Via Paul Waldman, a disheartening cave-in from the Obama administration.
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration, reversing course, will revise a Medicare regulation to delete references to end-of-life planning as part of the annual physical examinations covered under the new health care law, administration officials said Tuesday.
The move is an abrupt shift, coming just days after the new policy took effect on Jan. 1.
Many doctors and providers of hospice care had praised the regulation, which listed “advance care planning” as one of the services that could be offered in the “annual wellness visit” for Medicare beneficiaries.
While administration officials cited procedural reasons for changing the rule, it was clear that political concerns were also a factor. The renewed debate over advance care planning threatened to become a distraction to administration officials who were gearing up to defend the health law against attack by the new Republican majority in the House.
This isn't the first time the administration blinked on the issue in health insurance reform. In the whole "death panels" furor of 2009, the administration on one hand gave a strong defense of the proposal, then pulled it from the legislation. They did the same thing in the wake of Joe "You Lie" Wilson's illegal immigrant tantrum, forcefully pushing back on the lie, then making sure that immigrants wouldn't be able to get insurance on the exchanges even with their own money. Here they are in the middle of a defense of the whole Affordable Care Act, and they give on the easy stuff. Waldman:
Rule No. 1: When you make policy decisions based on "The Republicans might attack us on this!" then you haven't just lost politically; you've betrayed the things you allegedly believed in.
What's particularly maddening about this isn't just the cowardice; it's the fact that this is a debate Democrats can easily turn to their advantage.... On the other hand, maybe what Democrats need is some more preemptive concessions.
Death panels, illegal immigrants getting government health insurance, tax cuts for the wealthy--the number of issues on which the administration talks tough and then gives in has indeed become maddening.