American Thinker: Useless Eaters

American Thinker: Useless Eaters: "While Americans worry over government insurance plans, longer waits for treatment, and 'healthcare rationing,' a more sinister agenda lurks in the shadows of the healthcare bill now before the House of Representatives. Today's Medicare recipients could be the first to experience our government's new solution to America's 'useless eaters.'

Section 1233 of HR 3200, the healthcare reform measure under consideration, mandates 'Advance Care Planning Consultation.' Under the proposal, all senior citizens receiving government medical care would be required to undergo these counseling sessions every five years. Further reading of the law reveals that these sessions are nothing more than a not-so-veiled attempt to convince the elderly to forego treatment. HR 3200 calls outright for these compulsory consultations to recommend 'palliative care and hospice.' These are typically administered in the place of treatment intended to prolong life, and instead focus on pain relief until death. These are, of course, reasonable and beneficial options for terminally ill patients and their families."