Health Plan and Assisted Suicide. Letters to the editor in response.
SourceThe Washington Post, Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
To the Editor,
I am the President of True Compassion Advocates, which advocates for seriously ill people and offers positive alternatives to assisted suicide. I am also a hospice nurse with 25 years experience. The proposed end of life counseling in the Obama health plan is worrisome. ["'Euthanasia claims stroke seniors' fears on health care"].
Doctors already discuss end of life issues with patients, which is part of good patient care. So what is the purpose of these counseling sessions as part of a bill to cut costs--especially here in a state where assisted suicide is legal? Will these sessions be a mechanism to steer us or our family members towards suicide, which will save Medicaid and Medicare money at our expense?
This is not an unreasonable concern given what has already happened in Oregon and Washington. Oregon's Barbara Wagner was denied coverage for cancer treatment by the Oregon Health Plan, but offered coverage for assisted suicide.
Washington's first assisted suicide, Linda Fleming, filed for bankruptcy, lived in low income housing, and was disabled.
The financial downturn and health care cuts already pressure people to die by suicide. We need quality health care and real compassion, not federally reimbursed suicide counseling.
Eileen Geller, RN, BSN