Michelle Malkin » The Obamacare horror story you won’t hear

The Obamacare horror story you won’t hear

By Michelle Malkin • June 19, 2009 01:04 AM

I blogged about Michelle Obama’s role in creating a patient-dumping scheme for the University of Chicago Medical Center back in March. With her husband and the Democrats unleashing health care horror story anecdotes to gin up public fear and build support for the beleaguered Obamacare plan, my syndicated column today revisits the kind of “reform” the Obamas and their Chicago cronies champion — and who benefits.

Here’s a challenge to the ABC News Obamacare infomercial producers. I dare you to ask President Obama this question: What have you done for Dontae Adams, lately?

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The Obamacare horror story you won’t hear
by Michelle Malkin
Creators Syndicate
Copyright 2009

The White House, Democrats, and MoveOn liberals are spreading health care sob stories to sell a government takeover. But there’s one health care policy nightmare you won’t hear the Obamas hyping. It’s a tale of poor, minority patient-dumping in Chicago — with First Lady Michelle Obama’s fingerprints all over it.

Both Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa and Democrat Rep. Bobby Rush of Chicago have raised red flags about the outsourcing program, run by the University of Chicago Medical Center. The hospital has non-profit status and receives lucrative tax breaks in exchange for providing charity care. Yet, it spent a measly $10 million on charity care for the poor in fiscal 2007 when Mrs. Obama was employed there—1.3 percent of its total hospital expenses, according to an analysis performed for The Washington Post by the non-partisan Center for Tax and Budget Accountability. The figure is below the 2.1 percent average for nonprofit hospitals in surrounding Cook County.

Rep. Rush called for a House investigation last week in response to months of patient-dumping complaints, noting: “Congress has a duty to expend its power to mitigate and prevent this despicable practice from continuing in centers that receive federal funds.”

Don’t expect the president to support a probe. While a top executive at the hospital, Mrs. Obama helped engineer the plan to offload low-income patients with non-urgent health needs. Under the Orwellian banner of an “Urban Health Initiative,” Mrs. Obama sold the scheme to outsource low-income care to other facilities as a way to “dramatically improve health care for thousands of South Side residents.” The program guaranteed “free” shuttle rides to and from the outside clinics.

In truth, it was old-fashioned cost-cutting and favor-trading repackaged as minority aid. Clearing out the poor freed up room for insured (i.e., more lucrative) patients. If a Republican had proposed the very same program and recruited black civic leaders to front it, Michelle Obama and her grievance-mongering friends would be screaming “RAAAAAAAAACISM!” at the top of their lungs.

Joe Stephens of the Washington Post wrote: “To ensure community support, Michelle Obama and others in late 2006 recommended that the hospital hire the firm of David Axelrod, who a few months later became the chief strategist for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. Axelrod’s firm recommended an aggressive promotional effort modeled on a political campaign—appoint a campaign manager, conduct focus groups, target messages to specific constituencies, then recruit religious leaders and other third-party ‘validators.’ They, in turn, would write and submit opinion pieces to Chicago publications.”

Some health care experts saw through Mrs. Obama and her public relations man, David Axelrod—yes, the same David Axelrod who is now Mr. Obama’s senior adviser at the White House. The University of Chicago Medical Center hired Axelrod’s public relations firm, ASK Public Strategies, to promote Mrs. Obama’s Urban Health Initiative. Axelrod had the blessing of Chicago political guru Valerie Jarrett – now White House senior adviser.

Axelrod’s great contribution: Re-branding! His firm recommended re-naming the initiative after “[i]nternal and external respondents expressed the opinion that the word ‘urban’ is code for ‘black’ or ‘black and poor’….Based on the research, consideration should be given to re-branding the initiative.” Axelrod and the Obama campaign refused to disclose how much his firm received for its genius re-branding services.

In February 2009, outrage in the Obamas’ community exploded after a young boy covered by Medicaid was turned away from the University of Chicago Medical Center. Dontae Adams’ mother, Angela, had sought emergency treatment for him after a pit bull tore off his upper lip. Mrs. Obama’s hospital gave the boy a tetanus shot, antibiotics, and Tylenol and shoved him out the door. The mother and son took an hour-long bus ride to another hospital for surgery.

I’ll guarantee you this: You’ll never see the Adams family featured at an Obama policy summit or seated next to the First Lady at a joint session of Congress to illustrate the failures of the health care system.

