• Page 167: Any individual who doesn’t' have acceptable healthcare (according to the government) will be taxed 2.5% of income.
• Page 170: Any NON-RESIDENT alien is exempt from individual taxes (Americans will pay for them).
• Page 195: Officers and employees of Government Healthcare Bureaucracy will have access to ALL American financial and personal records.
• Page 203: "The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax." Yes, it really says that.
• Page 239: Bill will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors and the poor most affected."
• Page 241: Doctors: no matter what specialty you have, you'll all be paid the same (thanks, AMA!)
• Page 253: Government sets value of doctors' time, their professional judgment, etc.
• Page 265: Government mandates and controls productivity for private healthcare industries.
• Page 268: Government regulates rental and purchase of power-driven wheelchairs.
• Page 272: Cancer patients: welcome to the wonderful world of rationing!
• Page 280: Hospitals will be penalized for what the government deems preventable re-admissions.
• Page 298: Doctors: if you treat a patient during an initial admission that results in a readmission, you will be penalized by the government.
• Page 317: Doctors: you are now prohibited for owning and investing in healthcare companies!
• Page 318: Prohibition on hospital expansion. Hospitals cannot expand without government approval.
• Page 321: Hospital expansion hinges on "community" input: in other words, yet another payoff for ACORN.
• Page 335: Government mandates establishment of outcome-based measures: i.e., rationing.
• Page 341: Government has authority to disqualify Medicare Advantage Plans, HMOs, etc.
• Page 354: Government will restrict enrollment of SPECIAL NEEDS individuals.
• Page 379: More bureaucracy: Telehealth Advisory Committee (healthcare by phone).
• Page 425: More bureaucracy: Advance Care Planning Consult: Senior Citizens, assisted suicide, euthanasia?
• Page 425: Government will instruct and consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney, etc. Mandatory. Appears to lock in estate taxes ahead of time.
• Page 425: Government provid es approved list of end-of-life resources, guiding you in death.
• Page 427: Government mandates program that orders end-of-life treatment; government dictates how your life ends.
• Page 429: Advance Care Planning Consult will be used to dictate treatment as patient's health deteriorates. This can include an ORDER for end-of-life plans. An ORDER from the GOVERNMENT.
• Page 430: Government will decide what level of treatments you may have at end-of-life.
• Page 469: Community-based Home Medical Services: more payoffs for ACORN.
• Page 472: Payments to Community-based organizations: more payoffs for ACORN.
• Page 489: Government will cover marriage and family therapy. Government intervenes in your marriage.
• Page 494: Government will cover mental health services: defining, creating and rationing those services.
======================
On page 425 it says in black and white that EVERYONE on Social Security, (will include all Senior Citizens and SSI people) will go to MANDATORY counseling every 5 years to learn and to choose from ways to end your suffering (and your life). Health care will be denied based on age. 500 Billion will be cut from Seniors healthcare. The only way for that to happen is to drastically cut health care, the oldest and the sickest will be cut first. Paying for your own care will not be an option.
Now, CALL YOUR PEOPLE IN WASHINGTON Tell them to read page 425 if they don't read anything else. Surely some of them have parents.
This appeared on my vestibulopathy chat list last night (we have two, one for just chit chat, one for medical information related to vestibulopathy). I saw red -- not 2 weeks ago I had sent an email when there were rumblings of teh stupid regarding HR 3200, directing people to the summary and to the full text in an effort to STOP this stupidity in its tracks.
Didn't work. So I reposted the links, and then went point by point through this list, refuting each and every one of them. Here's my work, with citations to sections:
• Page 22: Mandates audits of all employers that self-insure!
FALSE: Sec. 133.b mandates that a study be done of insured and self-insured employers to make sure that the law does not provide an incentive for employers to “create adverse selection in the risk pools of large group insurers and self-insured employers”. In other words, the study will make sure the law doesn’t make it easy for insurance companies or self-insured employers to deny coverage to anyone in their groups.
• Page 29: Admission: your health care will be rationed!
FALSE: Sec. 122, which starts on page 26, defines the Essential Benefits Package. 122.a.3 specifically states “does not impose any lifetime or annual limit on the coverage of covered health care items or services”; 122.c.2 on page 29 discusses the annual deductible (or cost-sharing) for an individual and a family ($5000 and $10,000 respectively) on the basic, “essential” plan.
