tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post8977853602450533548..comments2024-03-27T03:19:11.216-04:00Comments on Assistant Village Idiot: Death PanelsAssistant Village Idiothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01978011985085795099noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-67165833969638389412009-08-19T19:57:49.460-04:002009-08-19T19:57:49.460-04:00jaed, that is an excellent counterpoint. The WSJ ...jaed, that is an excellent counterpoint. The WSJ had an interesting opinion piece on what <i>those</i> panels might be like.Assistant Village Idiothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01978011985085795099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-18647094700567048982009-08-19T14:01:36.155-04:002009-08-19T14:01:36.155-04:00It's worth noting that "death panels"...It's worth noting that "death panels" - a hell of an evocative phrase - did not refer to the end-of-life counseling provisions but to the medical-treatment-efficaceousness panels that have been proposed. The idea being that panels or committees will meet and decide which groups of people are permitted what sorts of care, based on primarily economic and social criteria.<br /><br />This wasn't too clear in the news coverage, although I thought Palin's initial statement was fairly clear. (On the other hand, she didn't specifically reference Dr. Ezekiel Emmanuel's article on the matter, although she quoted it - I recognized the reference only because I'd been following this aspect.)<br /><br />Part of this actually is already in law - establishment of a medical effectiveness panel to make recommendations as to appropriate treatments, as well as federalization of all medical records, was in the stimulus bill a few months ago. There is no provision as yet for personal review of treatment - that is, a panel or bureaucrat deciding specifically whether this person gets such-and-such care - but it has been discussed and it would surprise me if it failed to show up in the regulatory implementation of Obamacare. The pieces are in place already.<br /><br /><br />Possibly-relevant aside: I have a medical care directive. In this state, it must be based on the state-provided form to have legal effect, and I can tell you that - as someone who's currently more concerned about being denied treatment, food, and water than about having them imposed - it was very difficult to adapt the required form to my needs. The assumption throughout is that you will specify the treatments you *don't* want, not the treatments you do want. I am reasonably intelligent. verbal, and well-informed about the law in this area, and I had a lot of trouble with it. What would happen to someone without these advantages who does not want treatment to be denied? It's not hard to see that the form pushes people hard in a certain direction, and if filling out the form becomes mandatory or "strongly suggested" by a doctor operating under P4P compensation incentives... more and more people will, on paper, "consent" to having treatment withdrawn.jaedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03328666344764784829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-78034697575039948572009-08-19T11:59:00.497-04:002009-08-19T11:59:00.497-04:00Before my father died suddenly, I had broached the...Before my father died suddenly, I had broached the subject of end-of-life decisions with him when he went in for knee-replacement surgery. He lived alone and I was the one who would have to be asked about what he wanted if something went wrong. <br /><br />I was shocked when he responded very forcefully that we shouldn't unplug him. <br /><br />I was shocked because I would have thought his response was going to be the exact opposite of that. His general attitude about life and making a fuss was the polar opposite of his attitude about facing death.<br /><br />It's hard to predict how people will feel when they are facing the possibility of the end of their lives.<br /><br />I think there will be increased pressure for people to sketch out what they want their loved ones to do. It will be seen as the "responsible" thing to do. I don't necessarily disagree with that . I wouldn't want my loved ones wringing their hands wondering what to do with me if I couldn't speak for myself.terrihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12399706958844399216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-49347708237882841662009-08-17T20:07:07.616-04:002009-08-17T20:07:07.616-04:00reductio ad absurdum - Logan's Runreductio ad absurdum - Logan's RunAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com