Healthcare Reform and Advanced Directives

Healthcare Reform and Advanced Directives To save an individual or to not save an individual, this is the question at hand. Many uninformed Americans are up in arms over the notion of the government forcing the elderly Medicare patient to make an advanced directive. Healthcare reform as a whole has been a highly debated topic as it should be, but there are many aspects of the new healthcare reform bill that have their own energized debate. An advanced directive is one of them, but the debate should not prey upon people’s most basic fears. Up until now the topic of advanced directives had taken a back seat in the news. Prior to the healthcare reform bill, the last time advanced directives had so much media attention was the Terri Schiavo case. Wikipedia defined the Terri Schiavo case as a seven-year long legal case that revolved around whether Terri Schiavo, diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) for several years should be disconnected from life support. Fierce critics and avid supporters have all stated their opinions in one form or another. The uninformed public is left to decide, who’s right and who’s wrong. I intend to explain each side, give real life examples, and educate my reader so they can decide for themselves. Does the public really understand what an Advanced Directive is? In my experience, many patients and families do not understand. Northwestern Memorial Hospital defined advance directives as, “legal documents with written instructions regarding your medical care wishes and preferences. A living will and a medical power of attorney are important documents within advance directives. A living will describes your end-of-life wishes, whereas a power of attorney allows you to select a family member or friend, designated as an agent, as your medical decision maker.” Advanced directives indicate one’s desire for such services such as analgesia (pain relief), antibiotics, hydration, feeding, and the use of ventilators or

References: Advanced Directives. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://www.nmh.org/nm/1-001908 Hahn, M Lane, C. (2009, August 8). Undue Influence. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/07/AR2009080703043 McCaughey claims end of life counseling will be required for Medicare patients Parrish, S. (2009, August 25). Advanced directives are not a proxy for euthanasia. Retrieved April 10, 2010 Roan, S Specter, A. (2009, March 18). Arlen Specter speaks on Health Care Reform. Retrieved April 22, 2010, from http://specter.senate.gov Suzanne, H Terri Schiavo case. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terri_Schiavo_case Weiner, R