Talk Radio Campaign Frightening Seniors

Source: Washington Post

A campaign on conservative talk radio, fueled by President Obama's calls to control exorbitant medical bills, has sparked fear among senior citizens that the health-care bill moving through Congress will lead to end-of-life "rationing" and even "euthanasia."

The controversy stems from a proposal to pay physicians who counsel elderly or terminally ill patients about what medical interventions they would prefer near the end of life and how to prepare instructions such as living wills. Under the plan, Medicare would reimburse doctors for one session every five years to confer with a patient about his or her wishes and how to ensure those preferences are followed. The counseling sessions would be voluntary.

But on right-leaning radio programs, religious e-mail lists and Internet blogs, the proposal has been described as "guiding you in how to die," "an ORDER from the Government to end your life," promoting "death care" and, in the words of antiabortion leader Randall Terry, an attempt to "kill Granny."

Though the counseling provision is a tiny part of a behemoth bill, the skirmish over end-of-life care, like arguments about abortion coverage, has become a distraction and provided an opening for opponents of the president's broader health-care agenda. At a forum sponsored by the seniors group AARP that was intended to pitch comprehensive reform, Obama was asked about the "rumors." He used the question to promote living wills, noting that he and the first lady have them.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/31/AR2009073103148.html?hpid=topnews

Kinda of like when Republicans were attempting to say that Florida Jewish Seniors would never vote for Obama......and yet, they did.

Sarah, where are you? :)

Always has been, always will be.

plans are out there that they feel this is too complex an issue for them to understand. That's exactly what the insurance companies want them to think so when a rw talking spout spouts off they will believe......

at how low Republicans will stoop and how ignorant and gullible a certain percentage of the population is.

know the feeling 'cause I use to have it. Not sure when it stopped now but it took a long time.

She started talking last week about about forced eugenics and about seniors being denied required surgeries, and frankly, sounding like a real crazy lady in doing so. I was wondering where it came from, so, I went to http://www.mediamatters.org, and sure enough, Rush and Fox have been steadily targeting seniors with fear and smear over the last two weeks. The word is getting out, though. I saw this debunked on Hardball two days ago, and on CNN this morning. And now this article.

Oh, and Mom, denial of coverage happens day in and day out in America; by Insurance Companies!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbqywxRVYNM

send around - their comments are hideous!!!!

This is terrifying. Don't forget to listen to the interview at the end.










Subject: Page 425 of Health Care BIll

This is just almost unbelievable, please share this with others.


This is terrifying!!!! Please contact your elected reps..
I listened to this interview and it just about made me sick to my stomach20to hear them talk about ending your life to benefit society......

This is something that we need to hear and contact our legislators about if we care about if we are getting to social security age or if we have loved ones who are. It is really serious!


IN GOD WE TRUST!


I don't know about the rest of you but it sounds like they are about to kiss me goodby



(If this doesn't make your blood boil........... nothing will!!)

Page 425 of Health Care Bill - Listen to this interview Fred Thompson's Radio Show interviewing Betsy McCaughey (pronounced Mc Coy). Or look it up on www.fredthompsonshow.com, under interviews.

On page 425 it says in black and white that EVERYONE on Social Security, (will include all Senior Citizens and SSI people) will go to MANDATORY counseling every 5 years to learn and to choose from ways to end your suffering (and your life). Health care will be denied based on age. 500 Billion will be cut from Seniors healthcare. The only way for that to happen is to drastically cut health care, the oldest and the sickest will be cut first. Paying for your own care will not be an option.

Now, CALL YOUR PEOPLE IN WASHINGTON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tell them to read page 425 if they don't read anything else. Surely some of them have parents.


"ON PAGE 425 OF OBAMA’S HEALTH CARE BILL, the Federal Government will require EVERYONE who is on Social Security to undergo a counseling session every 5 years with the objective being that they will explain to them just how to end their own life earlier. Yes...They are going to push SUICIDE to cut medicare spending!"
Fred Thompson: Interviews

(BE SURE TO CLICK ON THE ABOVE LINE!)

