How will the health care bill approach end-of-life decisions?

At Redstate.org, Erick Erickson gives a brief account of a conversation he overheard between a Congressional staffer and a “DC lobbyist” in which the staffer, an aide to Rep. Paul Tonko, opines that the “best part” of the Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 is “the increase in Hospice care which will solve the prolonging of life issue.” This passing comment refers to section 1233 (page 425 of the pdf file) of H.R. 3200 (Open Congress) which, according to Wesley J. Smith, seems to “require that people on Medicare receive an ‘Advance Care Planning Consultation’ every five years or when their health status changes.” That section, in relevant part, reads as follows:

Such consultation shall include the following: ‘‘(A) An explanation by the practitioner of advance care planning, including key questions and considerations, important steps, and suggested people to talk to. (B) An explanation by the practitioner of advance directives, including living wills and durable powers of attorney, and their uses. (C) An explanation by the practitioner of the role and responsibilities of a health care proxy. (D) The provision by the practitioner of a list of national and State-specific resources to assist consumers and their families with advance care planning, including the national toll-free hotline, advance care planning clearinghouses, and State legal service organizations (including those funded through the Older Americans Act of 1965). (E) An explanation by the practitioner of the continuum of end-of-life services and supports available, including palliative care and hospice, and benefits for such services and supports that are available under this title.

The Tonko staffer seems to be implying that counseling for Medicare patients will have a more than “explanatory” effect–indeed, that it might go so far as to “solve the prolonging of life issue” by introducing policy priorities into end-of-life decision-making.

Concerned about the bill’s social context, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Republican Policy Committee Chairman Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) released a statement which includes this warning about a “slippery slope” toward euthanasia : “With three states having legalized physician-assisted suicide, this provision could create a slippery slope for a more permissive environment for euthanasia, mercy-killing and physician-assisted suicide because it does not clearly exclude counseling about the supposed benefits of killing oneself.”

For further information:

Is there a Euthanasia mandate hiding in Obama-care
American Principles Project, Thomas Peters, 7.27.2009

ObamaCare Dives Into End-Of-Life Debate
Forbes, David Whelan. 7.24.2009

Obamacare for old folks: Just ‘cut your life short’
WorldNetDaily, Bob Unruh, 7.22.2009