Posted on 09/10/2009 1:35:06 PM PDT by tosh
I posted this about a month ago, but it is still relevant because Obama keeps on making this lie by including it in is speech last night.
In his speech last night, in other recent speeches and in his editorial in the New York Times he wrote about a month ago, he has continued to mention the sad case of an Illinois man who lost his health coverage during life saving chemotherapy and consequently died because he did not disclose a previous condition of gallstones.
Quoting his editorial in the New York Times, “A man lost his health coverage in the middle of chemotherapy because the insurance discovered that he had gallstones, which he hadn’t known about when he applied for his policy. Because his treatment was delayed, he died.”
Unfortunately for the president, the story is not true. The man received his life saving operation and lived an additional three years. The man in question is Otto Radditz, an Illinois businessman. He became a central focus in a hearing on June 16th entitled “Terminations of Individual Health Policies by Insurance Companies” held by the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations in the Energy and Commerce committee. His sister, Peggy Radditz, testified on his behalf. She testified that the insurance company Fortis dropped his coverage right before a life saving stem cell transplant because he failed to notify the company of pre-existing gallstones and an aneurysm.
Soon after, he was mentioned all over the left blogosphere as having perished because he did not receive this treatment. For instance a blogger on Slate states “Otto Raddatz, a restaurant owner in Illinois, was rescinded in 2004 by Fortis Insurance Co. after he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Fortis said this was because Raddatz had failed to disclose that a CT scan four years earlier had revealed that he had an aneurism and gall stones. Raddatz replied—and his doctor confirmed—that he had never been told about these conditions (the doctor said they were "very minor" and didn't require treatment), but Fortis nonetheless refused a payout until the state attorney general intervened. The delay in treatment eliminated Raddatz's chances of recovery, and he died.”
http://www.slate.com/discuss/forums/thread/3054423.aspx
The president was quick to pick up this meme and it has become part of his health care reform stump speech and at his town halls. The only problem with his narrative is that Otto Raddatz received his treatment and lived another 3 years. According to the meeting transcripts found at
http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090616/transcript_20090616_oi.pdf
starting on page 4, “… Otto Raddatz was a 59-year-old restaurant owner from Illinois who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system. He underwent intensive chemotherapy and was told that he had to have a stem cell transplant in order to survive. With coverage provided by his individual insurance policy, he was scheduled to have the procedure performed. But then his insurance company suddenly told him it was going to cancel his insurance coverage. Otto could not pay for the transplant without health insurance. The stem cell transplant surgery was cancelled. The insurance company told him that it found when he applied for his insurance, he had not told the company about a test that had shown that he might have gallstones and an aneurysm, or weakness of the blood vessel wall. In fact, Otto's doctor had never told him about these test results. He didn't have any symptoms, and these conditions did not have anything to do with his cancer, but the insurance company was going to rescind his policy, effectively tearing up the contract as if it never happened and it would not pay for his stem cell transplant. Otto made a desperate plea to the Illinois Attorney General's Office seeking help to get his insurance company to reverse its decision. He told them, and I quote, ``I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It is a matter of extreme urgency that I receive my transplant in 3 weeks. This is an urgent matter. Please help me so I can have my transplant scheduled. Any delay could threaten my life." The Illinois Attorney General's Office launched an investigation, confirmed that Otto's doctor had never even told him about the test findings and sent two letters to press the insurance company to reinstate his policy. The company relented and Otto received his stem cell transplant. He was able to live 3 more years before passing away earlier this year.”
The process worked. He appealed the ruling of the insurance company and received treatment. He needs to be called out on this.
Obama’s teleprompter writer wasn’t briefed on that. Obama has no idea what he’s reading ~ he just reads it, mouths the big words, garbles the bigger ones, and moves on. That’s his job.
Just one of many lies by BO in last nights bombast....but no one should point out his lies because HE WON. The Left is despicable.
I told people about this as well.
It’s also at S&L
They have other posts that may interest you.
WOW— amazing work FRiend...
THANKS!
I counted fourteen outright lies and half-truths in The Messiah’s speech.
Yet, what’s the story today...Joe Wilson is a bad guy for called The One out.
Our media is almost totally corrupt.
Redundant title.
bump
Good job.
President Obama, Our Anointed Leader for Life, (Our ALL) often sets up straw men to demolish in his brilliant telepromtings. But, even a Jr. High General Science kid knows that straw men do not have gallstones.
So stop spreading these vicious untruths, Racist!*
*please reply with your real name and e-mail so that I may forward it to the White House Monitors for prompt corrective action.
Hillary Clinton used to do the same thing, on examinations her “poster children” were not what she said they were.
Send this info to Pinchy. I’m sure the Times will be all over it.
/sarc
Great find !
Either the WH speech writers are incompetent for not researching this story, or they figured they could simply get away with a mistatement of fact, which makes then damn fools.
If they were gong to use this guy as an example, they should have researched it far more deeply rather than relying on internet hearsay.
That is the Mystical Teleprompter upon which Allah The All Wise magically puts the script, and moves on. Hear. Obey. Surrender your will and the Peace of Allah will be with you through the words of Muhammed, may peace be upon him.
Besides, you oughta never argue with a guy named Barack, which was the name of Muhammed's (MPBUH) magical horse. It means sort of "Lucky" in Arabic, which come to think of it, ain't a bad name for a horse.
.
Lies. All you have to do is read the d*mn thing!
____________________
Barack Hussein Obama has banned the National Day of Prayer from the White House, now get a load of THIS!!
ISLAM ON CAPITOL HILL 2009 - islamoncapitolhill.com
Alarming! Infuriating!!
Does THIS leave any doubt as to what we have sitting in the White House?
Be sure to read every page!
Every page ends with ‘OUR TIME HAS COME’!!
http://islamoncapitolhill.com/Home_Page.html
I knew this had to be a lie.
Live Thread - Obama Health Care Speech
Wednesday, September 09, 2009 5:23:21 PM · 168 of 1,621
Uncle Miltie to Boardwalk
Calling BS on the anecdotes in advance. You know they’re B.S. We’ll find out why by tomorrow A.M.
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Communists usually are.
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