Death Panels open in US Health Insurance

Americans were frightened out of a single payer, medical health care system similar to one in operation in many countries using a number of tactics, including by using the term “death panel”. Sarah Palin, who claimed “proposed legislation would create a “death panel” of bureaucrats who would decide whether Americans—such as her elderly parents or child with Down syndrome—were worthy of medical care.”

Palins claim was totally debunked by fact check organizations, and it was named 2009 “Lie of the year” by Politifact.

So a federal or national health care system, or single payer system passed into history and we ended up with whats become known as Obamacare.

As an executive, who is divorced, and has no dependents, I have the best medical plan available through my employer, it comes with an EXPRESS SCRIPTS prescription plan. Recently they started sending out communications on the changes for the 2013 plan. It included a word I’d never before heard “formulary“.

My formulary letter
Express Scripts

In essence, what it is is major aspect of what Sarah Palin referred to as a death panel. Express Scripts tries in its communication to pass it off as an employer choice. They write “Medications not on [insert employer name here] formulary will remain available, but you will pay full price for them.” (highlighting theirs).

This is EXACTLY what happens with the UK NHS Prescriptions. You pay a flat charge of £7.65 approximately, $12. Thats pretty much all drugs, except mostly untested, unapproved ones. Many of the long term sick and unemployed get exemptions from the charge. We though have a copay, no one is exempted from the copay, and it varies from drug to drug.

Express Scripts list though is pretty short in total, the good news is it does include viagra and cialis. So, with none of the real benefits, we’ve got death panels by the back door.

Author: Mark Cathcart


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