Have we been lied to?

We seniors will not be able to keep our doctors! A careful read of the bill passed in the House of Representatives finds an attempt to remove the choices of Doctors and specialists for Senior Citizens. We have paid into the Medicare program since its inception with specific promises.

Now, in a rush to act before we have full understanding of the act, Speaker Pelosi broke her promise to let the final bill be on the Internet for 72 hours prior to a vote and they will break the promises that we have relied on concerning our Medicare program benefits.  If they will lie and break promises to “We the Senior Citizens” they cannot be trusted to tell anyone the truth or to keep their promises!

Eviscerating Medicare:In addition to reducing future Medicare funding by an estimated $500 billion, the bill fundamentally changes how Medicare pays doctors and hospitals, permitting the government to dictate treatment decisions.• Sec. 1302 pp. 672-692 moves Medicare from a fee-for-service payment system, in which patients choose which doctors to see and doctors are paid for each service they provide, toward what’s called a “medical home.”The medical home is this decade’s version of HMO-restrictions on care. A primary-care provider manages access to costly specialists and diagnostic tests for a flat monthly fee. The bill specifies that patients may have to settle for a nurse practitioner rather than a physician as the primary-care provider. Medical homes begin with demonstration projects, but the HHS secretary is authorized to “disseminate this approach rapidly on a national basis.”A December 2008 Congressional Budget Office report noted that “medical homes” were likely to resemble the unpopular gatekeepers of 20 years ago if cost control was a priority.• Sec. 1114 pp. 391-393 replaces physicians with physician assistants in overseeing care for hospice patients.• Secs. 1158-1160 pp. 499-520 initiates programs to reduce payments for patient care to what it costs in the lowest cost regions of the country. This will reduce payments for care and by implication the standard of care for hospital patients in higher cost areas such as New York and Florida.• Sec. 1161 pp. 520-545 cuts payments to Medicare Advantage plans used by 20% of seniors. Advantage plans have warned this will result in reductions in optional benefits such as vision and dental care.• Sec. 1402 p. 756 says that the results of comparative effectiveness research conducted by the government will be delivered to doctors electronically to guide their use of “medical items and services.”

Via Betsy McCaughey: What the Pelosi Health Care Bill Really Says – WSJ.com.

Any ‘representative’ guilty of voting for this denial of what we have been promised should be thrown out of office!