The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Obama Admin's Reversal of End-of-Life Care is Puzzling

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The Spectacle Blog

Obama Admin's Reversal of End-of-Life Care is Puzzling

By Philip Klein on 1.5.11 @ 1:23PM

Reversing itself again, the Obama administration has dropped an end-of-life planning provision from new Medicare regulations. It's difficult to make sense of what the Obama administration is thinking here. It should have been assumed that the administration's decision to include end-of-life care planning in new Medicare regulations would revive the "death panel" charge, which already forced Democrats to drop a similar provision from an earlier version of the health care legislation. If the administration is so intent on addressing the end-of-life planning issue, they should have been prepared to stand by their decision on policy grounds. If they weren't prepared to do that, it was completely puzzling to revive the issue. Raising the issue again provided fodder to conservatives, while backing down yet again is another example to liberals of an administration unwilling to fight Republicans. Either the administration didn't anticipate this reaction, or there was a lack of communication within the administration. Whichever the case, the handling of this issue was inept.

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Dropping By| 1.5.11 @ 2:26PM

All true, plus recall that those actually reviving the issue stressed the importance of secrecy to get their way on the matter. Perhaps they actually expected the death panel provision to, in fact, remain secret for a while -- but when it went public, had to give up.

Saber| 1.5.11 @ 2:28PM

Sarah Palin wins again

I Survived Arlen Specter| 1.5.11 @ 2:45PM

This is a ruse to be sure. They are just trying to deflect the bad press they are getting for trying to do an end around the American people to push an end-of-life provision through while no one was watching. It'll be back again in the future, mark my words. Democrats are much too eager to get blood on their hands to give up the idea of telling people to die for the good of their country.

PattyMor| 1.5.11 @ 3:44PM

And you really believe that they dropped the death panels? I don't beleive it for one minute. Killing grandma is their largest cost saving idea. They truly are the culture of death.

DL| 1.5.11 @ 3:57PM

Thank you Mr. Klein for calling this provision what it really is; end of life care planning. Glad to see not everone is a lemming. And I agree, their actions are puzzling.

Dan Fitzgerald| 1.5.11 @ 5:41PM

Earl Blumenauer got 70% in his last election. It's too bad his district would elect Pol Pot if there was a (D) next to his name. This would make him a target anywhere except Multnomah County.