The Death Panels

Yes, that is exactly what Sarah PalinSarah Palin is saying the health care reform bill will bring into the United States. She recently posted this entry on her Facebook page:

"As more Americans delve into the disturbing details of the nationalized health care plan that the current administration is rushing through Congress, our collective jaw is dropping, and we're saying not just no, but hell no!

"The Democrats promise that a government health care system will reduce the cost of health care, but as the economist Thomas Sowell has pointed out, government health care will not reduce the cost; it will simply refuse to pay the cost. And who will suffer the most when they ration care? The sick, the elderly, and the disabled, of course. The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama's ‘death panel' so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their "level of productivity in society," whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.

"Health care by definition involves life and death decisions. Human rights and human dignity must be at the center of any health care discussion."

Huh? What is she talking about? Americans have no "death panels" - no one, not sick nor elderly nor disabled stand before a panel to quantify their worthiness for health care. Has she lost her mind?

Unfortunately, Ms. Palin once again has started talking before she formulated a solid train of thought in her brain. What Sarah is referring to is the discussion, in the plan currently under consideration, that would allow a health care professional (doctor) to schedule (and bill) an "advanced care planning consultation" every five years with his/her patient. This discussion could include points such as end of life care, but more importantly the type of care they desire (living wills, advanced directives, remaining in their home, etc.)

Why does this scare Sarah Palin and many conservatives? I can't answer that. You see, I have had these discussions with my children and my doctor. I have a living will. I am listed as the one who can make the decisions on my parents' behalf as per their living wills/advanced directives. This gives me, my parents, and many others a voice in the process when that physical voice may be gone.

Does it mean that I will "pull the plug" on my parents prematurely? Absolutely not. Have they given up all decision-making abilities now? I guarantee not. My parents (aged 72 and 74) realize that I will only make those decisions when required. They can make any changes - even to the point of rescinding the documents - at any time.

Are we back to the "doom and gloom" scare tactics? Sarah, tell me what is so threatening about having candid discussions with a doctor about the inevitable end of life we will all face? No one is suggesting that this aspect of the health care reform bill will put a price on peoples' lives or quality thereof. Only you (and a few other fearmongers) are suggesting such morbidity.

Ms. Palin states "Human rights and human dignity must be at the center of any health care discussion". I could not agree more. How can we better affirm the human dignity of an individual than addressing the end of life discussion while the person is healthy and capable of making sane decisions for themselves.