My LTTE this morning re: death panels

[mnhtnbb]

I woke up to find a front page article in the Raleigh News & Observer regarding
the rumors of 'death panels'. No where did it mention the fact that insurance
companies have been issuing death sentences to people for years by denying coverage, nor
did it mention how Texas law has been used to remove patients from life support
despite the wishes of families.

The article is here:

http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1646813.html

This is the letter I sent via e-mail this morning:

Editor:

Once again the facts point to Republicans attempting to project a concept onto Democrats when, in reality, they have already implemented the idea themselves.

Google is your friend--even for mainstream news organizations. Salon.com posted an article on August 11th entitled "The death panels are already here", in which numerous instances were cited of insurance companies denying coverage to patients which resulted in death or catastrophic bills becoming the burden of the individual. The most recent example which received national coverage was that of 17 year old
Nataline Sarkisyan who died in December 2007 after her parents fought with Cigna over authorization of a liver transplant.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/08/11/denial_of_care/

The Texas Advance Directives Act (1999), also known as the Texas Futile Care Law, describes certain provisions that are now Chapter 166 of the Texas Health & Safety Code, which allows a health care facility to discontinue life-sustaining treatment against the wishes of the patient or guardian ten days after giving written notice if the continuation of life-sustaining treatment is considered medically inappropriate by the treating medical team. / /(source Wikipedia)

Six-month-old Knya Dismuke-Howard had leukemia that spread to her brain. Doctors at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston said continued care would be futile and a hospital ethics committee decided in May 2005 to remove her from life support, despite objections from her family. She died. Where were you then, Sarah Palin?

Guess who signed the Texas Advance Directives Act into law? Governor George W. Bush.

Sincerely,

mnhtnbb


On edit: I've had numerous letters published in this paper over the years. I'll update this thread
if they publish this one.

[redwitch]

1. good letter!

It is all so ridiculous!

[ejpoeta]

2. great response. i can't help but wonder regarding that baby.... did her parents have insurance??

or didn't they... because if non insurance is enough to pull the plug, then we should be saying republicans want to pull the plug on babies.... and young people.... their track record says so... unless of course it is terri schaivo and she is in a vegetative state and the family wants to take her off life support... then the government can try to force them to stay on it... why?? probably because she had a trust fund to pay the bills. if she didn't have insurance she probably would have been taken off by the republicans.

[mnhtnbb]

5. This happened 4 years ago and every newspaper source I've seen

cited is no longer up on the internet.

Here's a summary of the situation --and there is no mention of insurance.

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2005/05/03/texas/

[mnhtnbb]

3. Freepers are out unrec'ing this

[sinkingfeeling]

4. Yes they are.

[mnhtnbb]

6. Lie and deny--it's the Republican way.

[mnhtnbb]

7. Thanks for the recs. We've now overcome the early unrecs.

[Hepburn]

8. KNR....excellent letter...

...and to the Freeper Trolls: Good Morning and now go fuck yourselves, OK?

:hi:

[mnhtnbb]

9. Thanks!

:hi:

[chatnoir]

10. K&R

Great letter!