Healthcare Daily Digest for 15 February 2013: Healthcare Rationing, Death Panels, and Other Republican Scares

Once upon a time, Republicans called healthcare reform “death panels” and they were wrong about that but boy was it a great rallying cry and the soundbites were awesome. I mean, who isn’t against a death panel?

Now, Republicans are calling it “healthcare rationing” in an attempt to scare the U.S. away from providing affordable healthcare, and it’s just as terrific, because… ugh. I just don’t have the energy.

Wanna see some healthcare rationing? Look at businesses that are threatening to either close entirely or cut hours in order to skip around providing health insurance.

It’s Friday. I’m a Communist Socialist. Geh gezunt.

Friday headlines:

• It’ll Be Like Watching Your Grandparents Boxing!: “Seniors empowered to fight medicare fraud.”
• Expanded and Improved Medicare For All Act: “U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D-Detroit) has reintroduced legislation to provide universal, government-sponsored health care, though – as has long been the case – its chances of moving far in Congress are slim.”
• The Headline is in All-Caps, So You Know it’s Important: “MANDATORY CHARITY CARE LIMITS UNLIKELY; SECTION 501 CHANGES POSSIBLE IN TAX REFORM.” “While tax reform discussions in Congress this year may not focus specifically on exempt organizations, it will be impossible to rewrite the tax code without looking at Section 501, which governs them, a Senate Democratic aide told a gathering of tax-exempt groups Feb. 8.” Impossible? I’ll say!