Following the Adams incident, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) blasted Mrs. Obama and Mr. Axelrod’s grand plan. The group released a statement expressing “grave concerns that the University of Chicago’s policy toward emergency patients is dangerously close to ‘patient dumping,’ a practice made illegal by the Emergency Medical Labor and Treatment Act (EMTALA)” – signed by President Reagan, by the way – “and reflected an effort to ‘cherry pick’ wealthy patients over poor.”

Rewarding political cronies at the expense of the poor while posing as guardians of the downtrodden? Welcome to Obamacare.

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You can pre-order Culture of Corruption now at Amazon.

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Related reading: David Catron on Michelle O’s “Urban Health Initiative” (now run by Obama longtime crony Dr. Eric Whitaker) and see also registered nurse Carol Peracchio on ACORN General Hospital.

Posted in: Health care, Michelle Obama

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#724557

On June 19th, 2009 at 2:10 pm, Snowfire said:

tiredofit08 #86

I’ve used Photoshop a little to make posters for events at work and have, so far, not seen a tag on it. However, I haven’t opened anything with Notepad.
#724599

On June 19th, 2009 at 2:52 pm, Misscheryl said:

Hot off the press, compliments of Forbes.com:

Exclusive
Obama’s Doctor Knocks ObamaCare
David Whelan, 06.18.09, 05:08 PM EDT

Dr. David Scheiner took care of Obama for 22 years. But they don’t see eye-to-eye on how to fix the health care system
#724617

On June 19th, 2009 at 3:04 pm, spaceycakes said:

I sometimes wear L’air du Temps
…but not today.
#724630

On June 19th, 2009 at 3:26 pm, TanyaB said:

Has anyone mentioned that Congress is exempt from this healthcare plan? It was reported on Fox News this morning.
If it’s such an all fire good plan, why in the heck is Congress exempt????
#724666

On June 19th, 2009 at 4:04 pm, granite said:

On June 19th, 2009 at 3:26 pm, TanyaB said:

Has anyone mentioned that Congress is exempt from this healthcare plan? It was reported on Fox News this morning.
If it’s such an all fire good plan, why in the heck is Congress exempt????

Sort of the way, if I remember correctly, that the Congressclowns are exempt from Social Security.
#724674

On June 19th, 2009 at 4:08 pm, bmac727 said:

Send a message to your Sens & Cons!
Dear ___:
Unless you want to be known as one of those in DC that helped push the nation out of the 2009 Recession and into a full-blown Depression in 2010, I strongly urge you to oppose any “Public Option”, “Single-payer”, “Universal”, “Government”, “National”, and/or Kennedy/Dodd Healthcare “Reform” bill! As the old song says, “we’re knee deep in the big muddy but the damn fool says to push on!” Just SLOW Down, already!
The idea of National Socialist style Health care scares me to death!
Why National Health Care Should Scare You –
As I was reminded by Matt Lewis recently, the scheme to nationalize health care is really frightening. While Americans should all oppose it on principle – there are also self-preservation reasons, as well.
It is clear that countries which have socialized health care require long waiting periods for treatment (no matter how much you are willing to pay), e.g. – Let’s say you have cancer, and it will cost you tens of thousands of dollars for treatment. And, you don’t have insurance; while this is certainly a bad predicament, it is not an impossible situation. While you might have to borrow or ask in order to be treated, a person can find a way in the USA to receive treatment – regardless of his or her AGE!
But if the government tells you that it’s too expensive, or that you’re too sick, or that you’re too old to be treated, or that you brought it upon yourself – then where do you go? Well in the Orwellian/Obaman World of National Socialist Health care – the Government bureaucracy will deny or postpone treatment!

And please pass the message on!

Links to the Senate and House -

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml
#724802

On June 19th, 2009 at 6:39 pm, CyberCipher said:

Rest assured that if the Obamas get their way, we will ALL be receiving the SAME level of medical care, viz. 17th century medical care.

My collie says:

I guess that the old 17th century cliche will be making a comeback as well, viz. “Them that dies — THEY be the lucky ones.”
#724840

On June 19th, 2009 at 7:08 pm, Leatherneck said:

I see illegal aliens get better health care than urbans, or anyone elce.

