Political Pistachio – by Douglas V. Gibbs
Remember when Sarah Palin said that Obamacare would lead to death panels? Remember the leftist attacks against her for daring to say such a thing?
Sunday New York Times headline, August 30, 2014: Medicare may begin covering ‘end-of-life discussions’…
http://politicalpistachio.blogspot.com/2014/08/death-panels-emerge-according-to-new.html
” … Medicare wrote that it had not considered the viewpoints of members of Congress and others who opposed it. Politically, the issue was dead. But private insurers, often encouraged by doctors, began taking steps.
“We are seeing more insurers who are reimbursing for these important conversations,” said Susan Pisano, a spokeswoman for America’s Health Insurance Plans, a trade association. The industry, which usually uses Medicare billing codes, had created its own code under a system that allows that if Medicare does not have one, and more insurance companies are using it or covering the discussions in other ways. …”
So doctors and insurance companies are acting on their own to begin the discussions and creating their own billing codes? Wow! Despicable and unconscionable!
Doesn’t a Medical Directive document drawn up by the patient place the power of the patient’s health in the hands of the patient rather than allowing doctors and insurance companies to have power over the patient’s health?
. . .
“Doesn’t a Medical Directive document drawn up by the patient place the power of the patient’s health in the hands of the patient rather than allowing doctors and insurance companies to have power over the patient’s health?”
Would you still trust the so-called ‘medical’ establishment, even with that document tucked away in a safe, Cathleen?