Subscribe to EIR Online

PRESS RELEASE


Baucus Wears Obama's Moustache:
Senate Health-Care `Reform' Legislation
Is Murderous

Sept. 8, 2009 (EIRNS)—Senator Max Baucus "unveiled" his Obama-backed healthcare "reform" legislative proposal on Sept. 7, and it is full of measures for murderous denial of medical care, in line with Obama's overall Nazi-modelled euthanasia thrust. This character of Baucus' proposed "bipartisan" Senate bill is more significant than the much-reported facts:

  1. that it sets up no "public option"; and

  2. that it taxes existing health benefits to pay for bringing in millions of new customers for the HMOs.

The White House is now pushing the House Democratic leaders to back the bill.The Baucus bill completely confirms Lyndon LaRouche's assessment of Obama's healthcare "reform" as a copy of the Nazi's health plan.

Here are some of the features of the Baucus bill:

In Medicaid:

  • The Baucus bill defines thinly-veiled "pre-existing conditions" for denial of care, simply changing the name to "preventable conditions."

  • "The Secretary would also establish procedures for and provide grants to states to collect and voluntarily report health care quality data for Medicaid-eligible adults.

  • Additionally, the Secretary, in consultation with states, would be required to identify specific preventable health care acquired conditions [obesity-related, smoking-related, type 2 diabetes, and other conditions—ed.] and would prohibit payments for services related to such conditions."

In Medicare:

Baucus would create a Medicare Commission—what OMB Director and behaviorist kook economist Peter Orszag drafted as the Independent Medicare Advisory Commission (IMAC). Since LaRouche has destroyed "IMAC" politically in this Summer's mass strike ferment, Baucus uses a different term for the same thing. His "MC"

"would submit proposals to Congress to extend Medicare solvency and improve quality in the Medicare program. Congress would have an opportunity to ... pass an alternative proposal with an equivalent amount of budgetary savings. Should Congress not pass an alternative measure, the Secretary of HHS would be required to implement the provisions included in the original MC proposal."

The MC's purpose would be "to reduce annual market basket [payment] updates for hospitals, home health providers, nursing homes, hospice providers, long-term care hospitals and inpatient rehabilitation facilities, including adjustments to reflect expected gains in productivity.

Overall, the Baucus proposal would reduce the average portion of medical expenses paid by HMOs and private insurers, to 65-66%. The current average is close to 80%!

More of the features of Baucus bill which would reduce health care, are reported at larouchepac.com.

Back to top

clear
clear
clear