Washington Unplugged

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Unplugged: Controversy Over VA's "Death Book"

August 25, 2009 11:16 AM

The Department of Veterans Affairs' pamphlet, which provides end-of-life counseling, has critics calling it a "death book." Nancy Cordes spoke with Huffington's Post's Marcus Baram, Aging With Dignity's Jim Towey, and VA Chaplain Juliana Lesher.

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by misha256 August 26, 2009 10:03 AM EDT
by toldyouso29 August 26, 2009 9:55 AM EDT

Like this law Passed by primarily Republicans and Signed by President Bush in 2003.

Politicians that voted for required end-of-life counseling by a GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRAT:

Write them to demand REPEAL IN THE NEW HEALTH CARE BILL of the GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRAT'S
---- determination of THRESHOLD CONDITIONS
--------- (SEC 721.a.2.D)
---- determination of who are TARGETED INDIVIDUALS
--------- (SEC 721.a.2.E, 721.d.2)
---- INVOLVEMENT in the REQUIRED COMMUNICATION of END-OF-LIFE options
--------- (SEC 721.d.2)
---- Answers are REQUIRED
--------- (SEC 721.d.2.D)
---- Other unsolicited contacts are allowed (medical service providers)
--------- (SEC 721.d.2.B)
---- Required to communicate the program is voluntary
--------- (SEC 721.d.2.C)
---- NOT required to communicate that a person can
--------- terminate participation at any time
--------- (SEC 721.d.2.C, 721.d.3)
---- special treatment (unspecified) for those with
--------- impaired cognitive ability and co-morbidities
--------- (SEC 721.e.1.A)
---- includes end-of-life care
--------- (SEC 721.e.1.E)
---- quality of care will have spending targets that must be met
--------- IE RATIONING (SEC 721.f.3.A)
---- payments will be adjusted based on meeting spending targets
--------- IE RATIONING (SEC 721.f.3.B)

THAT THEY ALREADY VOTED INTO LAW.



Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003


CHECK OUT ALL THE LEGISLATORS THAT VOTED FOR THIS BILL

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2003/roll669.xml

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=1&vote=00459


Check out the entire bill / law (the end of life provisions are in Section 721)

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=108_cong_bills&docid=f:h1enr.txt.pdf


Many of the same Republicans now falsely claim HR 3200 Section 1233 without THRESHOLD CONDITIONS, TARGETED BENEFICIARIES, GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRAT CONTACT, etc. Time to pressure these Republicans to legislate the repeal of their own offensive legislation in the form of the above law.
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by toldyouso29 August 26, 2009 9:55 AM EDT
My mom was not a vet but she was married to one and I think Medicare tried something similar in 2003. She was in the middle of chemo for lung cancer when the hospital called to inform us that Medicare said they would not pay for anymore chemo for her. They stated that since she had small cell lung cancer which is 98% fatal, that any treatment was a waste of resources and that they would only pay for morphine or other pain medication. In other words, they chose to let her die.

A few phone calls to our attorney, the ACLU and threats of calling the media later...seemed to make them rethink this approach and allow her to continue her protocol. My mom lived 18 months longer than her best prognosis, what protocol she used was not known (clinical trial) but she was able to see her youngest son get married. She died just after her 65th birthday and would have died when she was 63 if that death panel already in place had been able to have their way.
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by agj2662 August 26, 2009 9:43 AM EDT
I am retired military and a disabled Veteran who work for the Madison VA Hospital in WI. I have worked with Chaplain Juliana Lesher, the Hospice & Palliative Care Team Doctor(s), Nurse(s), Chaplains and Social Workers who deal with the end of life crisis of Veterans and their families on a daily basis. This notation of Jim Towey?s ?Unplugged: The Death Book for Veterans? is not in the Hospice & Palliative Care Team immediate line of work in caring for the Veterans and their families, especially when the Doctor(s), Nurse(s), Chaplain(s) and Social Worker(s) are with the families as their loved one expires. The Madison VA does two memorial services every year around Memorial Day and Veteran?s Day honoring the life of Veterans. These memorial services serves as a reflection of the Veterans military and personal life, but most importantly, the memorial services serve as a spiritual healing and counseling service for their families and loved ones too. Jim Towey?s book and comments are only for his personal (political and financial) gain. The real issue should be about the millions of Veterans who are undergoing hardship cases everyday about not being able to afford the health care that they need now or pay for their medical services and prescription drugs due to today?s economic crisis.
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by misha256 August 26, 2009 8:47 AM EDT
The VA rationing (achieved through underfunding) by President Bush and the Republicans that were reversed after horror stories like the following when the Democrats regained control of Congress. Now the EX-Bush administration appointees are complaining about documents they prepared and set the distribution in motion. Once again the Republicans cause problems , blame others and complain to others to clean them up.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/05/29/failing_our_veterans/

http://www.cjonline.com/stories/010304/pag_va.shtml

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/17/AR2007021701172.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/washington/12medical.html?ex=1334030400&en=bc268fec6b74ede3&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/04/military_veterans_benefitsbacklog_070417w/

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-03-05-walter-reed-hearings_N.htm?csp=34

http://www.gulfwarvets.com/va_backlog.htm
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by DocD--2008 August 25, 2009 4:11 PM EDT
Gee if this is so bad, why didn't Mr Towey have it pulled or complain about it during all the years he worked for Bush in the White House???

Why wait till years later, after he's left there to blame it on the current administration?
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