Health Care, stimulus and treatment

Betty McCaughey has written a fantastic "must read" commentary on health care in America and how the “Stimulus Bill” will affect it. Bloomberg

‘[Our government] will monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective. Hospitals and doctors that are not “meaningful users” of the new system will face penalties. “Meaningful user” isn’t defined in the bill. That will be left to the HHS secretary, who will be empowered to impose “more stringent measures of meaningful use over time” (511, 518, 540-541)

Elderly Hardest Hit... Seniors should be more accepting of the conditions that come with age instead of treating them... Medicare now pays for treatments deemed safe and effective. The stimulus bill would change that and apply a cost- effectiveness standard set by the Federal Council (464).’