国营医改与好撒玛利亚人
http://standardworlddaily.com/blog/archives/1514把国营医改视为特洛伊木马进城,说医改有害于美国经济,并不能获得那些渴望健康保险的老人和穷人的赞同。或者说,他们不认为模仿欧洲和加拿大实行全民健保,会有什么不良后果。
和奥巴马一样,他们不相信单单凭借市场的力量可以解决医疗护理问题,对他们来说健康非常重要,健康不是商品而是人的基本权利,而维持健康的医疗及护 理不应该当作一般性的商品和服务,比方说在你小孩病危中,你无法和药店讨价还价。于是,他们认为市场不是万能的,市场无法保证足够的覆盖面,市场只面向负 担得起的人,当人们无法支付医保的时候,便想到了第三方,政府,公费买单,这就是所谓的单一付费制。
天下没有免费的午餐
政府的钱都来自纳税人的税费。如果自己幸运,属于不用缴税或者缴税很少的人群,如果实行公费医疗,等于说别人支付了你大部分的医疗费。用别人的钱来治病,这种幸福和健康基本要建立在别人痛苦工作的基础上,因此,这种制度并没有什么公平性可言。
没有买保险的人都会担心将来治病花掉毕生的积蓄,所以时刻注意自己的身体。但是,倘若有公费为你保障,你的顾虑就会少很多。嗜酒如命的人可能会继续 酗酒,性生活活跃分子也不用检点和节制。二十年前,在中国东北,我发现这样一出关于公费医疗的咄咄怪事,一家传染病院里住着一堆不想出院的肝炎病人,他们 根本不理睬戒酒的忠告。这些人在医院算“住”出名了,号称什么“司令”,“军长”,他们不愿意出院是因为看到了其中赚钱的机会,他们让医生乱开药,然后弄 到黑市去卖钱。据说,他们的单位每年用于报销他们的医药费就好几万。平民况且如此,中共高干更不用说了,海协会主席汪道涵临终前,他个人的公费医疗开支每 年都超过五百万。
政府可以信托么?
纳税人支持公共医疗,无非是愿意先把税和费先交给了政府代理,让政府来掌管民众的医疗护理。美国有三亿的人口,要政府来关照,必然要投入大量的人力 和物力。奥巴马的医改方案就是如此,他的计划要增设的官僚机构达五十三个,而且其权限图谱繁杂的就象绕不出来的迷宫。没有盈利观念的政府,自然不会在意客 户需求,完全不用担心因为服务品质差和效率低的问题造成客户流失。
政府管理的Medicaid计划腐败严重,诈骗案特别多。根据卫生和公众服务部的监察单位统计,Medicaid的诈骗每年造成一百八十六亿的损 失,反保险诈骗联盟(COALITION AGAINST INSURANCE FRAUD)的常务理事DENNIS JAY认为整个政府管理的医疗计划,有将近一成的经费被骗,而联邦政府也承认每年因此损失七百二十亿。政府的Medicare计划每年也要拿出九十多亿作 为反诈骗的预算。
健康本来是上帝给人的身体财富,关键看你如何珍惜和保重。倘若政府逐步垄断了医疗,你的健康维护权等于交给官僚。你把自己的责任给了政府,你就必须 看这些官僚的脸色行事,让他们决定得到那种医疗待遇,该不该体检,多少时间体检一次,可以看什么样的医生,住哪家医院,去哪家诊所,吃什么药,该等多久才 能治疗?甚至有没有权利接受治疗?这一切不在由你控制。这是非常可怕的事情。
奥巴马提倡医改,但他的言行并不一致
医改的提倡者奥巴马,算得是美国人最信赖的人,但是他的话真实可信么?我们看看他是怎么说的。2003年,他说:“我恰好是个单一付费形式的全民医 疗方案的支持者”。竞选年,他说:“如果他执政,能够从零开始改革的话,他会推行加拿大式的医疗保险制度,所谓的单一给付体制(a single-payer system)。” 2009年,他又说:“我从没说过我是个单一付费形式的支持者”。前后反复无常,毫无诚信。
还有一个对比,我们知道,之前,奥巴马的祖母患了癌症,只剩几个月的寿命。可是,不幸的是,老祖母不小心摔伤了臀部,虽然不能确定她还能活多长,他 们家还是决定手术治疗。奥巴马说:“我希望她们家能得到最好的治疗。”后来,在一次提及医改的电视节目中,一位名叫Jane Sturm女士说,五年前,她给年迈(快百岁)老母亲安装了心脏起搏器,她问奥巴马,假如不从“支持生命权“来考量,政府是否会因为节省医疗开支,而对某 种高龄进行一刀切,拒绝治疗。奥巴马回答说,要从整个社会着眼,一些浪费并不能让母亲感觉更适宜,不要做手术,吃止痛片就好。
哇哦,别人母亲吃止痛片就好了,自己的祖母是要救的。这是什么样的逻辑?
