Obama Returns To End-of-Life Plan That Caused Stir

New York Times:

When a proposal to encourage end-of-life planning touched off a political storm over "death panels," Democrats dropped it from legislation to overhaul the health care system. But the Obama administration will achieve the same goal by regulation, starting Jan. 1.

Under the new policy, outlined in a Medicare regulation, the government will pay doctors who advise patients on options for end-of-life care, which may include advance directives to forgo aggressive life-sustaining treatment.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[axt113]

03:54 PM on 12/29/2010

If we can only get the GOP to use these panels

[Rodger leMonde]

04:30 PM on 12/28/2010

I seems that many commenting here did not read the article. We have a rehash of the same old lies.
If there are any Death Panels in this country they area function of the insurance companies and as such a great argument for a national health program.
End of life planning is like any other planning. What is proposed is only to make such planning sessions part of the total health plan, and paid for by the health plan.
Millions of people have made a plan known so that THEIR WISHES will be followed in the event of their being incapacitated. We have no control over our birth, at least give us the dignity to have a say in our death. It saves both the patient and their family anguish.

[Notese]

07:34 PM on 12/28/2010

What amuses me is the people who think that a national health program will be easier to deal with, allow any and all types of procedures, even if they are new or experimental, with out question or argument, and will be less concerned with the bottom line than private insurance companies. We have more people on goverment run insurance right now than the entire population of Canada, and we cant run that right. If we jump into it on a larger scale before we can make it work on a smaller scale or pretend that the we can still get better services and quality with govt run health care, it will be a big mess.

[dlbnext]

02:27 PM on 12/28/2010

The T4 program, which was established after Hitler's secret order, was named after its Berlin office address, Tiergarten 4, which address housed the coordinating organization for the program, the Reich Work Group of Sanatoriums and Nursing Homes. In charge were Philip Bouhler, chief of the Chancellory and Dr. Karl Brandt, Hitler's personal physician and chief medical officer of the land.

The first task was to devise the questionnaires which would be used to categorize the targetted institutionalized populations. Four categories were devised:

1. Patients suffering from specified diseases who are not employable, or are employable only in simple mechanical work. These included schizophrenia, epilepsy, senile diseases, therapy-resistant paralysis, feeble-mindedness, and the like.

2. Patients who have been continually institutionalized for at least five years.

3. Patients who are criminally insane.

4. Non-German patients.

[dlbnext]

01:59 PM on 12/28/2010

The comments here are scary, in supporting people playing god. Arrogance

[K August]

07:24 AM on 12/28/2010

Fox prime-time shows did not cover February 2005 Senate proposal. While Fox News has repeatedly advanced the smear that the end-of-life counseling provision in Democrats' 2009 House health care reform bill creates "death panels" and encourages euthanasia, Fox's prime-time shows did not cover the similar Senate legislation proposed in 2005, based on a review of the results from a search of the Nexis database.

[dlbnext]

01:47 PM on 12/28/2010

half a trillion in cuts to medicare, you think things are going to be the same going forward? Fantasy land.

[K August]

07:23 AM on 12/28/2010

Isn't it funny that the media is ALL OVER this "death panel" story again but back in 2005 when the Bush Congress had the same Bill going through Congress "some" of the media didn't even mention it. Not once!

"Fox prime time did not cover 2005 Senate bill that was similar to purported "death panel" provisions.
2005 Senate proposal called for Medicare to cover voluntary advanced planning consultations.
S.347 would have "provide[d] for Medicare coverage of end-of-life planning consultations." It would also have required the secretary of Health and Human Services "to conduct a national public education campaign to: (1) raise public awareness of the importance of planning for care near the end of life; (2) improve the public's understanding of the various situations in which individuals may find themselves if they become unable to express their health care wishes; (3) explain the need for readily available legal documents that express an individual's wishes, through advance directives (including living wills, comfort care orders, and durable powers of attorney for health care); and (4) educate the public about the availability of hospice care and palliative care."

[K August]

07:08 AM on 12/28/2010

Sarah Palin's 'Death Panel' Comment Wins 'Lie of the Year' 2009

[dlbnext]

01:53 PM on 12/28/2010

question K August, how do you cut a half a trillion dollars for seniors and think earlier death isn't going to start coming to them? Then youtube robert reich on his speach about having seniors die early. Then google obama's medical advisors writings about priorities on who gets medical care or not. Then come back to humanity.

[emma richmond]

01:33 AM on 12/28/2010

We are happy the President is bringing back the End-Of -Life Plan and it's Voluntary, but this is one good plan, we went through three times it's just give people dignity in their last days and it help the family to understand the emotion and the Moods, they good days and bad days, it let them make their mind up where they would like to spend they last days, or do they want to be Revived and hooked to the Life Machine? My husband didn't want to be Revived, he died of Lung Cancer, My Mother and Dad made it clear to let them go in peace my Dad who died with the highest stage of Alzheimer's Disease that kill's, we Remember when Hospice and the Hospital called and ask if we wanted our Dad Revived, he wanted to go in peace he died two years ago at the age of 92, it hurted to say not to Revive him he didn't want to be hooked to Machines he had given us instruction, his heart had stopped. What so good about the End-Of-Life Plan, it let them live they last days with dignity, My Mother and Father Planned their Funerals down to the Color, and who they wanted to Speak and sing at their Funerals, before my husband passed away he called the Minster he wanted to speak at his funeral, he hung on until they got in touch with our son that was in the military.

[dlbnext]

01:55 PM on 12/28/2010

Voluntary? for how long? You want to buy a bridge?

