As has been frontpaged, Salon.com has an excellent feature on the prevalence of healthcare rationing by the for-profit insurance industry.
This was a response to the current insanity regarding healthcare Death Panels that is circling through the wingnutosphere. Now, we all know the folks peddling this nonsense don't actually believe it.. it's just a method of attack. But many of the folks who have had their brains reduced to pablum by FoxNews have been conditioned to believe everything they hear.
Everything.
So how do we reach them?
The Obama Administration has tried to make sure the facts are available.. but people like this simply don't go searching for facts. These are the folks who haven't figured out who runs Medicare.
As long as they have the megaphone of talk radio, the single message of the lobbyist-written talking points, and the vast herds of uninformed, angry people willing to be directed.. a civil debate based on reason simply isn't possible.
So, we call their bluff. As Speaker Pelosi has said.. Elections Have Consequences.
Upon returning from the August recess, the Democrats should immediately introduce legislation to outlaw any public or private health insurance plan from failing to cover normally-approved treatments on the basis of stage-of-life or terminal illness.
What Republican Congressperson could vote against such a bill, after the outcry they have stirred into life over the subject? What Republican Congressperson could vote for such a bill, with their pockets full of healthcare money, and their marching orders printed straight from the board rooms of AHIP?
Tell you what, Madame Speaker.. you make this happen, and I'll bring the popcorn.