Come on in. Where is your anchor baby? You need a CT for a tooth abcess? No problem.
#724849

On June 19th, 2009 at 7:11 pm, tiredofit08 said:

On June 19th, 2009 at 2:10 pm, Snowfire said:

tiredofit08 #86

I’ve used Photoshop a little to make posters for events at work and have, so far, not seen a tag on it. However, I haven’t opened anything with Notepad.

this is what I got when I opened up a BO kindergarten photo on WND with notepad…

ÿØÿà JFIF H H ÿáEExif MM * b j( 1 % r2 —‡i ¬ Ø
ü€ ‘
ü€ ‘Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0 Windows 2009:06:09 12:18:53 ^ © & .( 6 H H ÿØÿà JFIF H H ÿí Adobe_CM ÿî Adobe d€ ÿÛ „
#724953

On June 20th, 2009 at 4:50 am, graysonret said:

It’s got to be tough being a politican in D.C., these days, torn between “looking good to the voters” and “what’s in it for me, politically and financially”. It’s a job I wouldn’t want; sacrificing my morals and ethics for power. I doubt many congressmen have any idea on what they’re doing. If it looks good, pass it, and hope for the best. Obama has been doing this since taking office.
#724974

On June 20th, 2009 at 10:15 am, Jeff said:

HT Commentary magazine…

This legislation — the Affordable Health Choices Act that’s being drafted by Sen. Edward Kennedy’s staff and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee — will push Americans into stingy insurance plans with tight, HMO-style controls. It specifically exempts members of Congress (along with federal employees; the exemptions are in section 3116).”

All we needed to know…
#724977

On June 20th, 2009 at 10:31 am, babiesgrandma said:

One thing that’s been nagging at me was recalling Tom Daschle’s role in all of this. I finally looked it up this AM, and found this story re: Daschle’s plans for when he would have become the Health Czar.

Tom Daschle’s Plan for Health Care Rationing
How the new health czar would save money by limiting care
Ronald Bailey | December 23, 2008

Link here to article: http://www.reason.com/news/show/130726.html

The basic premise is based on Daschle’s book, “Critical: What We Can Do about the Health Crisis,” while the article questions somewhat its veracity. (From the article):

NICE [Britain's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence] evaluates treatments for both clinical and cost effectiveness. A treatment may be clinically beneficial, but patients may not get access to it through Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) if NICE determines that it’s too expensive.

Folks, these people have been planning this for a long, long time, for when the liberals thought that the time was right…when they thought that conservative voices would be drowned out by the overwhelming b.s. thrown at the populace. I am afraid we are at the tipping point. We need to act now.
#724979

On June 20th, 2009 at 10:37 am, Jeff said:

OT but AP finally admits a problem !

Thirty-six suspected members of four violent Detroit street gangs have been arrested and charged with crimes involving immigration, probation violation and weapons, among others. Officials said seven of those arrested were not United States citizens, including six people from Mexico and one from El Salvador. The arrests are part of a nationwide crackdown on violent street gangs

Drug gangs just selling drugs americans won’t ?
#724980

On June 20th, 2009 at 10:45 am, babiesgrandma said:

Jeff said: Drug gangs just selling drugs americans won’t?

Remember Shrillery in Mexico:

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, on a two-day visit to Mexico, accepts that the U.S. market for narcotics and a cross-border trade in U.S. guns contribute to Mexico’s drug violence.

It’s the drug and gun running, dontcha know, that all americans are guilty of. It’s our fault.
#724983

On June 20th, 2009 at 10:48 am, jsmiddleton4 said:

“It specifically exempts members of Congress (along with federal employees; the exemptions are in section 3116).”

This is its achilles heel. This is where much effort needs to be focused. Whatever the Congress passes of most of us, has to apply to themselves.
#724984

On June 20th, 2009 at 10:49 am, Jeff said:

It’s the drug and gun running, dontcha know, that all americans are guilty of. It’s our fault.

If I feel guilty about this, will she shut-up ?
#724986

On June 20th, 2009 at 10:51 am, Jeff said:

jsmidfdleton:
Exactly right !
Better yet, make them use this plan for a 10 year demonstration first.
#724987

On June 20th, 2009 at 10:53 am, Jeff said:

Congress needs to be forced into the utopian plans they have for us. Actually, they should be using the same fine health plan the military gets.
#724988

On June 20th, 2009 at 11:07 am, Ragspierre said:

Michelle’s “comments” on her new posting on AmeriCorpse are closed.

This seems unusual…