[emma richmond]

12:37 AM on 12/28/2010

People need to stop being ignorance, the End-Of-Life Plan is Voluntary, My family and I went through this three times, it's letting people make they own decision and giving them dignity, it's giving them the choice of where they want to spend they last days, my husband hand lung cancer from smoking, he had holes in his left lung when the Dr. showed us the X-Ray I thought they was dots they was holes, part of his lung was burned, they gave my husband 6 mos. to live, a tumor had spreaded to the right side of his Brain, I will never for get the day I walked into the Hospital Room and found restrains on his wrist, the Doctor said that was to protect him he was having seizures, he had never had Seizures they said it came from the Brain Tumor, the Dr. wanted to do Surgery and wanted me to sign, I remember saying No, because my husband was capable of Making his own decision, after they couldn't promise that they would get all the tumor he said No, So they Discharge him and but made sure he had everything in his last days, Hospice stepped in, what a blessing, when he had Seizures they came out, when he Needed Medication and supplies they made sure everything was there, they let us know about his Moods when they mine would go and come, we are happy about the President putting it in the Bill.

[EmmaDarian]

09:43 AM on 12/27/2010

Could those opposed to this voluntary counseling being paid for by Medicare tell me what their objection to this is:

"The covered services are: evaluating the beneficiary's need for pain and symptom management, including the individual's need for hospice care; counseling the beneficiary with respect to end-of-life issues and care options, and advising the beneficiary regarding advanced care planning."

I'm happy to talk about this, but let's work from facts and not distortions. What is wrong with the above?

[dlbnext]

01:58 PM on 12/28/2010

Objection is bureaucrats deciding life and death for others. The state is not god. And Hitler's doctor's were tried and found guilty at Nuremberg

[Rodger leMonde]

04:39 PM on 12/28/2010

Responding with the same lies is not helpful.
People have a right to ask their doctor what quality of life they can expect with treatment and without. It is the patient's choice which is now informed that is under discussion.

[Herbert Spencer]

08:49 AM on 12/27/2010

I seem to recall a gal named "Sarah Palin" whom liberals and this website "blasted" for suggesting the idea that there would be "death panels"? I guess she was right!

Even the NY Times sees it!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/26/us/politics/26death.html?pagewanted=2&_r=4&hp

"WASHINGTON — When a proposal to encourage end-of-life planning touched off a political storm over “death panels,” Democrats dropped it from legislation to overhaul the health care system. But the Obama administration will achieve the same goal by regulation, starting Jan. 1."

""Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate, and Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, the House Republican leader, led the criticism in the summer of 2009. Ms. Palin said “Obama’s death panel” would decide who was worthy of health care. Mr. Boehner, who is in line to become speaker, said, “This provision may start us down a treacherous path toward government-encouraged euthanasia.” Forced onto the defensive, Mr. Obama said that nothing in the bill would “pull the plug on grandma.” "

[EmmaDarian]

08:56 AM on 12/27/2010

She's not right at all. The article you're quoting actually doesn't say she was right, and the facts say she wasn't.

There are death panels. It's voluntary counseling to help patients make better decisions and get the end-of-life are they choose. Which may mean not prolonging their lives or doing everything to live as long as possible.

[Herbert Spencer]

09:02 AM on 12/27/2010

Tell that to the brits! It started this way and lead to that! Same in Canada!

[Davwbaird]

01:16 AM on 12/28/2010

How dare you spit out such harmful information. Do you enjoy doing this?

[media4me]

08:09 AM on 12/27/2010

So now it will be a yearly death panel review instead of every five years.
The cost of granny care must have gone up.
How transparent of him.

[EmmaDarian]

08:21 AM on 12/27/2010

There is no such thing as a death panel. There is no panel. There is an optional conversation between a doctor and patient about options for one's end of life.

What you say is a lie. Do you not know any better or are you intentionally lying?

[media4me]

09:43 AM on 12/27/2010

If the government is paying, it ain't optional.

[Davwbaird]

01:18 AM on 12/28/2010

You can not be serious.

[AussieHugh]

04:06 AM on 12/27/2010

I cant see what the fuss is about. I think that it is a great idea to be able to sit down with your doctor and looking at your medical situation plan how you would like to be treated in the future. If it is not planned for then a lot of stress is caused for the family who then may have to make these decisions for you if you are no longer able to express your wishes.

I am only 47 but I am looking to have a living will that will let my family know in what circumstances I do not wish to be saved.

Some people may say "Keep me alive at all costs" and that is fine, others may say "Look I have cancer and am in a lot of pain, if I have a heart attack etc I would prefer not to be recussitated"

This is actually a plan to empower people to make choices for themselves.

[Fi]

04:12 AM on 12/27/2010

Get a living will done ASAP, you won't regret it, and it does give you the power of choice.
I don't know what it is with some of our American brothers and sisters, I know its not all of them, but they need to wake up to the reality that they will indeed die someday, and they may as well have some say in it.

[EmmaDarian]

08:23 AM on 12/27/2010

A living will is a great idea. It doesn't replace end-of-life counseling (and vice versa), but it's a great way to take steps that your wishes will be known and respected.

[media4me]

08:10 AM on 12/27/2010

Empowered by the government.

[Fi]

03:35 AM on 12/27/2010

I have an end of life plan, its called a living will, my relatives who also have one, are well aware of my choices, and I think it is irresponsible not to have one.
As I understand it, the Repubs have "death panels", working at full capacity in Arizona.

[media4me]

08:11 AM on 12/27/2010

Here in Arizona after we first put up the gun towers on our southern border.

[dlbnext]

02:03 PM on 12/28/2010

It's their business, not Obamas

[mirabay]

03:28 AM on 12/27/2010

Anyone remember that Star Trek episode where everyone was sent out to pasture(died) at 65?

[EmmaDarian]

08:57 AM on 12/27/2010

Yep. Fiction, just like the neocon lies about end-of-life counseling.