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Ghastly Grassley Town Hall meets with the Dumber than the Plumber

“Thank you to the many Iowans that participated in my town hall meetings yesterday. Read my statement about my concerns with end-of-life care and other parts in health care legislation from the House of Representatives.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley, ranking member of the Committee on Finance, today made the following comment on end-of-life concerns and other concerns prompted by the House committee-passed health care legislation.

 ”The bill passed by the House committees is so poorly cobbled together that it will have all kinds of unintended consequences, including making taxpayers fund health care subsidies for illegal immigrants. On the end-of-life issue, there’s a big difference between a simple educational campaign, as some advocates want, and the way the House committee-passed bill pays physicians to advise patients about end of life care and rates physician quality of care based on the creation of and adherence to orders for end-of-life care, while at the same time creating a government-run program that is likely to lead to the rationing of care for everyone. On the Finance Committee, we are working very hard to avoid unintended consequences by methodically working through the complexities of all of these issues and policy options. That methodical approach continues.  We dropped end-of-life provisions from consideration entirely because of the way they could be misinterpreted and implemented incorrectly. Maybe others can defend a bill like the Pelosi bill that leaves major issues open to interpretation, but I can’t.”

This guy is nuts to think that smart people like me will be duped into believing there is any validity to statements such as this. If he was smart enough to land a seat in the Senate, I bet he does not even believe this crap himself.  However he is one of many who simply do not want President Obama to succeed at any cost, even to throw our chances of healthcare reform under the proverbial bus. 

Firstly this Bill is simply going to pay physicians their fee rate for what they do now anyway – which is advise families on the end of life choices – and nonetheless in the same way as has been the case for decades, the physician must abide the health care directions of the patient.  Personally I am happy if my physician now gets paid for his time to be with my family and talk to them about my options . This can only enhance the quality of care.

Then the assumption that doctors will be rated on how they follow health care directives is to shame and offend doctors as it presumed they will defy their Hippocratic Oath.  A government run program “that is likely” – likely based on what?   “to lead to the rationing of care for everyone” How can he make this point without any backup – there is no rationale.   The assumption is simply ludicrous. Anyway who falls for these fear tactics are complete morons.

We want health care reform – I do not see any real debate about any real issues.   Mr. Ghastly  has called this an “end of life issue” and there is NO end of life issue. The end of life is the end of life. When it ends it ends. If people have a healthcare directive which many of these now self serving politicians have advocated for in the past, then they are providing direction to the doctor and their word is usually followed.  It is simply the same as it has always been except now doctors will be paid to consult.  That is what it boils down to.