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Sebelius: Rationing Advocate is ‘Absolutely Right Leader At This Time’ to Run Medicare
CNS News ^ | 5/28/2010 | Matt Cover

Posted on 05/28/2010 5:35:51 AM PDT by IbJensen

(CNSNews.com) - Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said on Wednesday that Dr. Donald Berwick, an advocate of health-care rationing nominated by President Barack Obama to run Medicare and Medicaid, is “absolutely the right leader at this time” to run the government’s largest health-care entitlement programs.

Under the health-care reform law signed by President Obama in March, hundreds of billions of dollars will be cut from the Medicare program over the next decade. Berwick is nominated to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which oversees Medicare.

Berwick, a professor at Harvard Medical School, has repeatedly indicated his support for rationing and for the single-payer, government-run health care system of Great Britain. After President Obama signed a $787-billion stimulus law that created a Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research--perceived by critics to be a first step toward creating a federal rationing system for health care--Berwick defended the program and rationing health care.

“The decision is not whether or not we will ration care--the decision is whether we will ration with our eyes open,” Berwick said in a June 2009 interview with Biotechnology Healthcare.

At a Wednesday press conference on Capitol Hill, CNSNews.com quoted this statement by Berwick to Sebelius and asked her whether she agreed with it. Sebelius responded by saying she believed Berwick is the right man for the job and is “well-suited to help increase the quality of health care.”

“I’m really pleased that the President nominated Dr. Donald Berwick,” Sebelius said. “He’s known nationally as an enormously competent physician and an enormously passionate health care provider and someone who, I think, is incredibly well suited to help increase the quality of health care delivered to the 40-plus million Americans who rely on Medicare services and also the 30-plus million on Medicaid services.

“He’s written extensively, he’s taught all over the country, and I think he’s absolutely the right leader for this time.”

Sebelius likened an insurance company not paying a benefit it has not contracted for to the government, in a government-run system, rationing care to citizens.

“There’s no question, right now, health care is being decided by insurance companies,” said Sebelius. “Part of the Affordable Care Act is to make sure that the tools are back in the hands of health care providers and patients to make their own decisions and so I think his leadership at this time is going to be critical.”

When pressed to answer the question of whether or not she agreed with Berwick’s statement about health-care rationing, Sebelius indicated she already had.

“I just gave you the answer,” she said.

In a talk he delivered in England in 2008 to mark the 60th birthday of Great Britain’s National Health Service, the bureaucracy that runs that country’s single-payer health care system, Berwick told the British that he loved their system. ““Cynics beware,” he said. “I am romantic about the National Health Service; I love it.”

He particularly drew attention to the British system for rationing health-care by using government planning to deliberately create an insufficient supply of it. “You cap your health care budget, and you make the political and economic choices you need to make to keep affordability within reach,” Berwick said. “You plan the supply; you aim a bit low; you prefer slightly too little of a technology or a service to too much; then you search for care bottlenecks and try to relieve them.”


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Government
KEYWORDS: berwick; deathcare; deathpanels; democrats; evilregime; govhealthcare; healthcare; idiotalert; impeach; impeachobama; medicare; obama; obamacare; rationing; romneycare; sebelius; socializedhealthcare; socializedmedicine; stuckonstupid; wreckinghealthcare
How old is Sebelius? Would that she would suffer from the policies that she helps create. Oh, wait! I'm one of those Bible-hugging, gun-toting conservatives that Soros' sock puppet Obama so loves. I can't say things like that; only Obama and his minions can.
1 posted on 05/28/2010 5:35:51 AM PDT by IbJensen
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To: IbJensen

I hope all the senior citizens who voted for Obama are experiencing true buyer’s remorse. No one in this administration has a CONSCIENCE!


2 posted on 05/28/2010 5:37:44 AM PDT by originalbuckeye
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To: IbJensen

Where is Dr. Kevorkian—now that his country needs his services so desperately?


3 posted on 05/28/2010 5:40:24 AM PDT by Flintlock
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To: IbJensen

I’d say we clearly need to seriously ration advocates of all sorts.


4 posted on 05/28/2010 5:40:39 AM PDT by Paladin2
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To: IbJensen

I am amazed at the level of denial people want to engage in when it comes the ability of the government to continue to fund the level of health care spending when we are running trillion dollar plus deficits and owe tens of trillions more.

The money does not exist

repeat

The money does not exist

Shame on everyone who believed that it would.


5 posted on 05/28/2010 5:41:31 AM PDT by misterrob (Have you tea bagged a liberal today?)
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To: Flintlock

Whew! For a minute there I thought you’d mention Lee H. Oswald.


6 posted on 05/28/2010 5:41:33 AM PDT by IbJensen ((Ps 109.8): "Let his days be few; and let another take his position.")
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To: IbJensen
She will kill any one who is not worthy in her eyes.
7 posted on 05/28/2010 5:43:27 AM PDT by bmwcyle (NJ Governor Chris Christie for President)
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To: IbJensen
Berwick: : “The decision is not whether or not we will ration care--
the decision is whether we will ration with our eyes open”

Justice was supposed to be BLIND,
but under Pres_ _ent Obama it is twisted (like his heart)
Like "Justice", Healthcare will now be Political 100%.


8 posted on 05/28/2010 5:46:48 AM PDT by Diogenesis (Article IV - Section 4 - The United States Â… shall protect each of them against Invasion)
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To: IbJensen
How old is Sebelius? Would that she would suffer from the policies that she helps create.

She's part of the politburo...they get special treatment.

9 posted on 05/28/2010 5:52:21 AM PDT by highlander_UW (Education is too important to leave in the hands of the government.)
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To: IbJensen
Don't count your chickens just yet, Kathy.
10 posted on 05/28/2010 5:52:44 AM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks (Impeachment !)
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To: originalbuckeye

Those seniors are the generation that ObamaBots see as a barrier to their agenda. Ever see comments made about them in regards to the Gay agenda? The comments include some absolutely anticipating the demise of the Greatest Generation. Why do you think Obama makes it a part of his endless campaign to ignore them.


11 posted on 05/28/2010 6:01:28 AM PDT by massgopguy (I owe everything to George Bailey)
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To: IbJensen

12 posted on 05/28/2010 6:16:40 AM PDT by NativeNewYorker (Freepin' Jew Boy)
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To: IbJensen
But the left wing media pilloried Sarah when she cautioned about a rationing board (death panel). So who's stupid now?
13 posted on 05/28/2010 6:25:19 AM PDT by alaskanfan
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To: IbJensen

‘How old is Sebelius?......’

My thought too. Also wonder if her parents are alive. How will she feel if her parents are refused treatment??
But, like Mrs. Clinton who says ‘the rich’ should pay more taxes.....I’m sure Ms.Sebelius...and Mrs. Clinton..feel these ‘rules’ don’t apply to them or their loved ones.


14 posted on 05/28/2010 6:30:54 AM PDT by 4integrity
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To: Diogenesis

Good cartoon.


15 posted on 05/28/2010 6:45:26 AM PDT by GailA (obamacare paid for by cuts & taxes on most vulnerable Veterans, retired Military, disabled & Seniors)
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To: All

Ms. Sebelius is today’s STUCK ON STUPID award winner.


16 posted on 05/31/2010 1:49:17 AM PDT by Cindy
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To: Cindy

Rationing of Medicare......the fast track to estate tax collection.


17 posted on 05/31/2010 2:08:53 AM PDT by BIGLOOK (Keelhaul Congress!)
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