Congressman Mica: death counselors are real

[cali]

By Bob Hazen @ August 12, 2009 7:26 AM Permalink | Comments (1)

President Obama is fighting what he calls "wild misrepresentations" being made about what is in the health care overhaul plan being debated in Congress. But a Central Florida congressman says one of those "misrepresentations" is actually true.

Congressman John Mica says the idea of "death counselors" are real.

"They create a whole new category," Mica, a Winter Park Republican, said on WDBO. "There are death counselors. There is authorization for reimbursement for those counselors for Medicare. You have a whole new cottage industry.

The "death panel" idea comes from a 10-page section for "advanced care planning consultations" of the health care overhaul bill. Those consultations would reimburse doctors for talking with patients every 5 years about what kind of care they want at the end of their lives.

Opponents have said the provision amounts to doctors telling you how you should die, and could possibly be a first step towards advocating euthanasia for the ill and the elderly.

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http://wdbo.com/localnews/2009/08/congressman-mica-death-counsel.html

[CreekDog]

1. too bad his hair isn't

:eyes:

[Warpy]

2. Christ! Talk about missing the point completely!

The living will allows you to tell the doctors how you want to go, whether you want all the torture medical science can provide or if you will just let go when it's time.

At no point is a living will ever invoked on a conscious person who is able to express his wishes to the contrary.

[JuniperLea]

3. Oh what bull...

We all have the right to discuss such things with our doctors right now, and we have the right to a legal document telling our providers how we want things handled in certain situations. The only thing that would change is paying via an insurance benefit instead of out-of-pocket.

God forbid we should be kind, caring, and generous to the dying.

[Turbineguy]

4. Pulling you out of

the birth canal could be the first step toward death.

Drinking water could be the first step toward alcoholism.

Electing idiots to Congress could be...

[orleans]

7. Electing idiots to Congress could be...

deadly?

harmful to a nation's health?

or...

put you on the road to freedom...

[kevinbgoode]

5. I suggest posting comments on their site

including making references to Republican work on "death counseling"...and admonishing the station for not checking any facts.

[Raven]

6. Damn! Let this man die alone with no meds and no diapers!

Shit! Have any of these so called experts been through the death of a loved one? Let me tell you that if my doc told me I had 6 months, I'd be asking questions about where I could be when I die...could I die at home? What would it take to allow me to do that? Will I be in awful pain? What will it take to avoid that? If I end up on life support, do I get a say in how long I am kept alive by machines? Jesus! These people have no idea what they are talking about! All you have to do is be at the bedside of some fabulous loved one who is dead for all practical purposes except for the goddamned machines and you will understand how important it is to have made a few modest plans in advance.

I dearly hope that my doctor has the courage to help me to know how to die. Period.

[rurallib]

8. My nephew is a counseler specializing in end of life issues

The service he provides has been an immense help to lots of folks.
Hey, Mica, I got an idea. Why don't you and your reactionary buddies outlaw death. You can get Gawd to tell you how to do this. He deals in infinity