In the past two weeks, The Washington Post published two op-ed columns on the end-of-life provision in the House's health reform bill, one by Post editorial writer Charles Lane and the other by house conservative Charles Krauthammer. The proposal would permit Medicare to pay doctors for discussing issues of death and dying with their patients. But the two columns, each [...]
In recent weeks, we've heard end-of-life counseling compared to government run "death boards." This rhetoric is beyond irresponsible, but it lays bare a very important problem--too many of us have no idea what living wills and other advance directives do, or how they work. So, a brief primer: In short, these legal documents allow you to tell doctors and hospitals [...]
The most bizarre episode so far in Washington's health care debate is the persistent rumor that the House version of reform would force Medicare patients to participate in counseling sessions where they would "learn how to end their life sooner." This is a lie. The House bill would do no such thing. Yet the myth persists, thanks to constant repetition by conservative radio talk show hosts such [...]