• Page 30: A government committee will decide what treatments and benefits you get (and there will be no appeals process)
FALSE: page 30 says nothing about this at all. It is a continuation of Section 122, and the beginning of Section 123, Health Benefits Advisory Committee. Its purpose will be to recommend covered benefits and essential, enhanced, and premium plans.
• Page 42: The "Health Choices Commissioner" will decide health benefits for you. You will have no choice. None.
FALSE: nothing on this page about this. It is a continuation of Subtitle E: Governance, Section 141: Health Choices Administration; Health Choices Commissioner. The Commissioner’s functions are to establish qualified health benefit plan standards, to establish and operate a Health Insurance Exchange, to administer individual affordability credits, to promote accountability of entities wanting to meet Federal health insurance requirements, and conduct audits those entities to make sure they’re meeting the Federal requirements.
• Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free healthcare services.
FALSE: nothing about this. Sec. 152.a. states “Except as otherwise explicitly permitted by this Act and by subsequent regulations consistent with this Act, all health care and related services (including insurance coverage and public health activities) covered by this Act shall be provided without regard to personal characteristics extraneous to the provision of high quality health care or related services.”
• Page 58: Every person will be issued a National ID Healthcard.
TRUE, to a degree: Sec. 1173A.a.2.d. provides, as part of the standardization of electronic records administration, for the real-time or near real-time determination of an individual’s financial responsibility at the point of service or prior to service, including whether an individual is eligible for a specific service with a specific physician at a specific facility, which MAY include utilization of a machine-readable health plan beneficiary identification card. Which sounds like what a Medicare card already does for you…
• Page 59: The federal government will have direct, real-time access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funds transfer.
FALSE: 1173A.a.4.c. enables electronic funds transfers to allow automated reconciliation with the related health care payment and remittance advice. It doesn’t say this is mandatory, and it isn’t the patient who is involved. It’s transfers between the provider and the Federal plan.
• Page 65: Taxpayers will subsidize all union retiree and community organizer health plans (read: SEIU, UAW and ACORN)
ABSOLUTELY FALSE: There is nothing on this page about this at all. It is a continuation of Section 1173A, and the beginning of Section 164. Reinsurance Program for Retirees. It is meat to provide reimbursement to assist employers with the cost of providing health benefits to retirees and eligible spouses, surviving spouses, and dependents. It is limited to people who are over 55, not eligible for title XVIII of the Social Security Act (Medicare), and is not an active employee of the employer maintaining the plan.
• Page 72: All private healthcare plans must conform to government rules to participate in a Healthcare Exchange.
FALSE: Subtitle A: Health Insurance Exchange. Sec. 201. only the qualified health benefits plan providers who want to participate in the Healthcare Exchange have to meet Federal requirements.
• Page 84: All private healthcare plans must participate in the Healthcare Exchange (i.e., total government control of private plans)
FALSE: Sec.203. Benefits Package Levels specifies only that a qualified health benefits plan provider must offer a basic plan, and has the option of offering an enhanced or premium plan.
• Page 91: Government mandates linguistic infrastructure for services; translation: illegal aliens
TRUE, to a point: Sec. 204.b.7. Culturally and Linguistically appropriate services and communications. The entity (a participating QHBP provider) shall provide for culturally and linguistically appropriate communication and health services. In other words, if someone doesn’t speak English, the QHBP provider has to provide a translator. It does NOT automatically mean illegal aliens.
• Page 95: The Government will pay ACORN and Americorps to sign up individuals for Government-run Health Care plan.
FALSE: Sec.205 provides for outreach activities to inform and educate individuals and employers about the Health Insurance Exchange and Exchange participating health benefits plan options. Think open enrollment.
• Page 102: Those eligible for Medicaid will be automatically enrolled: you have no choice in the matter.
TRUE, in a way: you have the choice of enrolling in the Health Insurance Exchange, but if you fail to do so AND you’re Medicaid eligible, you will be automatically enrolled in Medicaid. Everyone is going to be covered by some sort of health insurance, just like everyone is supposed to be covered by insurance if you drive a car.
• Page 124: No company can sue the government for price-fixing. No "judicial review" is permitted against the government monopoly. Put simply, private insurers will be crushed.
FALSE: Sec.223.c. makes an existing law USC Title 5.Chapter 5 apply to the process of initial establishment of payment rates. This section is to prevent price gouging on the part of QHBP providers, keeping them from raising their rates beyond what the Heath Exchange says they can charge. Non-providers can charge what they like.
