Obamawatch! Healthcare Bill & Euthanasia

The US is in the grip of healthcare hysteria. But is it 'hysteria' to interpret these pages of the bill as making some hideous 'end of life' plan, a plan to end the lives of the elderly and mandatory? Also, is it me or is the layout and wording of this 1012 page document designed to put the reader off from actually reading it? Here are the offending, and rather offensive pages. Click here to read through the entire document, a task which does seem to make the reader yearn for life to end...I have edited it so that it is actually readable. I wonder how many Congressmen and women will have actually read the thing. Lord, teach us how to die...to ourselves and to care for others.

p.424

5 SEC. 1233. ADVANCE CARE PLANNING CONSULTATION.
.....

Advance Care Planning Consultation: ...the term ‘advance care planning consultation’ means a consultation between the individual and a practitioner...regarding advance care planning, if...the individual involved has not had such a consultation within the last 5 years. 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, the advance care planning clearing houses, 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.

p. 426

(i) Subject to clause (ii), an explanation of orders regarding life sustaining treatment or similar orders, which shall include the reasons why the development of such an order is beneficial to the individual and the individual’s family and the reasons why such an order should be updated periodically as the health of the individual changes; the information needed for an individual or legal surrogate to make informed decisions regarding the completion of such an
order; and the identification of resources that an individual may use to determine the requirements of the State in which such individual resides so that the treatment wishes of that individual will be carried out if the individual is unable to communicate those wishes, including requirements regarding the designation of a surrogate decisionmaker (also known as a healthcare proxy).

The Secretary shall limit the requirement for explanations under clause (i) to consultations furnished in a State—

p. 427

in which all legal barriers have been addressed for enabling orders for life sustaining treatment to constitute a set of medical orders respected across all care settings; and that has in effect a program for orders for life sustaining treatment described in clause (iii).

A program for orders for life sustaining treatment for a States described in this clause is a program that ensures such orders are standardized and uniquely identifiable throughout the State; distributes or makes accessible such orders to physicians and other health professionals that (acting within the scope of the professional’s authority under State law) may sign orders for life sustaining treatment; provides training for health care professionals across the continuum of care about the goals and use of orders for life sustaining treatment; and is guided by a coalition of stakeholders includes representatives from emergency
medical services, emergency department physicians or nurses, state long-term care association,

p. 428

state medical association, state surveyors, agency responsible for senior services, state department of health, state hospital association, home health association, state bar association, and state hospice association. A practitioner described in this paragraph is a physician and a nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant who has the authority under State law to sign orders for life sustaining treatments.

An initial preventive physical examination under subsection (WW), including any related discussion during such examination, shall not be considered an advance care planning consultation for purposes of applying the 5-year limitation.

An advance care planning consultation with respect to an individual may be conducted more frequently than provided under paragraph (1) if there is a significant change in the health condition of the individual, including diagnosis of a chronic, progressive, life-limiting disease, a life-threatening or terminal diagnosis or life-threatening injury, or upon admission to a skilled nursing facility, a long-term care facility (as defined by the Secretary), or a hospice program.

p. 429

A consultation under this subsection may include the formulation of an order regarding life sustaining treatment or a similar order. For purposes of this section, the term ‘order regarding life sustaining treatment’ means, with respect to an individual,

1. an actionable medical order relating to the treatment of that individual that is signed and dated by a physician or another health care professional (as specified by the Secretary and who is acting within the scope of the professional’s authority under State law in signing such an order, including a nurse practitioner or physician assistant) and is in a form that permits it to stay with the individual and be followed by health care professionals and providers across the continuum of care;
2. effectively communicates the individual’s preferences regarding life sustaining treatment, including an indication of the treatment and care desired by the individual; is uniquely identifiable and standardized within a given locality, region, or State (as identified by the Secretary); and...

p. 430

...may incorporate any advance directive if executed by the individual.

The level of treatment indicated...may range from an indication for full treatment to an indication to limit some or all or specified interventions. Such indicated levels of treatment may include indications respecting, among other items—

1. the intensity of medical intervention if the patient is pulse less, apneic, or has serious cardiac or pulmonary problems;
2. the individual’s desire regarding transfer to a hospital or remaining at the current care setting;
3. the use of antibiotics; and the use of artificially administered nutrition and hydration.