UPDATED: Mark Halperin: Death Panels Are 'Built Into' Obamacare

[DonViejo]

Last edited Tue Nov 26, 2013, 03:40 PM - Edit history (1)

TOM KLUDT – NOVEMBER 26, 2013, 12:03 PM EST

One of the Beltway's best-known pundits gave credence this week to perhaps the fringiest of all Obamacare conspiracy theories.

In an interview on Monday with the conservative Newsmax, Time's Mark Halperin said that so-called "death panels" are enshrined in the Affordable Care Act.

"It's going to be a huge issue," Halperin said. "And that's something else about which the President was not fully forthcoming or straight-forward."

"So, you believe there will be rationing, a.k.a 'death panels'?" host Steve Malzberg asked Halperin, the co-author of the 2012 election chronicle "Double Down."

"It's built into the plan. It's not like a guess or like a judgment. That's going to be part of how costs are controlled," Halperin said before arguing that it's necessary to ration care.

Full article + video
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mark-halperin-death-panels-are-built-into-obamacare-video

UPDATE:

Mark Halperin: I Don't Believe Obamacare Contains 'Death Panels'

TOM KLUDT – NOVEMBER 26, 2013, 2:17 PM EST

Mark Halperin on Tuesday sought to clarify his comments about "death panels" in the Affordable Care Act.

In a pair of tweets, Halperin said he does not believe the health care law contains "death panels," but said the Independent Payment Advisory Board faces political challenges ahead. He quoted former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (D), who called the board "essentially a health-care rationing body." But the Affordable Care Act explicitly bars the IPAB from rationing care.

Mark Halperin ✔ @MarkHalperin
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In Mon intv I did not say "death panels" nor do I believe ACA contains them. Was speaking of political/policy challenge of IPAB cuts. My bad
1:37 PM - 26 Nov 2013

Mark Halperin ✔ @MarkHalperin
Follow
Howard Dean: "The IPAB is essentially a health-care rationing body." Again, not endorsing that view, but shows coming political challenge
1:37 PM - 26 Nov 2013

During an interview on Monday, Halperin seemed to agree with right-wing shock jock Steve Malzberg's assertion that "there will be rationing, a.k.a 'death panels.'" "It's built into the plan. It's not like a guess or like a judgment. That's going to be part of how costs are controlled," Halperin said in the interview.

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[mucifer]

1. I'm sorry. Not everyone should have the choice of being on life support indefinitely.

It's not allowed in most of the single payer health care systems because this is unsustainable. Ventilators these days are VERY powerful and can keep people alive for a very long time.

In my opinion, it's not always ethical to do this when so many suffer with NO health care .

[SoCalNative]

4. Exactly

Additionally, people whose health will not be greatly improved by long-term, costly procedures should also be taken out of the equation.

[PassingFancy]

15. I so agree with you

I'm sorry, some will say this is cruel, but wasting millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions to keep someone on life support for months and months or years and years is very wasteful when they will never recover and/or never be able to have quality of life.

And, the right wingers deny, deny, deny that the old system under insurance companies actually had what they call "death panels." Insurance companies are always in the driver's seat and want to push everyone out of the hospitals, out of the nursing homes, out of the managed care facilities, out of long-term care facilities, etc., and want to unplug the machines because all of those medical devices and care ends up eating into the profit of the insurance companies. I'm not in support of insurance companies - I hate them all as they are nothing but legalized scams.

My husband was intubated and in ICU for 3 days when he was 50 years old - he had an asthma attack that almost killed him - they did not ask if we wanted him intubated in the ER, they just did it. They left him on the ventilator due to the fact that he was still a young man with a very good outlook for recovery. And, no, he's never recovered fully - he's 67 now and he has to use at least 5 medications every day of his life in order to breathe; but, he did have about 10 really good years of the last 17 where he was doing pretty good due to having the correct medicines available for him to use to manage the asthma (and now it's diagnosed as drop dead killer asthma, COPD, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis). Thankfully he is able to get his medicines at the Veteran's Administration since 2007 when I lost my job and our health care coverage (an HMO that was great). During this year his health has deteriorated and much of that is due to the fact he was fired from his job based on his age and his poor health (they were afraid he'd drop dead on the casino floor or going up and down stairs to the break room) - no money to sue them for age and health discrimination so now we have to rely on his piddling Social Security check which barely pays our rent and our bills, no money for food (thankfully our adult son lives with us and can help us out).

Sorry, I went off-topic; but, the point is - INSURANCE COMPANIES HAVE ALWAYS HAD DEATH PANELS - and we shouldn't be wasting millions upon millions for those at the end of their lives if there's no hope for any kind of quality of life.

[Dawson Leery]

2. Mark Halperin is a Republican partisan.

[Cosmocat]

11. More of a sniveling beltway insider POS

It isn't so much that is a partisan republican, he just is like 90% of the other DC pol media who know how the game is played and plays it well.

[alsame]

3. My father was on life support for the

last 3 weeks of his life.

The Dr told me that EVERY DAY the insurance company (BCBS) was calling him to ask when they were going to stop treatment. My mother ultimately made the decision when we were told his condition was irreversible, but those SOBs were pressuring the DR to stop almost immediately.

Anyone who doesn't think the for-profit insurance companies are themselves death panels is in denial.

[Laelth]

7. +1. n/t

-Laelth

[davidpdx]

8. I had a similar experience with my father being on life support for about the same amount of time

He was on Medicare and I don't ever remember there being a problem in terms of bills. My dad had a stroke when he was 43 and several other times. When he was 55 he had one and fell and ended up in the hospital in ICU. His condition worsened and the doctor told me I he wouldn't improve.

[Arkana]

5. What the fuck?

I always knew Halperin was a suck-up and a tool, but he's apparently delusional as well.

[quadrature]

6. does Obamacare have its version of the Liverpool Care Pathway?...nt

remember.
Soylent Green is people.

[okaawhatever]

9. It doesn't matter, he's given the politicians and other right wing media the quote they're looking

to repeat. Damage done. And he clears up an article on Twitter? Hmmm

[area51]

10. Halperin: "My bad for getting caught."

Our current system, both pre GingrichCare and post, already have death panels because health care is dependent on the amount of money you have; it's rationed by bank account.

[Sunlei]

12. when Kennedy rolled out medicare RW used the same 'death panel' crap. RW so old sadsack outdated.

republicans when are you going to stop kissin' insurance CORP rearends and start working for 'the American people' ?

[One of the 99]

13. Halperin has always been a right wing shill

Don't believe a word he says.

[quadrature]

14. is there an expected date, when the first person...

will have their plug pulled by
this independent board?