Assisted Suicide Anyone?

At the risk of spreading vicious rumors, death panels would exist if ObamaCare gets enacted. This is from the mouth of Obama himself. At his ABC healthcare infomercial, when asked about a 95 year old getting a pacemaker, Obama suggested that this elderly lady would be better getting painkillers instead.



Of course, a panel would make this critical decision, and they’d never consider a person’s spirit. That would be too subjective. Better to stick with the cold reality, the patient even if a dear beloved mother or father is old and his/her usefulness to society exhausted.



Yes, they’ll have health insurance. They’ll have a plastic card stating so. But when life saving care is required, it’s instead denied in favor of “end of life” choices like hospice, “assisted suicide” or maybe just one good, strong dose of painkillers.



When my wife’s mother was alive suffering from Alzheimer’s, one doctor offered the “painkiller put away.” My wife rejected this option for she wanted her mother around a little longer albeit even in her diminish mental capacity. Under ObamaCare, his panel’s decision would be final.



Consider Oregonian citizen, Randy Stroup, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer. His Oregon state-run health plan told him that they wouldn’t pay for that pricey chemotherapy, but they’d shell out for physician assisted-suicide.



Yet, Stroup is only 53 years old, a little young for that “end of life” discussion. Don’t you think? However, he’s not the only one. It seems several Oregonians didn’t meet the formula for living, which is no life-prolonging treatment unless there’s at least a 5% chance of living five more years.



Another victim of Oregon’s health machine is Barbara Wagener who has lung cancer. She was told they wouldn’t cover her life-extending cancer drug Tarceva. Instead they approved palliative care, which included again physician assisted-suicide.



Remember that James Bond movie, when he asks Goldfinger, “Do you expect me to talk?” Goldfinger responded, “No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die.” Oregon’s health system is solid Goldfinger, and it all started without that “Government Assisted Suicide (GAS),” which was conveniently added afterwards. Supposedly, “end of life” has been removed from ObamaCare. Obama, note to self, “Pass GAS later.”



And, from a bureaucrat’s perspective assisted suicide is the perfect healthcare option.

When successful, there are never complications, recurring conditions or required post-procedure therapy. In fact, afterwards the patient’s healthcare needs become absolute zero along with, of course, any social security payments.



Any board (It’s NICE in Britain) that dictates to doctors a patient’s treatment is a death panel especially in life threatening conditions. And when decisions are based on a patient’s contributions to society, that’s Euthanasia.



Still, ObamaCare proponents use a 2000 World Health Organization (WHO) study, which ranks America 37th out of 191 nations. Yet, WHO employed life expectancy as a primary factor, which is a terrible measure for healthcare systems. For when obesity, murder rates and fatal transportation accidents are subtracted, America’s life expectancy then ranks above most industrialized nations.



In fact, WHO placed America number one in patient care with the most timely, highest confidentiality and best efficiency. What really drops America’s ranking was its lack of socialism.



With a so-called gazillions uninsured, many non-citizens, the young, the rich and others who otherwise choose not to be insured, America doesn’t cover all including illegals with “free” healthcare. Well, I say assisted-suicide for everybody.



That government issued plastic could just be a “Get Out of Life Free” card. Assisted-suicide could even have a “green” choice. GASed humans could either become “food or fuel,” either Soylent Green or bio-diesel, thus saving the planet in even more ways.



Our free market system, what’s left of it, is patient centered while socialized medicine is always system centered. As long as the system survives, it doesn’t matter whether the patient lives or dies.



Finally, I again mourn TOTUS, Teleprompter of the United States. It’s untimely death was felt again as POTUS said something totally dim-witted at one of his staged town hall meetings. While Obama was dismissing that a government-run plan would drive private insurers out of business, he said that UPS and FedEx were doing fine, but “it’s the post office that’s always having problems.”



Obama apparently forgot that the US Postal Service is a government enterprise while UPS and FedEx are private. Update on TOTUS’s death: it was the Swine Flu, and government health insurance chose assisted-suicide for the sure cure.



In June 2009, Obama said that the “Public Option” is not your enemy. It’s your friend. But in March 2007, he said that he wanted a single payer system by the end of his first term. More and more Americans are realizing that ObamaCare won’t be their friend. As such, it’s on life support. Is it time for its assisted-suicide?