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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated
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From: LindyBill8/14/2009 2:38:49 AM
3 Recommendations  Read Replies (3) of 793926
 
End-of-Life Counseling Nixed from Senate Finance Cmte Bill
STANDARD BLOG
By John McCormack

The Hill's Michael O'Brien reports that the Senate Finance Committee has agreed to drop the end-of-life counseling provisions from its version of the bill. "We dropped end-of-life provisions from consideration entirely because of the way they could be misinterpreted and implemented incorrectly," Sen. Grassley said.

Earlier today Sen. Tom Coburn said that concern about the counseling is legitimate:

"Why would you not want an absolute prohibition? Because you ultimately plan to ration care," Coburn said. "Their plan is to control costs by limiting options."

Tom Maguire draws attention to Obama's April 2009 New York Times interview, in which the president said a "very difficult democratic conversation" would have to take place regarding restraining the cost of end-of-life care:

THE PRESIDENT: So that's where I think you just get into some very difficult moral issues. But that's also a huge driver of cost, right?

I mean, the chronically ill and those toward the end of their lives are accounting for potentially 80 percent of the total health care bill out here.

DAVID LEONHARDT: So how do you — how do we deal with it?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think that there is going to have to be a conversation that is guided by doctors, scientists, ethicists. And then there is going to have to be a very difficult democratic conversation that takes place. It is very difficult to imagine the country making those decisions just through the normal political channels. And that's part of why you have to have some independent group that can give you guidance. It's not determinative, but I think has to be able to give you some guidance. And that's part of what I suspect you'll see emerging out of the various health care conversations that are taking place on the Hill right now.
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