THE BUREAUCRATIC HYDRA

This recent article in the Washington Post discusses the Tenth Edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). The number of medical diagnostic codes has been tripled to 68,000 classifications!

Note the following paragraph from the article:

There are different numbers for getting struck or bitten by a turkey (W61.42 or W61.43). There are codes for injuries caused by squirrels (W53.21) and getting hit by a motor vehicle while riding an animal (V80.919), spending too much time in a deep-freeze refrigerator (W93.2) and a large toe that has gone unexpectedly missing (Z89.419).

Absurdity in the extreme! And costly absurdity:

One study funded by the American Medical Association estimated that it could cost doctors’ offices $56,000 to $8 million to transition to ICD-10, depending on the size of the practice. The AMA, one of the larger groups opposed the switch, is still petitioning the federal government to reverse course.

The Broken Promises Of ObamaCare

If we don't put a stop to ObamaCare, the worst is about to happen as health care and health insuracne costs continue to soar.

HOW IS THIS A COMPROMISE?

Another bluff from the Administration of Smoke and Mirrors!

According to "Obama Revamps Contraceptive Policy:

President Barack Obama announced Friday that the administration will not require religious-affiliated institutions to cover birth control for their employees.

Capping weeks of growing controversy, Obama said he was backing off a newly announced requirement for religious employers to provide free birth control coverage even if it runs counter to their religious beliefs.

Instead, workers at such institutions will be able to get free birth control coverage directly from health insurance companies....

When one gets treatment under the coverage provided by a health insurance policy, the employer never directly pays for that treatment. Employees don't go to the employer's management office for their healthcare needs but instead to the doctor or other provider.

For example, when I had knee surgery in 2000, my husband's employer-based health insurance policy, which also covered me, paid for that surgery according to the parameters of the health insurance contract. My husband's employer didn't even know that I had knee surgery, either before or after the fact.

I can't see that Obama's "compromise" has been any real compromise. If employers are providing health insurance plans to employees and all insurance plans provide free contraception, then those employers with religious objections are still paying for access to something to which they object. Furthermore, Obama has once again dictated to a private company what that company's policies must cover.

OBAMACARE'S PITFALLS: THEY WILL TOUCH EVERY AMERICAN

These pitfalls proliferate in the Health Care Reform Act, the bill that Pelosi so glibly told us would eventually reveal its specifics after it became law:



The specifics below will touch the vast majority of Americans in one way or another.

From Red State (hat tip to Conservatives on Fire):

Beginning January 1, 2013, ObamaCare imposes a 3.8% Medicare tax on unearned income, including the sale of single family homes, townhouses, co-ops, condominiums, and even rental income.

[...]

Like a lot of the poorly-designed, economic programs of this administration, this program will destroy more wealth than it ever gets around to actually transferring. The negative externalities of this proposal will be legion.....

Read the rest HERE. The specifics are disheartening, particularly for the middle class, as cited here:

This will also have a knock-on unemployment multiplier effect on the people who pave roads to new subdivisions. It will require fewer realtors and settlement attorneys to handle the decreased sales volume. Home values will adjust downward in reaction to the penalty tax that a homeowner has to pay to escape a current residence. This will lead to a downward pressure on tax assessments for residential property which will further complicate the efforts of state and local governments to run organizations such as schools.

According to GOP.gov:

This new ObamaCare tax is the first time the government will apply a 3.8 percent tax on unearned income. This new tax on home sales and unearned income and other Medicare taxes raise taxes more than $210 billion to pay for ObamaCare. The National Association of Realtors called this new Medicare tax on unearned income “destructive” and “ill-advised” and warned it would hurt job creation.

Under the Obama administration, middle-class America is well on the way to serfdom!

EVAN THOMAS CRITICIZES OBAMACARE

Quite something, considering that Evans's past comment likening Obama to a god:

IDENTITY AND PRIVACY OF PATIENTS BREACHED

According to boston.com:

Four Massachusetts community hospitals are investigating how thousands of patient health records, some containing Social Security numbers and sensitive medical diagnoses, ended up in a pile at a public dump.

The unshredded records included pathology reports with patients’ names, addresses, and results of breast, bone, and skin cancer tests, as well as the results of lab work following miscarriages.

By law, medical records and documents containing personal identifying information must be disposed of in a way that protects privacy, and leaving them at a dump is probably illegal, privacy lawyers and hospital officials said. Violators face steep fines....

