Harry Reid Inserts Lifetime Limits (Death Sentence?) in Health Care Bill

FDL Action ^ | 12/12/09 | Jane Hamsher

[Cecilia Trent]

An alarming find comes to us via the inveterate investigative blogger Jane Hamsher, often seen on TV news programming. The Senate bill contains a lifetime limit placed on the care that ill patients can receive. The next time an Obamabot mocks your assertion that the legislation would ration care, or if you dare to use the incendiary phrase “death panels” — if a lifetime limit on treatments and drugs isn’t a death sentence, please tell me what is! — you can tell them that Jane, a very liberal blogger, cancer survivor and all-around fine person, has unearthed the following in her post, “Harry Reid Slips Lifetime Limit Into Senate Bill“:

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

PING!

[GiovannaNicoletta]

bookmark

[WHBates]

Good Lord these people are crazy. What is going on with our country. The lunatics are in charge of the asylum. The Democrats know they will take a bath in the next election so they don’t care what the pass, wouldn’t that be considered malfeasance.

[eyedigress]

The Moonbats should know that ever since Limbaugh smacked his ass to yesterday he is out. Claiming credit on the Floor for Rush selling that stupid letter for 2 mil should wake somebody up. The moonbats are liars and weak.

[dawn53]

Truth is most insurance policies already have lifetime limits. Reid really isn’t changing anything from the status quo.

[USNBandit]

What happens when the government treats that lifetime limit like they have AMT. If they don’t adjust the limit we will all eventually come up against the limit. Then only the super rich will survive.

[Focault's Pendulum]

Does any one know what the exact wording in the bill says?

[wrench]

Finally a cure for cancer, diabetes, aids, and several other debilitating cronic diseases,..............

just let the patient die when their alloted benifits are spent. /s

[GeronL]

do we know what these limits are?

[GeronL]

This is government doing it. That is very different.

[sinanju]

Sweet Merciful Carp!

Just read the comments on the website. Keep in mind this is FiredogLake.com, as “progressive” as they come. Now the loyal Moonbats are all as frightened and angry as the rest of us. With the added rage of having been shafted by their leaders and idols. They know they are being measured for a box and they want to string up dingy Harry and Obama by their nutz.

“Tipping point” indeed! When these guys take to the streets they’re not going to be nice and polite like us. Messiahs who betray their flocks get nailed up.

[paulycy]

[marstegreg]

So it “heathcare for all” up to a certain limit? So then everyone will be forced to go to the emergency room when they are sick because they have reached their limit, or will they just be turned away? How lame is this one?

[jessduntno]

Adding to the puzzle, the new language was quietly tucked away in a clause in the bill still captioned “No lifetime or annual limits.”

Time to start calling a spade a spade. coup d'état

A coup d'état (pronounced /ˌkuːdeɪˈtɑː/, us dict: kōō′·dā·tâ′), or coup for short, is the sudden unconstitutional deposition of a legitimate government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment — typically the military — to replace the deposed government with another, either civil or military. A coup d’état succeeds when the usurpers establish their legitimacy if the attacked government fail to thwart them, by allowing their (strategic, tactical, political) consolidation and then receiving the deposed government’s surrender; or the acquiescence of the populace and the non-participant military forces.

Typically, a coup d’état uses the extant government’s power to assume political control of the country. In Coup d'État: A Practical Handbook, military historian Edward Luttwak says: "A coup consists of the infiltration of a small, but critical, segment of the state apparatus, which is then used to displace the government from its control of the remainder”, thus, armed force (either military or paramilitary) is not a defining feature of a coup d’État.

Be not that far from me, for trouble is near; haste Thee to help me. Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight. My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me. O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.

[USNBandit]

There is something about this that I don't understand. How many people really spend that much a year or over a lifetime.

Did Reid get this introduced to make the Medicare savings targets, or as an intentional poison pill to kill the bill?

[WHBates]

"Truth is most insurance policies already have lifetime limits. Reid really isn’t changing anything from the status quo.

Not really, if you reach a lifetime limit with an insurance company (the usual limit 1 or 2 million is usually very sufficient for 99% of people) you can get another policy or turn to the government social net. When they become the only game in town what do you do. I'll bet it wouldn't stand up in court anyway because of that.

[cbkaty]

[kitkat]

BUMP

[ransomnote]

Many people who obtain their medical benefits through their workplace end up having at least a few different insurance plans (and employers) in their lifetime and each plan has a limit - but you have multiple plans. Under Reid’s direction, there would only be one plan and one limit.