• Page 127: The AMA sold doctors out: the government will set wages.
FALSE: Sec.225 outlines the payment scheme for participating physicians, much like Medicare. If a physician doesn’t want to participate, he/she doesn’t have to.
• Page 145: An employer MUST auto-enroll employees into the government-run public plan. No alternatives.
FALSE: Sec.312. The employer must offer either the government plan OR a private plan, and the employees must be enrolled in one or the other. Employees are allowed to opt out of enrollment altogether in Sec312.c.2.
• Page 146: Employers MUST pay healthcare bills for part-time employees AND their families.
FALSE: Sec.312.b.3. There will be a minimum contribution of the employer to the PREMIUM for health coverage for employees, and part-time employees will get a contribution that is pro-rated based on the hours they work each week.
• Page 149: Any employer with a payroll of $400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays an 8% tax on payroll
FALSE: the tax is paid if the employer offers NO COVERAGE OF ANY KIND.
• Page 150: Any employer with a payroll of $250K-400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays a 2 to 6 % tax on payroll
TRUE: under $250,000 pays 0%, $250,000 - $300,000 pays 2%, $300,000 - $350,000 pays 4%, $350,000 - $400,000 pays 6%, over $400,000 pays 8%. Remember these are employers who OFFER NO COVERAGE OF ANY KIND.
• Page 167: Any individual who doesn’t' have acceptable healthcare (according to the government) will be taxed 2.5% of income.
TRUE, with caveats: acceptable coverage is either the government plan, a private plan, Medicare, Medicaid, VA, or active duty military. Also there are exceptions from having to pay the tax at all.
• Page 170: Any NON-RESIDENT alien is exempt from individual taxes (Americans will pay for them).
TRUE, but with a caveat: non-resident aliens DON’T PAY INCOME TAXES.
• Page 195: Officers and employees of Government Healthcare Bureaucracy will have access to ALL American financial and personal records.
FALSE: the only information the Health Choices Administration can get is: the taxpayer identity information, filing status, adjusted gross income, number of dependents, and any other information needed to determine if taxpayer is due any affordability credits. This is to make sure the taxpayer didn’t overpay during the year, and if they did, the surplus is refunded to the taxpayer. Like Earned Income Credits.
• Page 203: "The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax." Yes, it really says that.
FALSE: what it really says is “The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax imposed by this chapter for purposes of determining the amount of any credit under this chapter or for purposes of section 55.” This is part of Sec. 441 and Sec.59B. Surcharge on High Income Individuals, and defines how much high income individuals will be taxed. Incidentally, people who make over $350,000 but not more than $500,000 will be taxed 1% of their modified adjusted gross income; $500,000 but less than $1,000,000 will be taxed 1.5%; and over $1,000,000 will be taxed 5.4%.
• Page 239: Bill will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors and the poor most affected."
FALSE: language simply changed so that payment is made for services under the new fee schedule.
• Page 241: Doctors: no matter what specialty you have, you'll all be paid the same (thanks, AMA!)
FALSE: the coding for services will be the same, regardless of specialty. If you have a cut sewn up at the doctor it will be coded the same as if you had it sewn up by a plastic surgeon.
• Page 253: Government sets value of doctors' time, their professional judgment, etc.
TRUE: as part of quality control, and this is already done at many hospitals and health networks.
• Page 265: Government mandates and controls productivity for private healthcare industries.
FALSE: It’s already being done under the Social Security Act; this is just amending the language, not changing the meaning of the law.
• Page 268: Government regulates rental and purchase of power-driven wheelchairs.
FALSE: It’s already being done under the Social Security Act; this is just amending the language, not changing the meaning of the law.
• Page 272: Cancer patients: welcome to the wonderful world of rationing!
FALSE: has nothing to do with “rationing”. Sec.1145 amends the Social Security Act to compare the costs between hospitals to determine if there are vast differences in cost, and, if so, to adjust for the higher cost.
• Page 280: Hospitals will be penalized for what the government deems preventable re-admissions.
TRUE: in an effort to make hospitals more accountable and improve quality, if the readmission is preventable.
• Page 298: Doctors: if you treat a patient during an initial admission that results in a readmission, you will be penalized by the government.