Just imagine what a mess ObamaKare, modeled on MassachusettsKare, will be when the government bureaucracy is involved. We all know how careless a bureaucratic machine is, particularly with centralized record keeping.

What happened in Massachusetts is a preview of ObamaKare.

Berwick's First Strike: Susan G. Komen Foundation and Ovarian Cancer Alliance Decry First-Ever Medicare Denials of FDA-Approved Cancer Drugs

Just days after the recess appointment of Donald Berwick, the controversial new head of Medicare and Medicaid, the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance posted the following grim news: for the first time in history, an FDA-approved anti-cancer therapy may not be covered by Medicare.

Provenge, a vaccine to treat the recurrence of prostate cancer, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)... Medicare usually covers the cost of FDA-approved anti-cancer therapies. However, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is still reviewing whether it will cover Provenge, and at what rate.

The CMS statute states that Medicare must cover therapies that are reasonable and necessary, while the FDA is instructed to approve drugs that are safe and effective. Because of the conflicting Federal coverage and approval requirements, there are some non-FDA approved drugs (called off-label drugs) that are paid for by CMS. However, with respect to Provenge, it appears that CMS is arguing that while the treatment is safe and effective, it may not be reasonable and necessary. For the first time, an FDA approved anti-cancer therapy may not be covered by Medicare.

A life-saving cancer treatment "may not be reasonable and necessary"? Gee, that kind of decision-making by an unelected federal bureaucracy certainly sounds like a death panel to me.

Say, I thought the President said that pre-existing conditions would always be covered. Isn't cancer a pre-existing condition?

Oh. What's this?

Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Ovarian Cancer National Alliance Appeal to FDA and Key Lawmakers on Avastin Issue

Patient Access and the Impact on Development of New Treatments at the Heart of Komen for the Cure's Concerns

Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance (OCNA) today urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to continue to allow the use of the drug bevacizumab, commonly known as Avastin, for metastatic breast cancer patients, noting that it is effective for some patients and warning of a chilling effect on new drug development if approval is withdrawn...

...In a joint letter sent to the FDA and key Congressional lawmakers Thursday, Komen for the Cure and the OCNA wrote, "We are particularly concerned about patients who are presently receiving bevacizumab and the message that this decision sends about drug development for women with advanced breast cancer."

...According to Komen, the decision to use Avastin should be made between a woman and her doctor after a thoughtful conversation that carefully considers the drug's benefits and risks. Komen does not want to see access limited by Medicare and Medicaid.

Gee, and I thought no one would be denied coverage by ObamaCare.

Didn't the President himself say, "I want seniors to know, despite what some have said, these reforms will not cut your guaranteed benefits."

That's what President Obama told us, endlessly and repeatedly, for months on end.

Do you mean to say he was lying?

Folks, this is precisely why the cancer survival rate for the U.K. is so much lower than that of the U.S. -- and, in some cases, lower than Eastern Europe's. And why Donald Berwick's nickname is Dr. Death.

America's seniors are about to find out that having coverage is not the same thing as receiving care. And our seniors are about to pay the piper.


Hat tips: Valerie Ward and Mark Levin. Cross-posted at: Doug Ross @ Journal.

OBAMA CARE AND FAMILY-INSURANCE PLANS

Much ado was made of Obama's warning health-insurance companies not to raise costs.

And I personally know of several people who supported ObamaKare because they believed that ObamaKare would help them to keep their children on the family's health-insurance plan until those children reach age twenty-six. Quite the attractive carrot for Obama's health-insurance reform, apparently.

Surprise! There's no such thing as a free ride!

From this June 27, 2010, article in the Washington Post:

It is among the top early selling points of the health-care overhaul -- a new rule that has particular appeal for middle-class, middle-age voters: Young adults who lack health insurance will soon be able to remain on their parents' plans until age 26.

But although Obama administration officials note that the provision will help millions, the benefit is proving less immediate than many families expect.

The administration's success in convincing dozens of insurers to comply with the provision earlier than the law requires has left many parents with the impression that their adult children will be eligible for continuing coverage far sooner than is likely to be the case, experts said.

Furthermore,

Many military families are also just learning that the young adult children provision -- and the rest of the overhaul -- won't apply to TRICARE, the Defense Department health plan serving 9.6 million active and retired service members and their families.

[...]

