‘Death Panels’ Aren’t the Half of It, Says Senator Kyl

August 18, 2009, 2:10 pm

By Carl Hulse

Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, the No. 2 Senate Republican, says if the Democratic health care overhaul is ultimately killed, its demise should not be blamed on the overheated talk of government “death panels” for the old and infirm.

While distancing the Republican establishment from the hype over the rather remote prospect of government-ordered euthanasia, Mr. Kyl said on Tuesday that public concerns about the health legislation go well beyond a minor provision concerning consultation on end-of-life issues.

“I really reject the notion that the American people oppose this because somebody on the Republican side has deliberately spread misinformation about the plan,” he said on a conference call with the news media. “In this democracy, there is no way voters can be fooled to this extent.”

The plan simply costs too much and goes far beyond what is needed, Mr. Kyl said, given that most Americans are satisfied with their current health coverage.

As for the death panels, Mr. Kyl said the Republican Party was not responsible for that claim. “You can’t control what somebody will say about the debate,” he said. What Republicans are saying, he said, is that there is a provision on end-of-life counseling that is scaring a lot of people.

As a result, Mr. Kyl predicted, “There is no question that it is going to be dropped.”

So the death panels should rest in peace.

Posted via email from Global Politics