Breaking news: Senator concerned HHS Secretary Sebelius would “deny care”
Today the US Senate Finance Committee gave KS Gov. Kathleen Sebelius a weak pass, voting 11-8 to let her move forward for full Senate confirmation as Obama’s pick for HHS Secretary. This despite revelations Sebelius underpaid taxes and lied about her financial relationship with infamous late-term abortionist George Tiller.
But a new qualm was revealed, as Matt Lewis of Political Machine reported late this afternoon…
… Sebelius’ relationship with a partial-birth abortionist is, perhaps, not the most concerning thing about Sebelius – at least not according to Senate Minority Whip and Finance Committee Member John Kyl (R-AZ).
Reading the Associated Press report, one would assume Tiller is the only problem, yet he barely draws a mention in Kyl’s press release on Sebelius. Instead, Kyl (who voted against Sebelius) singled out Sebelius’ views on “comparative effectiveness research”.
In English, that translates roughly as research to determine who is worth health care and who we should just let die.
Essentially, when you factor “comparative effectiveness” into medical decisions, it means that those decisions have to be made at least partially based on cost rather than the best interest of the patient. According to Kyl,
“Governor Sebelius’ answers made it clear that the Administration is unwilling to support pro-patient safeguards. She left me with no assurance that HHS… will not use comparative effectiveness research as a tool to deny care”.
That is why he voted against her, not because of her disturbing affiliation with a guy who likes to kill perfectly viable babies.
Personally, I am starting to think Sebelius is actually a very dangerous woman – especially if you believe we are going to get government-run health care. It should not have been hard for her to assure Congress that she won’t try to deny citizens health care – but apparently she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. That’s just plain scary.
I can see no way that any Senator could support this nomination in good conscience, and I am especially disappointed in the two supposedly-conservative Senators from KS….
Sebelius’ positions make her an especially unacceptable choice for this role. She would have, perhaps, been acceptable for Secretary of the Interior or something — and then I could stomach the home-state pride being expressed by Sam Brownback or Pat Roberts.
However, considering she has perhaps the most radically liberal health care record of any governor in the country, I would hope the 2 Senators would reconsider.
It makes total sense that a person with calloused regard for preborn babies would have the same for very sick or elderly people.
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
Yes Sebelius is very scary, almost as much as the man who wants to be her boss.
This means she would say NO to health care for anyone who may end up in a situation like Terri Schindler, even if they are a victim of abuse (like that little girl Haleigh from Massachusetts, who is now receiving rehabilitation.
Secretary of HHS: Sorry, Grandpa, but you’re 90 years old, you’ve outlived your usefulness, I have to deny your request for your heart medication.
We are on the verge of becoming Germany from the 1930s!
I called both Roberts and Brownback today. I got the message directly to Roberts’ secretary and left a message for Brownback. I urge everyone to do the same!
This is VERY scary, esp after reading his entire press release! T4 thinking is making its way into legalization in our time…
I am beginning to think that the horrible things I have been telling people that I could see as possibilities in some future scenario, if we did not wake up—are happening, and coming faster than I dreamed possible even ten yrs ago.
Senator John Kyl is correct to point out the ramifications of selective health treatment as the burden of the federal management of health care increases. But abortion was and is a major first line of defense as we travel down the slippery slope of a culture of death that many veterans of the pro-life movement warned about years ago.
And yes Senators Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts of Kansas do continue to be a disappointment.
My first grandson was just born to my son Phil and daughter-in-law Angie.
His name is Ace Ethan.
He weighed in at 6 lbs, 7 oz, and was 3 weeks early.
May the Lord find me to be a fiathful grand dad.
We’ve been worried about this for quite some time. It’s coming………..unless we can do something about Congress in 2010? My mom is 72 and currently has decent care as do my four kids. I have advanced Lyme Disease with neuropathy and no health insurance. The doctor wants me to have an MRI, an electrical conduction velocity test, etc, but it’s out of the question. Obama *might* cover me, but I wrote to my Senators and BEGGED THEM to reject anything that will use the formula you mention or take people out of perfectly good private plans. I will GLADLY do without care if it means saving my family’s current care…..and maybe even my mom’s very life.
