Yesterday's Washington Post ran a story on Section 1233 of the proposed healthcare bill. It is the section dealing with giving Medicare patients end-of-life counseling every five years. Sounds like a good idea, right?
First of all, let's look at this from a purely financial angle. Statistically, most of a persons medical expenses occur in the last year of their life. This could be the result of age-related issues in an elderly person, an accident in a person of any age, or a serious disease. It makes sense to have a living will, medical power of attorney, etc. But why is the government getting involved in this? More than that, why is the government giving doctors a financial incentive to do this counseling?
According to the article:
"What's more, Section 1233 dictates, at some length, the content of the consultation. The doctor "shall" discuss "advanced care planning, including key questions and considerations, important steps, and suggested people to talk to"; "an explanation of . . . living wills and durable powers of attorney, and their uses" (even though these are legal, not medical, instruments); and "a list of national and State-specific resources to assist consumers and their families." The doctor "shall" explain that Medicare pays for hospice care (hint, hint).
Admittedly, this script is vague and possibly unenforceable. What are "key questions"? Who belongs on "a list" of helpful "resources"? The Roman Catholic Church? Jack Kevorkian?"
I think that those of us who want less government in our lives--not more, need to speak up about the plans Congress has for us. Until they are willing to give up their current healthcare plan and be covered by the plan they propose for us, I'm not in favor of major changes!
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