A bit of truth in a health care lie

This article in the American Prospect is correct:

Republicans do lie about health care reform for the most part.

Let me expand on one item, though. He uses Palin’s “death panels” as an example of a lie. For sure, as she and other Republicans spun it, it was. I won’t repeat the lie here, but you see the full quote in this Politifact article.

In that quote, though, she started off by talking about rationing care. In this small bit, and it kills me to say this, she was right. The amount of health care will get rationed. Period. There is not an unlimited amount of money we can spend on everything people see as necessary to their health. A line will be drawn. But who will draw it?

Republicans seem perfectly comfortable with so-called “death panels” as long as it’s private companies making the call. They also seem perfectly comfortable with labor markets making that call – that is, if you can’t get a job with health insurance or can’t afford it, well, then no care for you.

For me, a far better system is to have a universal (everyone in), government-administered health insurance program that covers basic, scientifically proven health care treatments. From there, if people want additional or unproven treatments, we can have private out-of-pocket spending or a thriving private insurance market.

In fact, this private health care spending sphere could even tap the power of markets. Entrepreneurs and inventors would have the incentive to develop safe, effective new treatments that could be folded into the wider-spread government program.

Yes, in the end, a government panel would have to decide what is included in the basic insurance. In other words, it would have to ration precious health care dollars. But again, that already happens! At least a government panel would be publicly accountable for its decisions, and everyone would receive basic needed care.

Oh, and Republicans would likely lie about it.

By the way, I am well aware of Democratic counter-examples here. Pres. Obama got tagged with a “Lie of the Year” for saying that, under the ACA, you could keep your health current health insurance. Also, famously, ACA architect Jonathan Gruber dubbed Americans as too stupid to have the full ramifications of the ACA explained to them. No one is innocent. But on balance, the Republicans take the cake.