Unfortunate politics cause public to miss out on information about hospice care
Palliative and hospice care have gained more interest from the public in recent years as personal stories and concrete statistics made clear the many benefits of this specialized care. Unfortunately, politics hindered the progression this year, as this quote from a WickedLocal article by Richard Griffin explains:
Surely, few single phrases harmed Americans this year more than did the coinage “death panels.” This label, a thoroughly deceptive ploy fashioned for political reasons, led leaders in Congress to cut out of the health reform bill one of its finest features.
That plan was to pay doctors for explaining treatment to terminally ill patients who needed to know about palliative care, hospice services and other alternatives to medical/surgical intervention.
The opponents of this legislation managed to twist the meaning of the proposal to make it seem like a way of getting rid of sick older people.
The sort of education intended to be provided by the plan is exactly what helps people to make informed decisions about alternatives to the traditional intensive hospital-based medical care. Hopefully, with the subject continuing to attract more attention, future legislation will make this education available to all.
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