What About Death Panels? What About the Disabled?By PollyPsi
Today we will continue our discussion of proposed healthcare changes that we started last week (click here to see article last week) by focusing on how a revised system might impact a typical family.
Recently, a well known former United States Vice Presidential candidate stated that in a “public option” healthcare system her Down Syndrome baby boy would not have been allowed to be born because he would not have passed approval by a proposed healthcare "death panel." We could find no proposal in any bill that forms a "death panel" or that gives a government bureaucrat or insurance company employee the right to order the termination of a pregnancy. A "death panel" is said to exist for a gravely ill patient. That panel is composed of close family members and perhaps, perhaps, their religious and medical advisers.
Recently, a well known former United States Vice Presidential candidate stated that in a “public option” healthcare system her Down Syndrome baby boy would not have been allowed to be born because he would not have passed approval by a proposed healthcare "death panel." We could find no proposal in any bill that forms a "death panel" or that gives a government bureaucrat or insurance company employee the right to order the termination of a pregnancy. A "death panel" is said to exist for a gravely ill patient. That panel is composed of close family members and perhaps, perhaps, their religious and medical advisers.
Please stop by on Tuesday, September 15th when we will discuss end of life care more extensively.
Back to the care of the Down Syndrome baby. When the mother gave birth to the baby, she was over 40-years-old, an age when the chance of birth defects is known to increase. Another woman might decide in the same circumstances to terminate the pregnancy. In America she is legally allowed to do so. But Federal law prohibits use of Federal money to pay for an abortion. Most likely, if the woman uses a proposed "public option" insurance she would also have to pay for an abortion out of her personal funds.
The mother we are using as an example and her family already had excellent health insurance coverage from her government benefits. Now that she is not longer employed by the government she would have excellent health insurance provided by her husband or that she could purchase from private insurance. The mother also has a superior potential to earn huge income as a media personality and/or as an author. Therefore, she will probably pay higher taxes once her income exceeds a probable range of $250,000 to $350,000 to subsidize healthcare insurance for those who cannot afford it.
The care of a handicapped or disabled child is expensive. A family with means can provide the best of care for their Down Syndrome son. Other families, with lesser means or no insurance, find that the level of available services varies widely state-to-state.
The availability of a national "public option" insurance plan and the mandate to cover pre-existing conditions promises to improve the availability and quality of services for children with disabilities.
Please note the opinions of the author may not match the opinion of Be the Best Nanny Newsletter. The article is published to encourage a mature debate.
If you wish to share more about healthcare reform with nannies click "comments" below. Stop by tomorrow for more about healthcare reform.
Back to the care of the Down Syndrome baby. When the mother gave birth to the baby, she was over 40-years-old, an age when the chance of birth defects is known to increase. Another woman might decide in the same circumstances to terminate the pregnancy. In America she is legally allowed to do so. But Federal law prohibits use of Federal money to pay for an abortion. Most likely, if the woman uses a proposed "public option" insurance she would also have to pay for an abortion out of her personal funds.
The mother we are using as an example and her family already had excellent health insurance coverage from her government benefits. Now that she is not longer employed by the government she would have excellent health insurance provided by her husband or that she could purchase from private insurance. The mother also has a superior potential to earn huge income as a media personality and/or as an author. Therefore, she will probably pay higher taxes once her income exceeds a probable range of $250,000 to $350,000 to subsidize healthcare insurance for those who cannot afford it.
The care of a handicapped or disabled child is expensive. A family with means can provide the best of care for their Down Syndrome son. Other families, with lesser means or no insurance, find that the level of available services varies widely state-to-state.
The availability of a national "public option" insurance plan and the mandate to cover pre-existing conditions promises to improve the availability and quality of services for children with disabilities.
Please note the opinions of the author may not match the opinion of Be the Best Nanny Newsletter. The article is published to encourage a mature debate.
If you wish to share more about healthcare reform with nannies click "comments" below. Stop by tomorrow for more about healthcare reform.
Thanks for great explanation. For parents of disabled children health reform is great. For teen mothers, single mothers, and poor mothers (married, old, or not) health reform is great. I hope those unsure will read this and understand that. But I fear they may focus only on pro-life issues and focus on nothing else. Thanks for the easy to understand explanation!
ReplyDeleteMaria Lopez, Miami FL
"The availability of a national "public option" insurance plan and the mandate to cover pre-existing conditions promises to improve the availability and quality of services for children with disabilities."
ReplyDeleteThis is very important for the working poor like me and my other nanny friends and housekeepers who are friends.
I urge your readers to remember that most nannies are the working poor in this nation. We derserve health care no matter our condition.
This series is great. I appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteMy parents both had to help decide when to take their parents (my grandparents) off of life support. So they were on a death panel. Every single day American's have to make difficult decisions about when to stop life support on a family member. It is a part of life and has been forever. The advice here is correct that the best thing we can do is legalize our end of life plans to make it easier on our family members since we could be tragically hurt anytime and any place. Do you want to donate your organs? Do you want "DNR"? And then, you can finalize your funeral wishes too. The more you do the easier you make the decisions on your family. Government cannot make the decision for people and health reform would not take those choices out of the hands of individuals.
ReplyDeleteKaren S. Harrisburg
Seriously, have opposers of health insurance reform ever tried to care for a disabled child? If your child is unhealthy in anyway the cost of care is outrageous. It's great that Palin has the financial resources to pay for great care for her Down's Syndrome baby, but the average American could never afford it. And the cost continues after the parent's die because they have to provide for the care of that child (as an adult) for their entire life!!
ReplyDeleteCandi Boddington
Newborn Specialist
Nanny
Household Manager
Personal Assistant
Santa Fe, New Mexico