"Die Quickly"

"Die Quickly"

by digby


Alan Grayson took a lot of grief for saying that the Republican health care plan was "Don't get sick, and if you do get sick, die quickly." But he was right.

Here's Gene Lyons, who begins his essay with the sad tale of having to euthanize his sick horse because it would be too expensive to keep him alive:

Long introduction, brief polemical point: Observing Republicans gear up to try to undo "Obamacare," I suspect the only thing that will satisfy some is to make medical care in the United States work like veterinary care. You get what you can pay for. Otherwise, tough luck.

Who would have thought that after Sarah Palin’s imaginary "death panels" -- chosen by Politifacts.com, the fact-checking website, as its 2009 "Lie of the Year" -- Arizona Republicans would be denying heart, lung and liver transplants to Medicaid patients because Gov. Jan Brewer says the state can’t afford them?

To save a lousy $1.4 million (out of a $9 billion budget), Arizona’s Health Care Cost Containment System has decreed an end to organ transplants. Maybe the bitterest irony is that the inhumane policy won’t actually save any money. One of the roughly 100 citizens affected explained to Arizona Republic columnist E.J. Montini:

"I can’t work anymore, and we ran out of (insurance) coverage a while back," he said. "It’s terrible needing help. It’s not what I wanted. But when you run out of money, what can you do? If I don’t get a transplant, I guess the state won’t have to pay for me or worry about me until I walk into an emergency room close to dying. They can’t turn me away then."

No, they can’t. Human hospitals can’t refuse patients for lack of cash. Meanwhile, not a peep of protest from Palin, Rep. John Boehner or any of the Republicans who waxed hysterical over the absurd allegation that "Obamacare" would lead to government-sponsored euthanasia.

But if people die for lack money, that’s the GOP way.


That's correct. And his piece draws attention to one of the most problematic aspects of a private insurance system --- when you get sick and can't work, you can't pay your premiums. The way we deal with this now is to require that people lose everything they have so they can apply for public assistance --- which puts them at the mercy of Jan Brewer and her death panels.

The new health care reform will mitigate this by keeping the premiums somewhat stable, but being unable to work is going to make many sick people poor no matter what and with Medicaid ("medical welfare") funding at the mercy of yearly appropriations battles, it's hard to believe that the same people who face these issues today won't be facing them tomorrow. And the sad fact is that many of the people who are screaming about death panels are among those who will face it.

Of course their own misfortune will just prove in their minds that government doesn't work and motivate them to cut it even more...)

Update: In case you missed it, this report on the Newshour about California's early implementation of the health care reforms in quite interesting. This is a state that's actually trying to get it done and it's very difficult. I can't imagine what kind of roadblocks are being put up in the Republican strongholds.


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