Death Panels? Of Course!!

The Texas futility law has been in place for quite a while and continues to contribute to the medicalized death of people with severe medical disabilities.

Is the Texas Medical Futility Act a real-life "death panel"?

A patient identified only as "Willie" was denied nourishment and died in a Houston hospital last month, according to Texas Right to Life. Willie went to seek help a few weeks ago after experiencing chest pains; doctors found pneumonia and leukemia. Apparently, he slipped into a coma following surgery, and the doctor and hospital ethics board determined further care would be futile, giving the family 10 days to find another facility to treat him.

Though he had plenty of insurance, no other facility would accept him. After the legally required 10 days, the hospital ended nourishment.

He was "dehydrated and starved to death completely against the family's desire,” said Texas Right to Life’s Elizabeth Graham. more

The Nation: Hit-Piece In Favor Of The Pro-Deathers

This is a long piece posing as balanced debate, but really is just another, albeit fairly sophisticated, pro-deather rant.

Anti-Choice at the End of Life

Last week a regulation to provide Medicare coverage for advance care planning counseling—that is, offer reimbursement to doctors for time spent talking to patients about end of life care—was abandoned … for the second time.

. . . A collective American reticence to frankly discuss death enables organizations like the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network and NRLC to misinform the public about existing government programs like hospice, Medicare, and other legal tools for the elderly, like advanced directives and medical proxies, which can provide more control over how they age and die.  Combined with a paternalistic medical profession that’s only recently begun training new doctors on how to talk to patients about how to plan their end of life care and a Republican party dependent on the support of anti-choice groups, “pro-life” groups have been able to fundamentally shape state and federal legislation. more

No Death Panels? Read This

If you still think there isn’t a policy idea that is essentially the Death Panel idea, read this excellent piece by my colleague Paul Byrne.

End of life planning--the Blumenauer way

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D. Oregon) has strong agenda to encourage early death for United States citizens. Oregon was the first state to legalized physician-assisted suicide. This happened November 8, 1994, by the narrow margin of 51% to 49%. Washington State became the second state in 2008. Montana has been added through a Supreme Court ruling.

Medicare is funded by working United States citizens who made it clear through their voice and votes on November 2, 2010 that they do not want to pay for end-of-life counseling or encouragement. But now the government has regulated that they do not care what the people want. This is evident in the fact that just 3 weeks after the November 2 voting, Medicare regulation was printed Monday November 29, 2010 as Federal Register/Vol. 75, No. 228, which changes definitions of "First annual wellness visit" and "Subsequent annual wellness visit" by adding "a new element (vii)" to the final regulation text that would read as follows: "Voluntary advance care planning as that term is defined in this section upon agreement with the individual." more

Pro-Death Rant Masked As Reasoned Discussion

Here’s a pro-deather rant masquerading as reasoned discussion. So obvious, surely they can do better than this?

Don’t reignite ‘death panel’ insanity

Let’s dispense quickly with any politically motivated twisting of death and dying in 2011.

We don’t need to reignite the insanity that spun the term “death panels” into the health care debate in 2009.

Expect much wrangling about health care reform as Republicans flex their newly elected collective strength to undermine the goals of the Obama administration. Fine, it is to be expected. Room exists to debate measures intended to solve the nation’s health care quandaries and ensure that Americans wind up healthier for the efforts.

But let’s hope the American public doesn’t fall for the same trick twice as the topic of end-of-life care arises. I’m hedging that we won’t. Increasingly, many of us are caring for aging parents, experiencing firsthand the struggle to make decisions for loved ones when that person can no longer voice their own wishes about care. more

Obamacare: Yes, There Really Are Death Panels

Just in case you’re still a little confused about the whole “death panel” thing, this piece should clarify it for you. I agree with it entirely.

Death panels are just the first step

Sarah Palin deserves an apology. When she said that the new health-care law would lead to "death panels" deciding who gets life-saving treatment and who does not, she was roundly denounced and ridiculed.

Now we learn, courtesy of one of the ridiculers -- the New York Times -- that she was right. Under a new policy not included in the law for fear the administration's real end-of-life game would be exposed, a rule issued by the recess-appointed Dr. Donald M. Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, calls for the government to pay doctors to advise patients on options for ending their lives.

These could include directives to forgo aggressive treatment that could extend their lives.

This rule will inevitably lead to bureaucrats deciding who is "fit" to live and who is not. more