19 August 2009

The dangerous irony of the "death panel" propaganda

Sadly, recent rumors out of Washington suggest that a public health care option might be off the table now, even though House Speaker Pelosi says they're still pursuing it. If it does in fact get dropped, I would have to pin some of the blame on the right-wing spin machine.

Somehow the right-wing extremists have convinced a very gullible and very loud minority of Americans that health care reform will lead to "death panels" that will choose whether grandma and grandpa (and, somewhere down the slippery slope, you and I) are worth keeping alive.

First of all, that is absolute nonsense. What has been twisted is a now-dead provision -- sponsored by a Republican -- that would pay for consultations with doctors about end-of-life issues like creating a living will. And that is a conversation that everyone should have at least once in their lives, preferably while still young and healthy.

Furthermore, the right-wing hysteria mongers are neglecting one very important fact: We already have death panels in the health care system.

While the right-wingers keep shrieking that a public health care option would result in government bureaucrats deciding what kinds of treatment you can and cannot have, Michael Moore's 2007 documentary SiCKO showed us proof that insurance company bureaucrats are already doing that. And they're doing it to maximize corporate profits, not health.

So, really, who would you rather have in charge of administering your health care coverage: A public servant whose salary is paid through your own tax dollars? Or a corporate executive whose profits grow when insurance claims are denied?

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