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From the fact that people are very different it follows that, if we treat them equally, the result must be inequality in their actual position, and that the only way to place them in an equal position would be to treat them differently. Equality before the law and material equality are therefore not only different but are in conflict with each other; and we can achieve either one or the other, but not both at the same time

-- F.A. Hayak

Thursday, August 13, 2009

More on "Death Panels"

Here's how President Obama answered a question concerning a woman's elderly mom and the end-of-life counseling she would be have been provided by ObamaCare's 1233 panel (what Sarah Palin refers to as a 'Death Panel'):
[Q] My mother had a pacemaker implanted when she was 99 and is still alive today at 105. Would ObamaCare take into consideration my mother's spirit, her joy of life?
[Obama] The 1233 panel will be instituted to ensure that she and her doctor(s) know that an option exists that would save money if only she would just take a pain-killer.
You can see the whole dialog on video.
 
Anyway, President Obama is entirely correct. The only function of the 1233 panel is to provide financial incentives for health-care providers to save money by "counseling" alternatives other than expensive, end-of-life care.
Posted by Michael Peterson at Thursday, August 13, 2009