The divide between his rhetoric and reality continues to mount: President Obama's health care law is creating government rationed health care.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Wednesday that $17 million in taxpayer funds would be used to create "comparative effectiveness research" –a term identified during the health care debate as a means to rationed care.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the funds would create a network of "patient-centered outcomes research" (PCOR) – the new name for comparative effectiveness research – to "improve health outcomes" for "diverse and vulnerable" populations.
In a 2009 report to Congress, the PCOR predecessor, the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research, outlined its priority:
"The priority populations specifically include, but are not limited to, racial and ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, children, the elderly, and patients with multiple chronic conditions," the coordinating council said.
An often-cited quote during the health care debate was made by President Obama in an interview with The New York Times:
"The chronically ill and those toward the end of their lives are accounting for potentially 80 percent of the total health care bill out here….There is going to have to be a very difficult democratic conversation that takes place."
Tom Minnery, senior vice president of government and public policy for CitizenLink, urged Americans not to give up – or to consider health care 'fait accomplis.'
"CitizenLink readers are the best at reading and responding to our action alerts," said Minnery. "With 60+ days to go before Nov. 2, I encourage them to pray for our nation, stay tuned to our alerts and forward them to your friends and neighbors. Together, we can continue to protect the family."
Date Published: September 2, 2010