HisMan, congrats! And I love the name!
Lisa Graas, I’m sorry to hear of your health problems. I got Lyme in high school and it is definitely no fun, to say the least. We caught mine early so it wasn’t too bad; by that point my whole family had already gotten it at one point or another so we knew what to look for (we lived in a small house in the woods in, like, the deer-tick capital of the world). I can’t imagine what you’re going through, but you have my sympathies.
Somebody please correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t health insurance companies often currently put cost over the health of the patient? Isn’t that basically the only way they can depend on making a profit? When my mom was sick some of the things that saved her life were things they refused to cover. Too much money — sorry, too much “experimental treatment;” of course that’s not what they actually said but not a single doctor considered the things anything outside of ordinary.
Oh, and congrats, Hisman!
Congrats, HisMan!
I agree, Alexandra, that the current system isn’t perfect. What worries me is that under government care, doctors may actually not be allowed to perform some procedures, or care for some people, even if the people are willing to pay. The government will be in control of all of it, and may want to eliminate procedures they find to be elective–pain medication for the terminally ill, drugs that can prevent early miscarriages, plastic surgery, but certainly not sterilization or abortion (which are entirely elective over 95% of the time).
Congratulations, HisMan!! Enjoy little Ace, Grandpa!
Heck yeah, HisMan! Congrats! God love your wonderful family, my friend.
Congrats, HisMan! I hope mom and baby are doing well.
Instead, Kyl (who voted against Sebelius) singled out Sebelius’ views on “comparative effectiveness research”. In English, that translates roughly as research to determine who is worth health care and who we should just let die.
AHAHAHAHAA!! Oh my god, you can’t be serious, can you? Comparative effectiveness research is about determining which treatments are most cost-effective, so people don’t wind up paying through the nose for some fancy new drug or when a cheaper and more effective treatment is available. It’s all about protecting consumers and taxpayers from money-hungry drug companies, who’ve managed to make health care in this country the most expensive in the world without improving outcomes one bit.
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Publications/In-the-Literature/2006/Nov/Developing-a-Center-for-Comparative-Effectiveness-Information.aspx
It’s about improving care, not denying it. Sen. Kyl is even dumber than I thought. Thank God these stupid Republicans are not in charge anymore. Obviously Kyl cares more about his drug industry donors than his constituents.
Comparative effectiveness research is about determining which treatments are most cost-effective
True. That’s the point of the research.
It’s about improving care, not denying it.
The least expensive form of treatment isn’t always the best form of treatment for a patient. Nice spin though.
This from the article you cited: A more direct and effective approach would be to improve the way decisions are made about the type, frequency, and volume of treatments. This requires a better way of comparing the clinical effectiveness of medical treatments, so that both payers and providers of health care can make more informed coverage, payment, and patient-care decisions.
Doesn’t say anything about patient involvement. Only payers (government under socialized medicine) and providers are part of the equation.
The article also says: Doing so [comparative effectiveness research] could control costs and improve outcomes.
Yes, it could. But without safeguards it can also be used to limit care. Nice try, reality.
Congratulations Hisman!
You must be one proud Grandpa! All my best to you and your family. Sounds like you might have a future Major League pitcher in the making. Go Ace! :)
God Bless!
Congratulations HisMan! That is wonderful news.
Congrats HisMan…now, are you still up to the challenge of running after little Ace when he’s a toddler?
Thanks Fed Up for reading between the lines. Once Sebelius heads up healthcare, her blatant disregard for human life evidenced by her support of the murder of the unborn will become chillingly apparent by how she regards the elderly, the disabled, the chronically ill. But it will be too late to stop her.
She’ll say, “Useless eaters, and we’d like to give you care, but we haven’t got the money. . . . Would you like Dr Kervorkian to help you ease your way out of the health care system?”