The Public Square® - 60 Minute Program

I was listening to WMBW in Chattanooga this morning. You mentioned that O'bama Care has a plan to decide when an elderly patient lives or dies, which takes the decision from God and places in Man's (our government's) hands. Will you tell me where I can find proof that this provision exists? thanks very much.

Hi Fletcher,

We've received many questions about death panels and rationing. We hope the information below helps.

From APR's National Legislative Director: While the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) does not use the phrase "death panel" as coined from an earlier version of the legislation, it does include policies and provisions that would adversely affect life-saving services...providing a similar result.

Section 3403 describes the "Independent Payment Advisory Board" and Section 10320 states that this board is an expansion in the scope of and a renaming of the "Independent Medicare Advisory Board".

This board is comprised of 15 unelected individuals that are charged, in part, with reducing the per capita rate of growth in Medicare spending.

While this board is not permitted to "recommend" specific rationing of care, or raising of premiums / cost sharing; or modifying eligibility for Medicare patients, it can and will make recommendations for the reduction of payments for items and services which will have the same end result as rationing.

In essence, payment rates can be set so low that doctors and hospitals will not be able to afford to provide the service. IPAB does not require Congressional approval for its recommendations. Although an act of Congress can block it.

In this article, HHS Secretary Sebelius states that her Department will define "rationing" when writing the regulations (which have yet to be publicly scrutinized).
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/231077-ipab-is-not-the-way-to-lower-medicare-costs

Other portions of the law that will affect the rationing of care are the sections that are intended to reduce hospital readmission rates.

Sec. 3025 describes the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program. The readmission rates will be determined by a federal formula. The time period from the date of discharged will be specifically determined by the federal HHS Secretary.