Disability rights advocates wary of Obama end-of-life proposal
July 25th, 2009David Whelan, writing in Forbes, says the administration’s health care proposal is drawing criticism from disability rights advocates for a set of proposals pertaining to end-of-life care.
The bill would authorize Medicare to pay for a consultation between a patient and a doctor or nurse, to discuss how much or little medical care is desired in the event of incapacitation. An excerpt:
Opponents of ObamaCare argue that this five-page section of a 1,000-page bill is actually an attempt to pressure senior citizens into opting out of expensive live-saving therapy.
It brings to mind Boomsday, a 2007 satirical novel by ForbesLife editor at large Christopher Buckley, in which the government solves its fiscal problems by offering tax breaks to those who kill themselves before retirement age.
Our RSS Feed
July 30th, 2009 at 8:25 am
I believe it does more than authorize this “service”, I believe it mandates this service.
Based on articles and quotes I have read from one of the Council of Economic Advisors involved in healthcare reform, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, Chair of the Department of Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health, I have great concerns over healthcare reforms and the impact for people with disabilities.
“[Health services should not be guaranteed to] individuals who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens. An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dementia.”
–EZEKIEL EMANUEL
If people with this type of attitude are part of the medical policy governing body for health care, what happens to our loved ones with disabilities? What is the definition of participating citizens?