Death panels

Tomorrow my family is holding a memorial service for my Aunt Margaret.  She died last week at age 94.  She was frail, couldn’t see well, was almost completely deaf, and had talked about welcoming death for years.  

Thank goodness she had a “living will.” Her daughter and son had discussed her wishes with her, and she made it clear that she wanted no “heroic measures” taken to prolong her life.  My cousins and my aunt were intelligent people, and they were familiar with their rights and responsibilities; together they decided just what they expected of the medical profession as life neared its end.  

The Obama administration has now implemented a Medicare policy by administrative action that will pay physicians who counsel patients about “end-of-life” care.  Those consultations may include the discussion of living wills to prohibit the kind of heroic measures that can keep people alive in spite of their desires.  I have such a living will myself, signed and notarized.

If you have ever watched an aged relative who did not have a living will suffer through months of medical treatment that only prolonged misery, you will appreciate a policy that encourages doctors to discuss this issue with their patients and explain the options.

This is what the Republicans in the House and Senate were calling “death panels”  during the health care debate.  Members of congress were willing to have people suffer for political gain.  I don’t want to overuse the word “evil,” but that was evil. I am pleased the Obama administration found a way to promote a humane policy in spite of Republican opposition.