Obama is changing the momentum on reform?

[kentuck]

For a while, the shouting and the lies and the right-wing radio had a very big megaphone. But the President, unlike his predecessor, chose not to take off the entire month of August for a vacation. He has been out amongst the people, taking their questions and answering their concerns about healthcare reform. In truth, it is mostly insurance reform but, it is still a part of health care reform. It can help to bring down costs. It can create more competition for the insurance companies. It can help people save their jobs and their homes if they are struck by a serious illness. It is a very important piece of legislation, even if it is not a single-payer plan.

He forthrightly said that it was "dishonest" to call the end of life consultations with your doctor "death panels". He pointed out that it was mostly a Republican idea, created by a Congressman from GA, now a US Senator, who helped put it into the Republican Medicare plan that was passed a few years ago. The hypocrisy was evident by those Republicans in Congress that have been promoting this dishonest little fib.

This President has challenged the screamers with facts. And he has disarmed them to a large extent. They will continue to talk and scream, there is no doubt, but they do not have the ammunition they had before the last couple of townhalls by this man we now have in the White House.

[villager]

1. apparently, he needs to change it with Senate Democrats and his health secretary, as well

based on this morning's public comments...

[timeforpeace]

13. No, he's plainly telegraphing that the public option is dead and Baucus' bill will be the one.

[kentuck]

14. Then the Repubs will declare victory...

regardless of what is passed by the Democrats. I hope they understand that.

[T Wolf]

2. Way too little and too late. But a major part of the problem in getting public support is the error

of having too complicated a plan to be grasped by the American public. You must know your audience.

A shame is that the President will lose influence as a result of not producing a clear and significant win on health care.

[KittyWampus]

7. too late? It's barely the middle of August. And there's truth to Rove's saying "You don't roll out

new products" until September.

[Coyote_Bandit]

3. About those end of life consultations

(1) They should not be limited to the elderly. Younger folks also have terminal illnesses and face catastrophic injuries.

(2) Medical professionals have no training to be giving fucking legal advice. The actions of a health care proxy can have a significant impact with respect to many legal, financial and insurance matters. Somebody who is trained to understand and give advice regarding those inplicaitons is better positioned to advise regarding health care proxies.

[yellowdogintexas]

4. which is why hospitals and nursing homes have such a person available

or even on staff.

[Coyote_Bandit]

8. I've yet to see a

hospital or nursing home with a lawyer on staff to advise patients regarding legal and estate issues. Maybe there are some somewhere. But not here. And I have personally helped care for six aging family members and have several friends who are currently caring for their parents.

If a hospital or nursing home did have a lawyer on staff there would be conflict of interest issues. It would need to be very clear that they lawyer was there to advise and serve the interests of the patient rather than that of the hospital/nursing home that paid his salary.

Nevermind the fact that a hospital/nursing home staff sttorney would likely have no knowledge of the patient's varied financial, insurance and other obligations and assets. Or other estate and health care planning. For example, it is very common for spousal wills to contain a common disaster clause which creates a presumption as to which spouse predeceased in a common disaster. This is important for a surviving spouse to receive insurance proceeds which are dependent on that spouse surving the other spouse. Likewise it is sometimes important that a patient survive to a particular date or fulfill certain obligations prior to death to secure certain assets. Those obligfations can often be fulfilled even if the person is incapable or incompetent to personally attend to the details. The idiot lawyer on staff at the hospital or nursing home isn't going to have this kind of detailed information available. And most folks do not want their health care provider to know the intricate details of their finances and their estate plan.

Those end of life consultations should be feared not because they are death panels set on euthanizing the elderly and infirm but because they represent unwarranted intrusion by medical professionals into legal and financial matters in which they simply are not trained to render competent advice - and in which they often lack appropriate information to render adequate counsel. And like most folks those lawyers are going to tend to have a bit more loyalty toward the guy that pays their salary than they are going to have toward a patient they advise.

[kentuck]

9. Are we talking about a living will or a medical decision??

Yes, everyone should have a living will. Decide what you want to do with all your material things while you are alive to alleviate the disputes when you pass away. That is a good thing.

However, when you are on live support, that is another thing entirely. This is very difficult on a family. This is not about money and property. This is about your life. They should not be combined with the same importance.

[Coyote_Bandit]

11. Medical decisons

made when someone is on life support have legal and financial implicaitons. Sometimes significant ones.

If someone has the authority to make medical decisions for a couple involved in a common disaster the decision of who to remove from life support first can have a significant financial impact. This is common when a life insurance policy requires one spouse to survive the other in order to pay benefits. Sometimes assets are not paid to someone unless they survive to a certain date and sometimes an individual must do certain things in order to obtain assets.

Medical decisions cannot be divorced from their financial impact.



FWIW, I am licensed to practice law in two states, have worked in trust and estate administration for several years and have also worked in the insurance industry. Even though I choose to no longer work in those industries, I'm not exactly ignorant of the comncerns which I am referring to.

[kentuck]

12. I'm sure you are very knowledgeable on the matter..

And the financial impact is extremely important. However, just my opinion, the decisions made about whether to keep a loved one on life support or artificial means is much more traumatic and difficult for families. Both are very important but different, in my opinion.

[Coyote_Bandit]

15. The point is that the two decisions

are related. That medical decision can have significant financial and legal impact. Medical professionals are not trained to render advice regarding those issues.

[Politicub]

5. He won't be able to turn the astroturfers

Because you can't reason with the mob. But he is keeping the vast silent majority informed about everyone having healthcare.

I came to the conclusion this morning that the people against any kind of healthcare reform will fail since their argument is essentially, not everyone should have healthcare. Most people, once realizing this, see the opponents as what they are - as self indulgent, bitter and selfish, who would deny a person dying of thirst on the side of the road a drink of water because they deem she isn't somehow one of the chosen who is deserving.

[Skidmore]

6. I thnk the man is doing his absolute utmost to get healthcare reform.

However, I'm just as concerned about those on our side who are trying to kneecap him--and we have them.

If there is no action on healthcare reform at all, we will have lost everything we worked for over the past election cycle.

[WeDidIt]

10. Nope, he's throwing the public option under the bus

He's capitulating on health care.