Section 1233
Conspiracy theorists have moved on from claiming that Page 16 of the health care bill outlaws private health insurance. They have a new straw man, Section 1233.
The conspiracy holds that Section 1233 would set up death panels and have doctors encourage elderly patients to submit to euthanasia.
The section - which originally had bipartisan support - actually allows for the reimbursement of services for doctors who counsel patients on "end of life" issues.
Many people like to set up a living will that spells out how far doctors should go in maintaining their life when there is no hope for recovery. Section 1233 allows patients to get advice on these matters.
The counseling would be voluntary.
Yet opponents of health care reform, fed bogus information by private insurance companies and their allies in the right wing media, has turned this into a charge that President Barack Obama wants to kill old people to save money.
For an informative discussion of the issue, take a look at this interview with Sen. Johnny Isakson, a conservative Republican from Georgia who is sponsoring the provision in the Senate:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/08/is_the_government_going_to_eut.html?hpid=topnews
The conspiracy holds that Section 1233 would set up death panels and have doctors encourage elderly patients to submit to euthanasia.
The section - which originally had bipartisan support - actually allows for the reimbursement of services for doctors who counsel patients on "end of life" issues.
Many people like to set up a living will that spells out how far doctors should go in maintaining their life when there is no hope for recovery. Section 1233 allows patients to get advice on these matters.
The counseling would be voluntary.
Yet opponents of health care reform, fed bogus information by private insurance companies and their allies in the right wing media, has turned this into a charge that President Barack Obama wants to kill old people to save money.
For an informative discussion of the issue, take a look at this interview with Sen. Johnny Isakson, a conservative Republican from Georgia who is sponsoring the provision in the Senate:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/08/is_the_government_going_to_eut.html?hpid=topnews
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