The Medicare “end of life planning” provision will remain in the Democratic health care bill. Although this provision has been labeled wicked death panels, vindictive attacks have backfired to help increase awareness about this problem which is why it will remain in the bill. This provision permits Medicare health insurance to pay for voluntary counseling to help recipients deal with the complicated and sorrowful decisions families have to make when a loved one passes. For many years federal laws and policies have encouraged people to discuss and think ahead about end of life choices. Living wills have also been promoted. This summer when House Democrats proposed to pay doctors for the counseling it created a wave of skepticism and anger. Republicans defined it as an example of government exceeding its limit. What are your thoughts? Should Medicare health insurance pays for end of life counseling?

According to Kaiser Health News both parties agree that the new health care reform should focus on building a better health system that promotes prevention rather than simply managing diseases. This would require Medicare and private health insurance companies to fully pay for preventative services such as annual checkups, screenings, mammograms, etc. without any payment from the patient. That means no deductable and no co-payment. President Obama has stated that prevention can save lives and limit the health care spending. The insurance industry is having a fit because they say that such provisions would lead to higher premiums and will hinder individuals from designing flexible insurance plans. What are your thought on preventative care and insurance companies not charging the patients?

According to the New York Times, Senior Citizens are very concerned about the proposed cuts to Medicare benefits as result of recent calls for lower Medicare spending. President Obama met with AARP earlier this week to talk about their concerns about senior’s ability to continue to receive expensive services and procedure like hip and knee replacements. The President tried to explain to them that the ultimate goal of the Medicare cuts was to reduce wasteful unnecessary Medicare spending. He assured them that month of their Medicare health insurance benefits would be reduced despite the $246 billion spending cut. What are your thoughts? Will senior citizens suffer because of the Medicare?