VA pushes an end to life

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

VA pushes an end to life

There has been a lot of talk about end-of-life counseling lately, with people like Sarah Palin claiming that the Obama administration has a section on “death panels” in the healthcare bill. Supporters of the bill claim that there is no such thing, though they don’t deny that the government would pay doctors to offer end-of-life counseling to their patients. In a healthcare reform bill that is touted by Obama to be all about cutting the costs of healthcare, giving incentive for doctors, whose very job is to preserve life, to nudge patients toward ending their life rather than undergoing expensive treatment is more than a little tasteless. Sadly, however, this is nothing new. As stated by Jim Towey in a Wall Street Journal Op-Ed column, the Department of Veterans Affairs has been treating our brave soldiers that way for a while.

The VA’s unofficial living will, an end-of-life planning document called “Your Life, Your Choices,” is being circulated throughout their hospitals and nursing homes across the country. In the beginning, it was given to any debilitated or aging veterans, but since last month the VA has instructed that it is to be given to all patients along with counseling from the healthcare practitioner.

While suggesting that someone write a living will may not be immoral, “Your Life, Your Choices” is written in such a way as to steer the patients toward death, full of leading questions and statements about the suffering patients would undergo as well as the burden they would place on their family if they remained alive.

There is a section titled “What Makes Your Life Worth Living,” in which various conditions are listed and the patient is to check a box with answers of “difficult, but acceptable,” “worth living, but just barely,” or “not worth living.” To their credit, there is also a box for “can’t answer now.” Some of the conditions listed are that the patient “can only get around in a wheelchair” and “spend all day at home.” The former is insulting to anyone confined to a wheelchair and the latter describes my state when I was unemployed.

It gets worse. There are 3 conditions that are listed to make the patients feel guilty if they choose life, stating that the patient “caused severe emotional burden for my family,” “can no longer contribute to my family’s well being” and is “a severe financial burden on my family.” The intent of those statements is to make it clear to patients that choosing life is selfish and would hurt the ones they love.

There is even one condition that says “I cannot seem to ‘shake the blues.’” I was unable to “shake the blues” for almost a year once. If, during that time, someone had asked me the leading question of if I felt my life was worth living, I probably would have said no, and I have never suffered anything nearly as traumatic as the experiences of our wounded veterans.

The document was first published in 1997 and was written by Dr. Robert Pearlman, who is an advocate for physician-assisted suicide. The Bush administration, in one of those rare moments of good sense, ended its use by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The document was then rewritten in 2007. There were no religious or disability advocates on the panel that rewrote the document. The new version lists only one organization as an additional resource for patients: Compassion and Choices, the right-to-die advocates formerly known as the Hemlock Society. That group, according to their own website, devotes itself to finding legal and legislative initiatives for euthanasia and “assert constitutional protection for aid in dying.” The document does not attempt to balance that out by also recommending a pro-life organization.

Earlier this year, the Obama administration reinstituted “Your Life, Your Choices” as the unofficial living will presented to all patients in VA hospitals and nursing homes. To treat our brave veterans, who risked their lives protecting the life and liberty of Americans everywhere, as burdens who are a drain on their families and the government is despicable.

Even if the “death panels” in Obama’s healthcare bills are fictional, as the supporters claim, given his government’s treatment of our veterans, I am not convinced they don’t see nudging disabled, sick and elderly patients toward death as a good way to cut costs. If the Obama administration really wants to assure the people that they won’t push euthanasia, then they need to prove it by removing this heinous document from the VA.

http://www.examiner.com/x-17176-Orlando-Co...-an-end-to-life

[rebeccajo 14]

Oh FFS.

I am so tired of people being stupid over this issue.

There is not a hospital in the United States of America that does not have Living Will documents available and at the ready.

How stupid can people be!

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

The new version lists only one organization as an additional resource for patients: Compassion and Choices, the right-to-die advocates formerly known as the Hemlock Society. That group, according to their own website, devotes itself to finding legal and legislative initiatives for euthanasia and “assert constitutional protection for aid in dying.” The document does not attempt to balance that out by also recommending a pro-life organization.

