Click here to view original web page at www.realclearpolicy.com
As the Left keeps up its relentless march towards socialized medicine, one fact frequently gets lost in the debate: Government-run health care often harms the most vulnerable populations that progressives claim they want to help. Legislation recently proposed by several congressmen, led by Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), highlights this problem, and if adopted by Congress, would help to solve it.
During the Obamacare debate a dozen years ago, Democrats claimed that they did not want to have government ration health care resources based on cost. One of the few positive provisions of Obamacare prohibited the new research institute funded by that law from utilizing a quality-adjusted life year (QALY) mechanism when comparing the effectiveness of various drugs and medical treatments.
As the mother of a child with a disability, I know well how many other countries, like Great Britain and Canada, use the QALY metric to restrict access to care that government bureaucrats deem too “costly.” Individuals with disabilities suffer the most from these types of rationing regimes, because the QALY metric values an additional year of life for someone with a disability as “less” than an added year of life for someone in “perfect” health.
Concerns from disability groups, as well as broader outrage over the possibility of health care rationing, compelled Democrats to include the prohibition on QALY usage in Obamacare’s comparative effectiveness research institute. The law also prohibited Medicare from making coverage decisions “in a manner that treats extending the life of an elderly, disabled, or terminally ill individual as of lower value than extending the life of an individual who is younger, non-disabled, or not terminally ill.”
But a decade later, the Left has again begun flirting with government rationing in health care. The drug pricing bill Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Democratic leaders introduced, H.R. 3, would […]
Click here to view original web page at www.realclearpolicy.com
We Often Feel Like David Taking on Giants
Today’s Goliath is the Mainstream Media Industrial Complex that brainwashes the masses.
Our mission is very straightforward: To counter the false narratives and nefarious agendas destroying America today. It isn’t easy for obvious reasons; despite incredible growth over the last year we are still a very tiny fish in a huge media pond. But we’re fighting and we will continue to do so, Lord willing, for as long as we possibly can. The battle for America’s present and future is too important for us to back down to the giants that stand in our way.
We need help. I don’t want to say “desperately,” but the need is definitely great. If you have the means, please donate through our GivingFuel page, PayPal, or our Substack page. Your generosity is what keeps these sites running and allows us to get the truth to the masses. We’ve had great success in growing but we know we can do more with your assistance.
Thank you, and God Bless!
JD Rucker