Is it a pre-boomer’s patriotic duty to die?
The health care reform plan calls for mandatory counseling, every five years, for those over 65. Is this a caring service, a re-education program, or the first step in rationing seniors into an early demise? Dying before our time is not the goal of pre-boomers; I know it’s not for me. But this could be one of the unintended consequences of universal health care.
Politicians in Washington must slow down long enough to read the entire bill, question confusing or unclear elements within it, and listen to the concerns of constituents like you and me. To date, no one has been able to explain how the proposed health care program will work. Proponents talk about how wonderful it will be to have everyone covered, but we’re unsure as to how this plan will be paid for other than taxing the rich for part of the shortfall. They claim cost savings will result in zero deficit spending once the plan is established, but how can we expect greater efficiencies when the government’s involved.
Although the coverage will be broad based the specifics are cloudy. That’s why we should be concerned about what’s going to happen to pre-boomers, those born between 1930 and 1945. The youngest of us is just turning 65 and the eldest will soon be 80. We are the new seniors, and
chances are we have another 15, 20 maybe 30 years of life as long as we get the care and treatment we need to help us through the “golden years.”
An “impartial board” will determine what treatment is appropriate based on normative data about various medical conditions and refer to this decision as “patient care allocations” or “resource optimization.” But, whatever these cost cutting measures are called, it is plain and simple rationing. This does not bode well for seniors because younger people will have better long-term results thus proving the plan successful. Since a preponderance of medical expenses occur at the end of life, statistics might suggest it would be financially sound to find a way to speed up the process.
Baby boomers may not be worried about this, but they should be. They are tomorrow’s seniors, and before long they will realize that universal health care, as grand as it sounds, will cause our health system to be brought down to the lowest level of acceptability rather the raise it to new heights. Look at the death rates for cancer, as an example, in Canada and Europe compared to the United States. And, since the government will be looking for cheaper solutions to medical problems, much of the profit incentive will be taken away from pharmaceutical companies. This means they will not be in a hurry to spend time and money on new research for things like Alzheimer’s.
An impersonal approach to health care is not for me. I want my personal physician to make the decisions with my involvement, of course. I trust my doctor to do what’s best for me, from tests and diagnosis to medication and other treatment, because he’s been doing it for my family and me for years. What I don’t want is a bureaucrat deciding what doctors I can see or which ones I must use, the specific health care I’m allowed to have and for how long. This just seems to be un-American.
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