Obama Supporter Krugman Admits "Death Panels" in Health Care Allow Rationing

Bioethics   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Apr 7, 2010   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Obama Supporter Krugman Admits "Death Panels" in Health Care Allow Rationing

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 7
, 2010

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Now that President Barack Obama has signed the pro-abortion health care bill into law, a supporter of his has admitted the rationing components in it. During an appearance on ABC’s "This Week" Paul Krugman admits some of the concerns that pro-life groups pointed out during the debate.

Krugman claims accurately that the cost/benefit board established over private medicine by the new health care program will be able to impose “more or less binding judgments” refusing care.

He said these judgments will save “a lot of money” in the context of treating the elderly and people with disabilities and terminal illnesses.

Krugman also said the panel will prevent treatment that isn’t “medically” useful.

Wesley J. Smith, an author and attorney who is a bioethics watchdog, noticed the interview.

"No, the money won’t be taken out of the hide of patients who want physiologically useless treatment, it will come at the lethal cost to patients whose treatment will be refused because it could work, based on the invidious judgment that the patient’s life is not worth the money to support," he said in response.

"In short, Krugman has admitted that contrary to the many mendacious denials by Obamacare supporters, the new regime will impose rationing," as happens in the UK, Smith added.

"This is akin to imposing a duty to die because when we reach a certain point in life, we will not be able to obtain treatment we want that could keep us going. Indeed, for me, this centralized federal control over what will and will not be provided in medicine–and to whom–is the biggest reason (among so many) why Obamacare is wrong," Smith commented.

Tom McClusky of the Family Research Council also noticed Krugman’s comments.

He said that while FRC and pro-life advocates got heat from backers of the government-run health care bill and the mainstream media for the rationing analysis, Krugman’s comments validate the concerns.

"Now that the bill has passed, President Obam’s supporters are saying similar things," he noticed. "Krugman is saying that Obamacare will lead to government rationing of health care, in order to save money in the system for healthier individuals."

McClusky also noticed the New York Times getting in on the rationing debate, too.

"Yesterday the Administration’s paper of record, the New York Times, had an article (not an op-ed) wondering how to convince the American people the benefits of saying ‘No’ to certain medical treatments," he said. "They even go on to suggest that certain early warning systems, like those for prostrate cancer, do more harm then good."

McClusky added: "Perhaps that is true – but the only evidence the NY Times offers is an article by the same author. It sounds more like when the federal government tried telling women not to get mammograms until you are much older then currently recommended – it might save money, but at the potential cost of a few lives that otherwise might have been saved by early detection (at least two of my family members would fit that category.)"

With rationing and abortion, pro-life advocates had several sufficient reasons to oppose the health care bill Obama signed.

Related web sites:
Video of Krugman’s remarks –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aogCaGv9i78

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