Politifact debunks GOP claim that Obamacare funds beheadings (Not Satire)

[RandySF]

Last edited Sat Jan 4, 2014, 01:46 AM - Edit history (1)

Apparently there’s a new Republican lie going around about Obamacare, this time alleging that the Affordable Care Act is going to cover the cost of “beheadings” in America.

While the rumor isn’t terribly clear about exactly when, and in what context, these beheadings will take place – perhaps it will be the preferred method of execution for Sarah Palin’s “death panels” – but the rumor has gotten enough legs for Politifact to feel the need to debunk it.

Honestly, as rumors go, this one doesn’t even explain itself well. It’s rather convoluted, but basically comes to the conclusion that health care reform will cover the cost of beheadings, so clearly the US government has a secret plan to behead someone, presumably Tea Party adherents (who seem to be behind, or at least associated with, this latest clearly-conservative anti-Obama rumor).

It’s incredibly convoluted, and naturally involves the typical Republican base conspiracy about the evil United Nations and WHO trying to take over the world.


http://americablog.com/2014/01/politifact-debunks-gop-claim-obamacare-funds-beheadings.html

[LisaLynne]

1. Oh, like they use their heads.

They wouldn't even miss them.

[LadyHawkAZ]

2. !!

[freshwest]

13. DUzy right there. n/t

[NYC_SKP]

3. Oh, yes. I've seen that. It's our new ObamaCare medical billing code, includes executions.

Nothing new here, we'll need these after the FEMA camps open and "go to work".

I don't blame the Teabaggers for worrying.

As of October 1, 2014 the ICD 9 coding used has an additional 86,000 codes. One of the most gruesome medical codes is E978.

ICD 9 E 978 “Legal Execution”
All executions performed at the behest of the judiciary or ruling authority [whether permanent or temporary] as:
•asphyxiation by gas
•beheading, decapitation (by guillotine)
•capital punishment
•electrocution
•hanging
•poisoning
•shooting
•other specified means

http://thelibertydigest.com/2013/11/24/obama-care-billing-code-icd-9-e978-executions-and-beheadings/

Read more at http://investmentwatchblog.com/obamacare-billing-code-for-executions-and-beheadings/#eeekt75rVW7jKwxW.99

[Tx4obama]

9. Additional info below

-snip-

The WHO’s coding system

Here’s the reality about what the World Health Organization’s coding system does and doesn’t do.

As PolitiFact noted in a previous fact-check, the United States medical system currently uses ICD-9 and is in the process of transitioning to ICD-10. Doctors’ offices use the codes to fill out Medicare and Medicaid claims, among other things. Their billing and practice management software is based on them. Their employees are trained to use them.

The transition to ICD-10 is somewhat controversial, though not because of beheading. The American Medical Association says that depending on the size of the medical practice, it’ll cost $83,290 to more than $2.7 million to switch. Doctors are dealing with so many other expensive regulatory changes, the association has begged since 2011 to delay or give up on the switch altogether.

But the federal government is requiring American doctors, and any organization covered by the 1996 health care law known as HIPAA, to switch to ICD-10 by Oct. 1, 2014. That’s because because ICD-9 has outdated medical terms and not enough detail for accurate claims processing, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In fact, the rest of the world began switching to the new codes 20 years ago, and now most developed countries now use it.

-snip-
-snip-
-snip-

• The "beheading" coding category long predates Obama. The coding for "beheading" has been standard in the U.S. since at least 1979, when the CDC adopted ICD-9 for the purposes of compiling death statistics. At that time, Obama was graduating high school.

-snip-

Full article here: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2014/jan/02/blog-posting/bloggers-say-obamacare-coding-system-could-usher-b/

[davidpdx]

16. My mom works in billing in a hospital

I might ask her if she'll look it up.

No, actually that would be a bad idea. Her office is full of Republicans.

[RC]

4. Maybe the paranoid Republicans are starting to feel the heat for the damage they did to this country

I wonder how many guillotine kits were bought this Christmas?

[Tx4obama]

5. WOW. At first I thought this was satire, but it is REAL.

[1000words]

6. What a waste of time

These kind of moronic rumors are best left ignored.
First rule of PR is don't breathe life into something already suffocating under its own weight.

[Tx4obama]

7. A link below to the Politifact article

Here: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2014/jan/02/blog-posting/bloggers-say-obamacare-coding-system-could-usher-b/

[LeftyMom]

8. It's End Times whackaloonism.

Revelation says the Antichrist will behead people, and Obama is totally the Antichrist on account of how they don't care for him, so therefore Obama's gonna behead people.

[Mz Pip]

10. Oh FFS.

These idiots red to get a grip and take their meds or whatever they need to do to curb their rampant paranoia.

[mindwalker_i]

11. This claim shouldn't be debunked

The people making it should be mercilessly ridiculed!

[jmowreader]

12. The I in ICD stands for International

The same code for legal execution is used in Saudi Arabia, where they behead their condemned, and the US, where they don't.

And...uhhh...I may be mistaken, but last I checked the people complaining about this LIKE executions!

[freshwest]

14. Well, yeah... At least they're consistent! n/t

[freshwest]

15. What's the code for injecting everyone with microchips (the mark of the beast) for mind control?

They give it to you in the vaccines!

[Benton D Struckcheon]

17. K&R for the sheer entertainment value.

You just can't make this crap up.