Many military families are also just learning that the young adult children provision -- and the rest of the overhaul -- won't apply to TRICARE, the Defense Department health plan serving 9.6 million active and retired service members and their families.

[...]

The years to come could bring further rude awakenings for parents as employers and insurance companies look for ways to offset the added costs of covering these workers' children longer into adulthood, experts say.

For instance, roughly half of employer-based insurance plans currently charge a blanket family rate regardless of how many children are included on the plan. But the survey by Mercer found that one in five are now strongly considering or likely to start charging on a per-child basis.

Similarly, while Mercer found that on average employers cover more than two-thirds of the cost of family plans, 16 percent said they are strongly considering or likely to require their workers to start contributing a greater share.

ObamaKare - smoke and mirrors, and utopian fantasy that cannot possibly be fulfilled.

And now that the bill has been passed, we who bear the burden of the costs of ObamaKare are finding out more and more of the ugly details. More such ugly details to come. Quite the reality check is looming.

Welcome to PrisonCare

Due to its lax illegal immigration policies and easy access to welfare -- factors that indisputably increase crime rates -- California now spends more on its prisons than on the entire 10-campus University of California system.

In 2001, California spent $680 million on medical services for its prisoners.

In 2004, California spent in excess of $1 billion for prisoners' health care services.

Last year, California spent $3 billion on health care for its prisoners.

In other words, over the last eight years, health care costs for California's single-payer prison system have more than quadrupled.

In a June speech, President Obama justified a government takeover of the entire health care system with an observation on rising costs. He stated, "...more and more Americans are forced to worry about not just getting well, but whether they can afford to get well. Millions more wonder if they can afford the routine care necessary to stay well. Even for those who have health insurance, rising premiums are straining family budgets to the breaking point—premiums that have doubled over the last nine years..."

Compare and contrast: over the last eight years, costs for California's single-payer prison health care system -- controlled by Democrats for decades and heavily laced with unions at every level of government -- have increased more than four times.

The costs of premiums for the private health care system -- with all of its innovation and access to the latest drugs, diagnostic tests, advanced equipment and research, have only doubled in nine years.

Government can't possibly run things better than the free market. And California's prison health care system is just a microcosm of what we can expect.

And something else for seniors to consider: the costs for their care will compete with the health care costs of the federal prison system. And, if California is any indication, the prisoners' medical needs may come before seniors. There's only so much of taxpayers' money to go around.

Welcome to PrisonCare. It's the Democrat Utopia of California translated to the entire United States.


Cross-posted at: Doug Ross @ Journal.

Obama Risks Becoming ‘Shovel-Ready Project’

During the next two days, President Barack Obama plans to appear on five Sunday talk shows and The Late Show with David Letterman Monday and continue his push for so-called "health care reform" (a.k.a., "ObamaCare"). In waging this near-all-out media blitz*, the president risks becoming a "shovel-ready project."

A shovel-ready project? Perhaps, some clarification is in order, so here goes it...

Ask my wife. She'll tell you I've done it. Heck, we've all done it at some time in our lives. We've made the mistake of talking about a subject well beyond the point when we should have shut our mouths and moved on to another topic -- or, in many cases, said nothing at all.

On the occasion -- or, in my case, occasions -- when you commit such a self-indulgent speech crime, you have to know that most people within earshot of your voice are thinking, "He's digging himself into a hole," and hoping you will stop soon. Such is the case with most Americans when it comes to the words coming out of President Obama's mouth (with the assistance of a teleprompter, of course).

According to Rasmussen Reports® survey results released Friday, 56 percent of Americans oppose the president's health care plan.

The release of those numbers came less than a week after hundreds of thousands of Americans -- who, no doubt, count themselves among the 56 percent mentioned above -- descended upon the nation's capitol to stage a Tea Party. During the event, which drew one of the largest crowds in 20 years to the nation's capitol**, opposition to government-run health care was arguably the "glue" issue among a plethora of left-wing measures that served to bond the protesters representing all 50 states.

If President Obama is as wise as his Latina appointee to the Supreme Court is (sarcasm), he will cancel his appearances on the Sunday talk shows, cancel his appearance on Letterman and walk away from the firestorm that is ObamaCare. Otherwise, he might as well grab a shovel and consider himself a shovel-ready project.

Editor's Note: The photos above, courtesy El Marco at Looking at the Left, capture the scene outside the Stout Street Clinic in downtown Denver prior to Nancy Pelosi's visit Aug. 6. About 200 people gathered to show their opposition to ObamaCare.