TRUE: but only IF the readmission was preventable. This will prevent patients from being discharged too soon, as happens now under private insurance.
• Page 317: Doctors: you are now prohibited for owning and investing in healthcare companies!
FALSE: if a patient is referred to a hospital or facility that is owned by the referring physician, the patient must be informed of that.
• Page 318: Prohibition on hospital expansion. Hospitals cannot expand without government approval.
TRUE and FALSE: the hospital can expand if it can show a need and community input indicates there is a need.
• Page 321: Hospital expansion hinges on "community" input: in other words, yet another payoff for ACORN.
FALSE: community input is comment from the people who would be served by the hospital.
• Page 335: Government mandates establishment of outcome-based measures: i.e., rationing.
FALSE: Sec.1162.a.2.3.B.ii. authorizes a study based on people enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, in an effort to determine risk-adjustment and quality control measures to reduce risk. Nothing about rationing.
• Page 341: Government has authority to disqualify Medicare Advantage Plans, HMOs, etc.
TRUE with a caveat: Sec.1162.a.2.3.E.iv. can disqualify a plan if it has deficiencies in the plan’s compliance with the rules. In other words, plans that don’t play fair will get canned from Medicare.
• Page 354: Government will restrict enrollment of SPECIAL NEEDS individuals.
FALSE: Absolutely not. Sec.1177 gives certain plans operated by individual states the authority to restrict enrollment in their plans. It has nothing to do with special needs individuals.
• Page 379: More bureaucracy: Telehealth Advisory Committee (healthcare by phone).
FALSE: Subtitle F. Medicare Rural Access Protections. Sec.1191. covers expansion and enhancements to an already existing service. How many hospitals have a number you can call and talk to a nurse?
• Page 425: More bureaucracy: Advance Care Planning Consult: Senior Citizens, assisted suicide, euthanasia?
RIDICULOUSLY FALSE: Advance care planning is something everyone should have – it makes your wishes known in terminal situations if you are unable to say. Advance care planning can be do not resuscitate, or it can be do everything humanly possible. It has NOTHING to do with “assisted suicide” or “euthanasia”. Both those are murder, and are illegal in the US.
• Page 425: Government will instruct and consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney, etc. Mandatory. Appears to lock in estate taxes ahead of time.
FALSE: the practitioner will discuss living wills, durable powers of attorney, advance directives, and the continuum of end-of-life services and supports. It is NOT mandatory.
• Page 425: Government provid es approved list of end-of-life resources, guiding you in death.
FALSE: end of life services and supports means things like palliative care and hospice, not how to kill yourself.
• Page 427: Government mandates program that orders end-of-life treatment; government dictates how your life ends.
FALSE: the government wants to standardize the language used in end-of-life orders so that there is no confusion across facilities.
• Page 429: Advance Care Planning Consult will be used to dictate treatment as patient's health deteriorates. This can include an ORDER for end-of-life plans. An ORDER from the GOVERNMENT.
FALSE: no ORDER from the GOVERNMENT. The word “order” is used as in “doctor’s orders”, not a command. It “effectively communicates THE INDIVIDUAL’S preferences regarding life sustaining treatment, including an indication of the treatment and care desired BY THE INDIVIDUAL.”
• Page 430: Government will decide what level of treatments you may have at end-of-life.
FALSE: the government does not decide – YOU DO. The phrase “THE INDIVIDUAL’S DESIRE” is repeated throughout.
• Page 469: Community-based Home Medical Services: more payoffs for ACORN.
FALSE: Community based Home Medical Services are defined as a non-profit community or State based organization which (1) provides beneficiaries with medical home services and (2) provides those services under the supervision of and in close collaboration with the primary care physician or nurse practitioner designated BY THE BENEFICIARY, i.e. YOU.
• Page 472: Payments to Community-based organizations: more payoffs for ACORN.
FALSE: provides for payment to the above referenced Community based Home Medical Service, which employs health care workers.
• Page 489: Government will cover marriage and family therapy. Government intervenes in your marriage.
TRUE and FALSE: but this is an extension of something already covered by Medicare. The government will not “intervene” in your marriage. You and your spouse intervene by getting counseling.
• Page 494: Government will cover mental health services: defining, creating and rationing those services.
TRUE and FALSE: again, coverage is an extension of something covered by Medicare. There is no rationing.
Please feel free to cut'n'paste if and when you get the original email from well-meaning sheep.
