[janmcn]

Originally Posted by TexaninVA

I think the phrase “architect” is quite properly an accurate description of Dr. Emanuel’s role. Obviously he did not literally write the entire law, and that’s not to say that others also did not have an influence. There are others who played a key role, such as Donald Berwick and Professor Gruber. But, you seem to be saying “nope, Emanuel really didn’t have much to do with it” thus no worries about any undue influence.

However, any reasonable evaluation of the history of ACA and the press coverage thereof, indicates that Dr. Emanuel has long been a leading force in this area and can reasonably described as the architect of ACA. If one wants to split hairs, then say he’s one of the key architects. It doesn’t really matter.

What’s really interesting about this discussion is that, by even asking the question that I did, some are truly offended. Worse, their natural skepticism seems to simply go mute in ways it would not for other topics of interest. In one case, asking the question about Dr. Emanuel in connection with his preference to die at age 75 (and the possible repercussions policy-wise down the road for us the patients) was deemed “outrageous.” It’s almost like some people want to simply cover their eyes and ears, or maybe reach for the vapors.

But, the reality remains … this guy (a key player in ACA no matter how one slices it) obviously thinks the world would be a better place if people died at or around age 75. He says this just applies to him. Just because he said this, does not means it’s true, nor does it mean we should just ignore what he said.

This is particularly relevant given we all know the system is going to be broke at some point, and they will need to find a way to save money. That’s where this philosophy could well come into play. It's not that much of a stretch to imagine some administrator pondering this as an option.

Why would a 75 year old be on the ACA when they are eligible for Medicare? Your complaints should be with Medicare, and I doubt Dr Emanuel had anything to do with the 50 year old, single-payer socialist system, commonly known as Medicare, or affectionately known as LBJ care.