The Death Book

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal that I think perfectly sums up the reason so many Americans are uneasy with Section 1233 in the House Health Care Bill.

The article is titled The Death Book for Veterans and discusses how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) advocated an end-of-life planning document titled “Your Life, Your Choices”. This thing was first introduced in 1997 and later promoted as the VA’s preferred living will. The Bush Administration took a look at this document and decided to suspend its use. Obama has since reinstated it.

This document has a questionnaire on page 21 for veterans to fill out. They list a scenario, and the veteran is to choose one of the following choices if they were to find themselves in that scenario: Difficult But Acceptable, Worth Living But Just Barely, Not Worth Living, Can’t Answer Now.

Here are some of the scenarios they list…

- I can no longer walk but get around in a wheelchair.
- I can no longer get outside—I spend all day at home.
- I can no longer contribute to my family's well being.
- I can no longer control my bladder.
- I can no longer control my bowels.
- I live in a nursing home.
- I can no longer think clearly-I am confused all the time.
- I can no longer recognize family/friends
- I can no longer talk and be understood by others.
- My situation causes severe emotional burden for my family (such as feeling worried or stressed all the time).
- I am a severe financial burden on my family.
- I cannot seem to “shake the blues.”
- Other (write in):

They are then told to keep the following questions in mind:

If you checked "worth living, but just barely" for more than one factor, would a combination of these factors make your life "not worth living?" If so, which factors?

If you checked "not worth living," does this mean that you would rather die than be kept alive?

If you checked "can't answer now," what information or people do you need to help you decide?

Now, do you see them asking “If you checked ‘not worth living’, what can be done to make you feel better”? No. The entire aim of this document is to help steer as many people as possible to ending their life for the sole purpose of saving money.

In July of this year, a VA directive instructed its primary care physicians to bring up advance care planning with all VA patients and to refer them to this document. Not just the older patients or the disabled ones… ALL patients. 24 million veterans.

So a 20 year old kid returning home from Iraq is going to have to answer questions like this? Who the hell WOULD be able to “shake the blues” after coming back from that? This is absolutely immoral. Which is why the Bush Administration stopped its use. Obama brought it back. Interesting.

This is exactly what we can expect for all of us if the Democrats get the Healthcare Insurance overhaul that they want.

Is this what WE want?