Death Panel = Advanced Care Documents Requirement? Not a chance!!!

I recieved an email the other day from a person with very good intentions. It was a letter written with another persons interpretation of H.R. 3200, the health care initiative. It is being circulated in the Catholic community so be careful if you get one of these letters. I am selecting just one line to give you an idea as to the tone of the letter:

Page 425 Lines 22-25, 426 Lines 1-3: Govt provides approved list of end of
life resources, guiding you in death. (assisted suicide)

It was the assisted suicide comment that caught my attention.

FYI

If you are a talk show host follower you might need to know if you don't already that the "death panel" part of the health care initiative being discussed in congress actually was an opportunity for doctors to discuss your Advance Care Document. And it was set up in such a way that doctors could do this with you every 5 years. The wording went like this:

SEC. 1233. ADVANCE CARE PLANNING CONSULTATION.
16 (a) MEDICARE.—
17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 1861 of the Social
18 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x) is amended—
19 (A) in subsection (s)(2)—
20 (i) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of
21 subparagraph (DD);
22 (ii) by adding ‘‘and’’ at the end of
23 subparagraph (EE); and
24 (iii) by adding at the end the fol25
lowing new subparagraph:
VerDate Nov 24 2008 12:51 Jul 14, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00424 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\TEMP\AAHCA0~1.XML HOLCPC
July 14, 2009 (12:51 p.m.)
F:\P11\NHI\TRICOMM\AAHCA09_001.XML
f:\VHLC\071409\071409.140.xml (444390|2)
425
1 ‘‘(FF) advance care planning consultation (as
2 defined in subsection (hhh)(1));’’; and
3 (B) by adding at the end the following new
4 subsection:

‘‘Advance Care Planning Consultation
6 ‘‘(hhh)(1) Subject to paragraphs (3) and (4), the
7 term ‘advance care planning consultation’ means a
8 consultation between the individual and a practitioner
9 described in paragraph (2) regarding advance care planning,
10 if, subject to paragraph (3), the individual involved has
11 not had such a consultation within the last 5 years. Such
12 consultation shall include the following:
13 ‘‘(A) An explanation by the practitioner of
14 advance care planning, including key questions and
15 considerations, important steps, and suggested
16people to talk to.....

You can down load the H.R. 3200 for free at Buy the Bill.

As senior citizens or just plain citizens it pays to check before you forward emails or believe talk show hosts or even former vice-presidential candidates. They have in this case done us a real disservice.

b