Hope and Fail

Lying in Portsmouth: GOP senator wrote House’s ‘death panel’ provision

Someone needs to explain to the president that senators don’t write amendments for bills that haven’t left the House of Representatives. Someone also needs to tell the president that it’s not good for him to make up support for his health care proposal.

During his town hall in Portsmouth, N.H., President Obama said Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-GA, wrote the House’s provision that includes end-of-life counseling. From the White House transcript:

Let me just be specific about some things that I’ve been hearing lately that we just need to dispose of here. The rumor that’s been circulating a lot lately is this idea that somehow the House of Representatives voted for “death panels” that will basically pull the plug on grandma because we’ve decided that we don’t — it’s too expensive to let her live anymore. (Laughter.) And there are various — there are some variations on this theme.

… The irony is that actually one of the chief sponsors of this bill originally was a Republican — then House member, now senator, named Johnny Isakson from Georgia — who very sensibly thought this is something that would expand people’s options. And somehow it’s gotten spun into this idea of “death panels.” I am not in favor of that. So just I want to — (applause.) I want to clear the air here.

Isakson did not write, nor does he support, the House’s proposal. He doesn’t even support either of the major bills in the House and Senate.

What Isakson did do was write an amendment for the Senate proposal that would provide voluntary help for folks who want to draft a living will.

From Politico:

Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), didn’t appreciate President Obama’s shout-out at the New Hampshire town hall meeting this afternoon.

Obama said that the voluntary end-of-life counseling in one version of the bill had a Republican sponsor — and he mentioned Isakson by name.

And that set off the senator from Georgia.

“Isakson vehemently opposes the House and Senate health care bills, and he played no role in drafting language added to the House bill by House Democrats calling for the government to incentivize doctors by offering them money to conduct end-of-life counseling,” Isakson’s office said in a statement.

But Isakson did sponsor a Senate health committee amendment in July, which would allow anyone who participates in a long-term health benefit to receive living will and power of attorney counseling. Isakson offices says the difference with his amendment is that it allows patients to ask for help on these issues instead of incentivizing doctors who take Medicare to provide this counseling.

And from Isakson’s office:

Isakson’s amendment, which was accepted unanimously by all Republicans and Democrats on the Senate HELP Committee, empowers the individual to make their own choices on these critical issues, rather than the government incentivizing doctors to conduct counseling on government-mandated topics. Isakson ultimately voted against the Senate health care bill.

“This is what happens when the President and members of Congress don’t read the bills. The White House and others are merely attempting to deflect attention from the intense negativity caused by their unpopular policies. I never consulted with the White House in this process and had no role whatsoever in the House Democrats’ bill. I categorically oppose the House bill and find it incredulous that the White House and others would use my amendment as a scapegoat for their misguided policies,” Isakson said. “My Senate amendment simply puts health care choices back in the hands of the individual and allows them to consider if they so choose a living will or durable power of attorney. The House provision is merely another ill-advised attempt at more government mandates, more government intrusion, and more government involvement in what should be an individual choice.”

Save/Share: