WASHINGTON — Key senators are excluding a provision on end-of-life care from health overhaul legislation after language in a House bill caused a furor.Whether a fair description of the process or not, the words stuck and had a devastating impact with seniors.
Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, said in a statement Thursday that the provision had been dropped from consideration because it could be misinterpreted or implemented incorrectly.
A health care bill passed by three House committees allows Medicare to reimburse doctors for voluntary counseling sessions about end-of-life decisions. But critics have claimed the provision could lead to death panels and euthanasia for seniors.
Well done, Sarah.
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I don't trust these conniving thieves to not quietly put another form of this price tag on the disabled and the elderly somewhere else in this piece of crap.....one step at a time I guess.
The sad thing...end of life discussions are important, should be undertaken by all, and should include the medical profession. That said, you might note I omitted, intentionally, politicians. There is no earthly reason for PAYING doctors to initiate 'end of life' discussions other than to pressure elderly to choose that route. Advertising via existing media would get the living will message into public awareness with less expense.
The politicians will soon enough come up with a more potent means of cost reduction...de-funding research into costly life preserving technology.
As Robert Fanning says, the end of life discussions are important. But -- but the whole idea that they have to be incorporated into "reform" legislation is absolute hogwash. I've been there. When my dad was dying, we had "end of life discussions." It's SPEECH. What you talk to your doctor about -- the CONTENT -- of your medical discussions is none of the government's business. Or your insurance company's business either.
It's a doctor visit. You discuss treatment options. Nobody needs to know what the discussions consist of. The legislation is smoke and mirrors.
I realize that it was introduced by a Republican. I don't know what the Republican's intentions were. I do know that not all "Republicans" are Republicans. I don't know whether the Republican in question (from Georgia?) is a RINO or not. In any case, it's irrelevant.
It was horrible legislation. Moreover, whether intentionally or not, it did indeed pave the way for insurance company/government opportunities to bully people into accepting an early death.
My dad had "end of life" discussions with his family. When his health declined to an extent that medical personnel were unsure whether he understood everything going on around him, they turned to me for clarification of his wishes -- this took place without a medical power of attorney, by the way. Common sense prevailed. And as it turned out, Mother Nature and the hand of the Good Lord settled matters without anyone doing anything intrusive, and my dad died comfortably of old age.
When do "end of life" discussions even begin? At what age? Some children are strickened with potentially fatal diseases that with pluck on the part of everyone, patient and medical personnel alike, the person is able to beat!
The Dems with their VICTIMOLOGY are the last people who should be encharged with any enterprise requiring COURAGE!
And a President who was uncomfortable saving premature babies who survived abortion procedures is the LAST PERSON that we should trust with our "end of life" decisions.
These are the same people who want to END YOUR LIFE BEFORE IT'S BEGUN!
The problem might not be the "end of life" discussions, but, at what point do you put the final wishes into practice?
Sorry for the vivid description here. My father had already had his "end of life" discussions and had his final wishes drawn up and notarized. Three days before my father passed away, he couldn't swallow anymore, his extremeties were blackened, the muscles in his hands had contracted so that they looked like claws, and his face already was starting to develop a death rictus. My father honestly didn't know if he was dying and he looked to others for guidance. The doctor thought my dad could go home in a few days and ordered physical therapy evaluation. Astonishingly enough, the physical therapist advised three treatments a week!
The rest of my family thought it was great news and were in absolute denial that he was dying. When I finally arrived on the scene and cornered the doctor, he admitted that my father only had about one week to live. I don't think paid counselling would have been necessary at all if someone from the medical establishment had stepped up and pointed out the obvious to my non-medically trained relatives - my dad was dying.
Only then could we start an honest discussion about how we wanted palliative care and how we wanted him released to a home hospice situation. Government mandates will not help anything if doctors, patients and family members are unable to have meaningful dialogues about a patient's prognosis.
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