(give it a few seconds to begin)


and remember -> the President all the members of the entire congress voted for themselves AND their families their own "DIFFERENT" HEALTH CARE PLAN just for themselves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SENT TO ME BY A FRIEND TODAY

Or feed them to lions.

Only their bizarre "dignity before birth" doctrine.

I would like to see something like Switzerland's "Dignitas."

Nobody wants to get to the end of a life of indulgence and live in a half-conscious state with machines and expensive drugs keeping you alive.

not hate them and try to think of ways to get rid of them.

What a fucked up country we live in.

:kick:

Is it honoring our seniors that 10% of them live in poverty? If that number makes you mad, but consider that 17.4 percent of children live in poverty. Aren't we supposed to protect our children?

Is it honoring our seniors near the end of their lives when budget woes cause draconian cuts in Medicare, leading to underfunded nursing homes?

We have wonderful medical technology that can prolong life, but it doesn't always extend quality of life. If we are going to talk about the moral implications of end of life care, don't we have to consider this as well? Is it honoring those seniors who are frail and sick to crack open their chests and shove tubes down their throat?

We have to have an honest discussion about end of life care without fear mongering.

Oh, and should we start a generational war by asking the following
If the number of dollars are finite do you pay for the 80 year old to have open heart surgery or the 15 year old to have a bone marrow transplant?

Let's examine the arguments of the question for a moment...

If the number of dollars are finite do you pay for the X ot Y?

Where X = American citizens, non-felons, A+ students, upper SAT scorees, more good looking, famous, actors,
and Y = Undocumented border crossers, dropouts, slackers, deformed, reclusive, labored.

Where do the questions begin and end?

In a manner of speaking, we have an answer to your question. Currently, those who are in your Category X are more likely (statistically speaking) to have health insurance or the means to pay for medical care. Those is Category Y are less likely to have access to care.

It isn't enough to REPORT that this going on. You also have to report that it SHOULDN'T be going on because IT ISN'T TRUE!!! But seeing as how the national media depends on ad revenues from for-profit healthcare, should we really be surprised?

:mad:
rocktivity

hooked up to machines to keep on living?

"a proposal to pay physicians who counsel elderly or terminally ill patients about what medical interventions they would prefer near the end of life and how to prepare instructions such as living wills."

If I am in a position which I would never recover from, doomed to a less of a life, I would like to hear those options. There is no reason for me to hang on just to hang on, when there is no recovery.

re: "On page 425 it says in black and white that EVERYONE on Social Security, (will include all Senior Citizens and SSI people) will go to MANDATORY counseling every 5 years to learn and to choose from ways to end your suffering (and your life). Health care will be denied based on age. 500 Billion will be cut from Seniors healthcare. The only way for that to happen is to drastically cut health care, the oldest and the sickest will be cut first. Paying for your own care will not be an option. "


What the hell is really on page 425 that has some people in a tizzy? Can some enlightened person
here post the exact wording and meaning of this often quoted material?

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h3200ih.txt.pdf

Go to 425, all I read is a normal consultation about end of life issues, like living wills, health care proxys, powers of attorney, but all in the general sense, no government taking those powers from you like the email says.

I find it incredibly selfish and self indulgent, but that seems to be the modus operandi of this age cohort. But this is also the group that gets taken in by televangelists and other snake oil salesmen. On the other hand it makes sense that when people are in their golden years that they become more obsessed with their mortality. The GOP taking advantage of this group, though, is despicable since it's Goebbels's style propaganda of the highest order.

It's very sad to me though, since they are a powerful voting bloc and have the ability to mobilize and frighten politicians who are worried about the next election.

Luckily, the upcoming generations have more progressive attitudes around so many issues that are near to my heart.

after they've turned it off and go to the internet and do some research.

Stop getting sucked by lies, Seniors..and everyone else who's addicted to hateradio.

I doubt they are scared, because they know all of those hosts are facists.

As a senior, I can say that.

I'll also say that every single time that I've been hospitalized (5 times in the past 4 years) I've been asked if I have a health care proxy.

I say yes, and willingly hand them a copy of my proxy and living will.

My problems have been fixable, but if they weren't -- I have no problem in not having extreme measures taken to prolong my life.