Here's Johnny!: Isakson Pushes Back on "Death Panels"

ABC News ^ | 8/11/09 | Byron Wolf

[leftyontheright]

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports: During a town hall meeting in New Hampshire Tuesday, President Obama made sure to point out one Republican proponent of end of life counseling to argue there are no "death panels" in health care reform bills in the House and the Senate.

"The irony is that actually one of the chief sponsors of this bill originally was a Republican -- then House member, now senator, named Johnny Isakson from Georgia -- who very sensibly thought this is something that would expand people's options," said the president in Portsmouth, N.H. Tuesday

[freekitty]

You are right. Obama has said it and he means it.

[Girlene]

It sounds like the President and congressman Keith Ellison are on the same page on this issue. If people just had professionsl/a panel/whatever to guide them, they might not get caught in a "guilt trap" with family end-of-life issues. From Ellison Confronted at Town Hall

..............."WOMAN: My dad has been diagnosed with an acute leukemia. He's got a 15% chance of survival, he spent a month-and-a-half inpatient at Mayo, and we might lose the family farm. But I'm here to tell you that the chemo drug that he is on now that may save his life is illegal in Norway, it is not available in Great Britain. The visit is expensive. And, you know what, the worst thing that can happen to you when you have a health crisis is not bankruptcy; it's death. And I would rather that we lose the family farm and keep my dad alive. (cheers and applause) ;snip]

ELLISON: We ought to all have a conversation with our loved ones, not about money, but about dignity. So what the bill says, what it calls for is that you have a conversation with your provider and encouraged to have a conversation with your family about things like living will, do not resuscitate, things like that. Now look, it happens to be true that a lot of expense is in end-of-life care, but some of that expense is associated with the fact that the family is in a guilt trap because they don't know -- they want to do everything they can to save Dad or Mom.

RUSH: End-of-health care costs result from a guilt trap. This is really amazing. Obama is going to cut costs by removing the guilt trap that family members feel. You won't have to treat your dying parents out of guilt anymore. They'll just take the pain pill. "

[mono]

My Senator, Johnny I., attacks Palin one day as nuts then attacks Obama on the same subject the next day. As a typical politician he talks out of both sides of his mouth. At least he was half right.

[Malesherbes]

I read that when Sarah termed these things “death panels,” Isakson called that “crazy.” I think Isakson has stepped in his own doo doo, and BO, who knows doo doo when he sees it, was quick to - oh, well, the metaphor runs out at this point.

[freeangel]

Johnny needs to be replaced PDQ!

[tunedin]

-—— Forwarded Message -——
From:
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 7:32:33 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Isakson’s response to Obama

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Isakson Denounces White House Comments Connecting Him
To Terribly Flawed House Health Care Bill
‘This Is What Happens When the President and Members of Congress Don’t Read the Bills’

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today denounced comments made by President Obama and his spokesman regarding Isakson’s alleged connection to language contained in the House health care bill on “end-of-life counseling.”

Isakson vehemently opposes the House and Senate health care bills and he played no role in drafting language added to the House bill by House Democrats calling for the government to incentivize doctors by offering them money to conduct “end-of-life counseling” with Medicare patients every five years. Isakson also strongly opposed the House bill language calling for doctors to follow a government-mandated list of topics to discuss with patients during the counseling sessions.

By contrast, Isakson took a very different approach in July during the Senate HELP Committee hearings on the Senate version of the health care bill. Isakson’s amendment to the Senate bill says that anyone who participates in the long-term care benefit provided in the bill – if they so choose – may use that benefit to obtain assistance in formulating their own living will and durable power of attorney.

Isakson’s amendment, which was accepted unanimously by all Republicans and Democrats on the Senate HELP Committee, empowers the individual to make their own choices on these critical issues, rather than the government incentivizing doctors to conduct counseling on government-mandated topics. Isakson ultimately voted against the Senate health care bill.

“This is what happens when the President and members of Congress don’t read the bills. The White House and others are merely attempting to deflect attention from the intense negativity caused by their unpopular policies. I never consulted with the White House in this process and had no role whatsoever in the House Democrats’ bill. I categorically oppose the House bill and find it incredulous that the White House and others would use my amendment as a scapegoat for their misguided policies,” Isakson said. “My Senate amendment simply puts health care choices back in the hands of the individual and allows them to consider if they so choose a living will or durable power of attorney. The House provision is merely another ill-advised attempt at more government mandates, more government intrusion, and more government involvement in what should be an individual choice.”