说道节省政府医疗开支,奥巴马的医疗政策顾问Ezekial Emanuel博士,提出一种对生命价值估计的算法,所谓完整存活体系Complete Lives system 。他认为应该计算出人的挽救价值,然后来决定花多少钱医救才是合算的。Ezekial Emanuel博士绘出所谓的优先治愈几率曲线,强调挽救年轻人的花费是比较合算的,因为曲线中年龄在15-40岁之间的人,存活的机会比较大。而对于年 纪幼小以及长者因为机会就很低了,多花不利于节省开支。如果参造这种算法,政府有权决定谁是废人,谁是贵人,岂不成了人命判官,阎王爷?按照这个算法,残 废的霍金博士,早就没有生命的价值了。斯蒂芬•威廉•霍金(Stephen William Hawking),小时候经常跌倒,后来经过医生诊断他患了“肌肉萎缩性侧索硬化症“,活不多时了。可是,霍金博士活到现在,成为了继爱因斯坦后最杰出的 物理学家。
奥巴马器重的另外一个“军师”叫Cass Sunstein。2004年,他在《哥伦比亚法律评论》写道:“我敦促政府应该关注的是寿命年,而不是性命,保住青年生命的(医疗)计划比挽救老人生命的计划要更利于社会福利。”如果你是老人,你还敢把医保托付给政府么?
果然,为了节省医疗开支,奥巴马的医改计划要求年老体弱绝症患者的家属接受医生的临终咨询(end-of-life consultations),也就是官僚授权医生可以决定是救与不救,就象前面的奥巴马所说,不要浪费,吃止痛片就好了。尤其是医改方案中的1233节 (Section 1233 of HR3200 见后面的附录),让人想到纳粹执行的“强迫安乐死”,莎拉•佩林批评说,这是给病人摆设死亡控制台(DEATH PANEL)。
不光老人,而且胎儿也有危险。我们知道罗伊案造成了美国堕胎趋向合法化。但事实上,美国传统社会仍然对堕胎议题有所保留,普遍视任意堕胎为可耻的, 不道德的。而且,美国法律对晚期堕胎也有严格的限制。可是,奥巴马的医改居然把覆盖堕胎费归入福利范围,也就是说让纳税人为堕胎买单,并规定医务者必须能 做堕胎手术,即便这样违反了他们的道德和宗教信仰。
奥巴马的医改不仅违背了他对教皇Benedict的减少堕胎的承诺,而且还用纳税人的钱补贴堕胎,这不是所谓的支持妇女选择权,这是在支持自由堕胎权。胎儿在他眼里难道就不是生命?胎儿就没有存活的权利,他的生死一定要让别人来决定?
谁是我的邻舍呢?
Cato 医疗政策学者Michael F. Cannon最近在他的博客,贴了非常有趣的一段文章:医改:看耶稣怎么做?(Health Care Reform: WWJD?)文章引用《新约》路加福音中(Luke 10:25-37)的好撒玛利亚人的比喻。Cannon 说,耶稣给了我们很好的启示是,“如果你想让你的邻舍到耶利哥,请用你的自由去护理他,不要把这种责任交给所谓的祭司,利未人”。Cannon把弃邻舍不 顾的祭司,利未人比作,代表民意多数,道貌岸然,吃官粮的政府官僚。Cannon在文中,把真正关心邻舍的撒玛利亚人喻作私人保险或者慈善机构,因为他们 都出于自愿,出于关爱。
Cannon的解释是,撒玛利亚人发现落难邻舍后,及时地给予了照顾,而且是亲自护理。他体贴入微,他用救护车(自己的牲口)把病人送到医院 (店),他私人掏钱(拿出二钱银子)给医院(店)要他代为照顾,他没有给医院过多的费用,免得医院滥用,但他又同时考虑了医疗超支费用的报销问题(此外所 费用的,我回来必还你)。
Cannon先生说的不错。医保送给“满口仁义道德”的政府接管,并不会收到良好的结果。到头来,他们反而会因为开支问题而弃病患不顾,或者实行所谓的护理配给制度,让病患等待很长时间而得不到及时的医治。
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所谓的临终咨询:
Section 1233. Advanced Care Planning Consultation
`(hhh)(1) Subject to paragraphs (3) and (4), the term `advance care planning consultation’ means a consultation between the individual and a practitioner described in paragraph (2) regarding advance care planning, if, subject to paragraph (3), the individual involved has not had such a consultation within the last 5 years. Such consultation shall include the following:
`(A) An explanation by the practitioner of advance care planning, including key questions and considerations, important steps, and suggested people to talk to.
