[2ndDivisionVet]

Sounds like she was.

[NC28203]

From the article: According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, “observation” status claims climbed 26.7 percent from 2006 to 2009—from 828,353 to 1.131 million.

From the data cited, it would appear that it was Bush 43 that instituted and promoted these death panels.

[Hoodat]

I came to this conclusion back during the campaign before Obama was even elected. During the healthcare portions of his campaign speeches, Obama would state that 80% of America's health care costs were for people above retirement age. In the next sentence, he would say that we need to reduce health care costs.

If 80% of your costs go towards covering retirees, and if you reduce the amount of money spent on health care, then retirees are going to take the brunt of those cuts.

The part that drives me crazy is hearing the liberal argument that turning our entire health care system over to a monopoly is somehow better than a fully competitive market. When I ask them to show me any place in history where a monopoly provided better service at lower cost than a fully competitive market, they can't do it. Yet they are still convinced that it will work with health care.

In a fully competitive market, there will be some entrepreneur somewhere who will find a way to make money off of MRIs and will purchase a machine to capture that business. And another, then another, then another entrepreneur will join him, and they will each find themselves minimizing their costs in order to secure enough business from their competitors to remain in business.

With the government monopoly, there is never an incentive to purchase an MRI machine. MRI centers become cost centers instead of profit centers. So in order to cut costs, the government shuts down the MRI centers. And this is repeated throughout the system, except of course for the government bureaucrats who will reserve for themselves a separate system to cover their own needs. Think of the State Party Stores in the USSR where Communist Party officials could purchase the finest consumer goods while the rest of the proles were stuck in line hoping that there would be something left that might fit.

[Cyber Liberty]

Practically everybody here knew she was 100% correct about Death Panels, even the PDSers.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

This was not a death panel. Helen could still get treatment, it was just going to cost more.

The Death Panels will be a la Canada where they would not only not treat the child they would not let anyone else treat him either.

I think similar things have happened in the UK. That is a death panel. They have decided you should die not that they will not treat you.

Not paying for your treatment is a valid option for the government or insurance company although it may be breach of contract. In the case of Medicare since the government forces you to be on it there might be a case to be made.

[Texas Eagle]

Of course Sarah Palin was right.

Except the death panel is called the Independent Payment Advisory Board.

Supposedly an "Independent" "board" comprised of politcally appointed members who "advise" which doctors get which "payment" for which services.

BEFORE the services are rendered.

It's too bad none of the current crop of candidates is talking about this. Michele Bachmann alluded to it during the last debate but she didn't go into detail.

The IPAB is The Death Panel Sarah Palin is talking about.