Death Panels and Health Reform

I am an elder law attorney. In my practice, I have represented family members who needed to make serious decisions about the care of their loved ones regarding respirators, pain medications and artificial life support. The difficulty facing family members in theses situations is terrible to watch.

And it all could have been avoided if a living will had been in place. A living will lets your family know what your wishes are for your care when you are no longer in a position to communicate those decisions yourself.

The proposed health care plan is not suggesting that a person's continued existence is decided by a panel of government workers. It is only allowing a patient to talk to a doctor to make decisions regarding their care that they need to communicate to their families.

I understand such discussions are often difficult for people to face. That's OK. I understand that the prospect of being forced to have such a discussion is also difficult to think about. That's OK, too. But this health care plan is not forcing anyone to have that discussion, nor is it making any of those decisions for you. It is only paying for it if you do want to have a living will.

National Health Insurance as Competitive Advantage

American business would be greatly benefited by a national health insurance program. Starbucks spends more money on health insurance than on coffee. And that is the ground level each American company starts from in competing with foreign companies. Because all those other nations we are competing with don't saddle their businesses with the costs of health care.

Imagine that expense is taken away from the business itself. Wouldn't that be a relief to the bottom line? And the benefits socially to know that your child won't die from complications from an ear infection or that you can get your leg set if you break it.

That kind of peace of mind is a basic human right, not a privilege.

And let's leave until later how nationalization will bring down costs and standardize treatment.














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Fat, Carbohydrates and Booze

Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture, a paleo-Conservative magazine (essentially Klansmen with Bachelors degrees), has an article this week about the obese. After the usual statistics about obesity in America, the article goes on to attack health insurance as we know it.

Their big complaint is that health insurance subscribers are not given higher premiums based on lifestyle decisions. You know - fat, carbohydrates and booze.

Now that we are breathing on the possibility of universal health insurance, would it be so awful to charge more to the people who will cost the system more by virtue of their choices? No.

This article attacks the political correctness of not penalizing people for being fat, lazy alcoholics. I guess the readership of Chronicles is all fit and non-smoking in their moral superiority.

But - they have a point. The health-conscious among us should not pay higher premiums than others who eat like there's no tomorrow. It is actually basic common sense. The worst drivers pay higher insurance premiums than good drivers. Bad eaters should pay higher health insurance premiums than good eaters. It just makes sense.

Eat the Poor

Who are those stupid people lolling about wanting our hard-earned money? Don't tell me how hard it is to work two full-time jobs to feed your family. Econo-Girl doesn't care!

And now you get a tax break for health insurance. Heh heh heh. You don't pay taxes. What does that mean? You get nothing! Old George Bush is keeping up his end of the bargain all right. Eat the poor! You will solve poverty!