`(B) An explanation by the practitioner of advance directives, including living wills and durable powers of attorney, and their uses.
`(C) An explanation by the practitioner of the role and responsibilities of a health care proxy.
`(D) The provision by the practitioner of a list of national and State-specific resources to assist consumers and their families with advance care planning, including the national toll-free hotline, the advance care planning clearinghouses, and State legal service organizations (including those funded through the Older Americans Act of 1965).
`(E) An explanation by the practitioner of the continuum of end-of-life services and supports available, including palliative care and hospice, and benefits for such services and supports that are available under this title.
(换句话,可以不治愈你,但帮助你减轻痛苦)
`(F)(i) Subject to clause (ii), an explanation of orders regarding life sustaining treatment or similar orders, which shall include–
`(I) the reasons why the development of such an order is beneficial to the individual and the individual’s family and the reasons why such an order should be updated periodically as the health of the individual changes;
`(II) the information needed for an individual or legal surrogate to make informed decisions regarding the completion of such an order; and
`(III) the identification of resources that an individual may use to determine the requirements of the State in which such individual resides so that the treatment wishes of that individual will be carried out if the individual is unable to communicate those wishes, including requirements regarding the designation of a surrogate decisionmaker (also known as a health care proxy).
`(ii) The Secretary shall limit the requirement for explanations under clause (i) to consultations furnished in a State–
`(I) in which all legal barriers have been addressed for enabling orders for life sustaining treatment to constitute a set of medical orders respected across all care settings; and
`(II) that has in effect a program for orders for life sustaining treatment described in clause (iii).
`(iii) A program for orders for life sustaining treatment for a States described in this clause is a program that–
`(I) ensures such orders are standardized and uniquely identifiable throughout the State;
`(II) distributes or makes accessible such orders to physicians and other health professionals that (acting within the scope of the professional’s authority under State law) may sign orders for life sustaining treatment;
`(III) provides training for health care professionals across the continuum of care about the goals and use of orders for life sustaining treatment; and
`(IV) is guided by a coalition of stakeholders includes representatives from emergency medical services, emergency department physicians or nurses, state long-term care association, state medical association, state surveyors, agency responsible for senior services, state department of health, state hospital association, home health association, state bar association, and state hospice association.
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[More on "order regarding life sustaining treatment" in the same Section]
`(5)(A) For purposes of this section, the term `order regarding life sustaining treatment’ means, with respect to an individual, an actionable medical order relating to the treatment of that individual that–
`(i) is signed and dated by a physician (as defined in subsection (r)(1)) or another health care professional (as specified by the Secretary and who is acting within the scope of the professional’s authority under State law in signing such an order, including a nurse practitioner or physician assistant) and is in a form that permits it to stay with the individual and be followed by health care professionals and providers across the continuum of care;
`(ii) effectively communicates the individual’s preferences regarding life sustaining treatment, including an indication of the treatment and care desired by the individual;
`(iii) is uniquely identifiable and standardized within a given locality, region, or State (as identified by the Secretary); and
`(iv) may incorporate any advance directive (as defined in section 1866(f)(3)) if executed by the individual.
`(B) The level of treatment indicated under subparagraph (A)(ii) may range from an indication for full treatment to an indication to limit some or all or specified interventions. Such indicated levels of treatment may include indications respecting, among other items–
`(i) the intensity of medical intervention if the patient is pulse less, apneic, or has serious cardiac or pulmonary problems;
`(ii) the individual’s desire regarding transfer to a hospital or remaining at the current care setting;
`(iii) the use of antibiotics; and
`(iv) the use of artificially administered nutrition and hydration.’.
Obama to Jane Sturm: Hey, take a pill
obamacare For Thee, But Not For Me