*The weekend media blitz does not include any appearances on the Fox News Channel.
**See this article if you want details about crowd-size estimates.

Something’s Wrong With ObamaCare, But Man Can’t Put Finger On It After Incident or...

Something is wrong with ObamaCare, but William Rice can no longer put his finger — specifically, his right pinky finger — on exactly what it is. Why? Because he had it bitten off by a supporter of President Barack Obama’s so-called “health care reform” measure during a rally Wednesday in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Rice was part of a group staging a rally — with a permit, I might add — in opposition to the president’s nationalized-medicine measure.

To watch a segment about the story that aired on Neil Cavuto’s show on Fox News Channel, click here.

P.S. Did you like the alternate headline shown in the graphic above? Let me know.

Evidence: USA Sliding Down Slippery Slope

I published two posts Saturday about how far down the slippery slope our country has fallen under President Barack Obama:

• Organizing For America Thugs at Work in Denver

• Cop Threatens Arrest Over Town Hall Meeting Sign

Enjoy them and share them, please.

AARP Losing Ground at Town Hall Meetings

According to news reports, as many as 60,000 people have canceled their AARP memberships since a Dallas-area town hall meeting on health care reform Aug. 6 went terribly wrong. If the town hall forum held yesterday in Brevard County, Fla., is any indication, things aren’t getting much better for the enormous nonprofit group that purports to represent the interests of seniors. Why? Because most Americans don’t think ObamaCare is a good idea.

Read more about it and watch the video here.

Mayhem Breaks Out at St Louis Town Hall Meeting

It started out peacefully,...


Then some back door shenanigans took place, and...


After the town hall meeting took place, the beat downs began...


Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, it has now become hazardous to one’s health to attend a town hall meeting hosted by Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.). Of course, much of the credit goes to the involvement of members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

To see all of the gory videos, click here.

AND SEE GATEWAY.

'Obamacare' Posts Feature Must-See Videos

Two worthwhile posts at Bob McCarty Writes feature videos every American should watch:

• Released yesterday, one video reveals the real objectives of President Barack Obama’s push for so-called health care reform (a.k.a., “Obamacare”). See it at Video Exposes Objectives of ‘Obamacare’; and
  

• The second video shows Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) receiving some unwelcome publicity. See it at Texans Protest ‘Obamacare’ in Austin.

Enjoy!

Angry Crowd Slams Senator Claire McCaskill’s Support of ‘Obamacare’, Soldier Demands Apology

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) held a town hall meeting last night at Forest Park Community College in St. Louis.

The subject: Obamacare. While hundreds of her upset constituents attended the meeting, the senator did not.

Instead, the loyal supporter of President Barack Obama opted instead to send a team of staffers in her place. Coward! a

As the headline above intimates, the crowd was large and angry and included one veteran of the fighting in the Middle East who was captured on video demanding an apology from Senator McCaskill for not following the Constitution.

It's good stuff! Read it and watch the videos here.

GATEWAY HERE.

Are Involuntary Cash Transfers Part of Obamacare?

Electronic funds transfers are not new, but the language of President Barack Obama’s America’s Affordable Health Choices Act (HR 3200) makes me concerned about the way they might be used in the future if this bill becomes law.

Find out why I'm concerned here.

Cartoonist Captures Flavor of Top News Topics

I’ve said it before that editorial cartoonist David Donar and I don’t agree on everything when it comes to politics. More often than not, however, I find at least one gem every time I visit his blog, Political Graffiti. Such was the case today as evidenced by the cartoons shown here which cover topics related to Iran, North Korea and health care reform. Enjoy!

House Democrats Introduce Health Care Maze

Yesterday, House Democrats introduced a costly, burdensome and bureaucracy-laden plan for health care reform. It stands in stark contrast to the health care reform alternative introduced by House Republicans last month.

To check it out, click here or on the graphic at right.

Videos Cover 'Obamacare' and Broken Guitars

Videos became the subject of two new posts at Bob McCarty Writes yesterday:

• Dr. Randy Tobler, a physician, radio talk show host and voter, explains in a new video why he strongly opposes President Barack Obama's healthcare reform plan. Click here to watch the video.

• "United Breaks Guitars" is the message Dave Carroll shares more than a year after United Airlines baggage handlers allegedly severely damaged his $3,500 guitar. Click here to watch the music video.