[Peikko 1,575]

There's a thread on this already and everyone is lining granny up for compassionate euthenasia - a sort of cash for clunkers for humans

[DIARD 1]

I agree with rebeccajo. I would have thought after the whole Terri Shivo thing that everyone would have spelled out their wishes in a living will. I know I did and it sounds quite similar to the VA thing, going into detail about different senarios and what I would want my family to do. I suggest everyone think it over and make their own. Would save families from guessing or doing something you would not want them to do.

[luckytxn 2,264]

Guess Obama the Socialist is trying to save money now where he can.

[rebeccajo 14]

Guess Obama the Socialist is trying to save money now where he can.

U R so predictable.

[rebeccajo 14]

I agree with rebeccajo. I would have thought after the whole Terri Shivo thing that everyone would have spelled out their wishes in a living will. I know I did and it sounds quite similar to the VA thing, going into detail about different senarios and what I would want my family to do. I suggest everyone think it over and make their own. Would save families from guessing or doing something you would not want them to do.

Oh, but God forbid that common sense enter in the muckraking.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I agree with rebeccajo. I would have thought after the whole Terri Shivo thing that everyone would have spelled out their wishes in a living will. I know I did and it sounds quite similar to the VA thing, going into detail about different senarios and what I would want my family to do. I suggest everyone think it over and make their own. Would save families from guessing or doing something you would not want them to do.

Oh, but God forbid that common sense enter in the muckraking.

No common sense, please. Common sense is not only devastating to the scare mongering campaign, it also confuses the fcuking hell out of the paranoid.

[HAL 9000 96]

Oh FFS.

I am so tired of people being stupid over this issue.

There is not a hospital in the United States of America that does not have Living Will documents available and at the ready.

How stupid can people be!

Veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery stupid.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

My dad had insurance. Private insurance. He did not have a living will. The doctors at the hospital sat with us, quite a few times, to counsel us on end of life issues. This isn't limited to government-run healthcare.

And you know what? I am glad they did. A decision had to be made and they made sure we didn't feel like we were making it alone. I'm thankful to them for the time they spent with us and don't begrudge the fact that Aetna reimbursed them for it.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Oh FFS.

I am so tired of people being stupid over this issue.

There is not a hospital in the United States of America that does not have Living Will documents available and at the ready.

How stupid can people be!

Very.

My dad had insurance. Private insurance. He did not have a living will. The doctors at the hospital sat with us, quite a few times, to counsel us on end of life issues. This isn't limited to government-run healthcare.

And you know what? I am glad they did. A decision had to be made and they made sure we didn't feel like we were making it alone. I'm thankful to them for the time they spent with us and don't begrudge the fact that Aetna reimbursed them for it.

[NickD 203]

When drafted to serve this country, it didn't take a mathematician to realize that you would only cost the government ten thousand bucks if they took you home in a body bag as opposed to a lot more if they brought you back in pieces but still alive. Perhaps a bit of concern, but never happened.

My brother that I call St. Mike returned to the VA, an MD, he manages to scrounge around to find out what he needs. Could make big money working for a clinic, but his major boss was health insurance companies, he didn't like that either. Washington doesn't seem to car either, paying for a war or was that a police action some 30+ years ago. Really can't visualizing him putting his patients to death, most of the people working for the VA are very dedicated and have to learn how to make do. Would think if the leaders passed such a law, they would have to do the killing themselves.

[HAL 9000 96]

Or there'd be more resources available to the VA due to costs going down in the long run.

Maybe you could ask your brother how procurement could improve.

[NickD 203]

Or there'd be more resources available to the VA due to costs going down in the long run.

Maybe you could ask your brother how procurement could improve.

You mean by getting on yours hands and knees and begging for more money? Hear the same thing at my local VA hospital, makes me feel super lucky that I am still in one piece. It's been that way for years so why change now? Use to have a saying, take it to your chaplain and have him punch your TS (tough sh!t) card. Look at the ####### the Bush administration pulled, wanting the re-enlistment money back from those wounded in Iran. TS!