On Thursday, August 20, older people can take part in a demonstration that elders are not credulous, selfish nitwits -- so secure in their government-provided Medicare that they can be persuaded to serve as shock troops against health care reform for everyone else. Read all about ELDERBLOGGERS FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM. And if you've got a blog, join the day of blogging!
Our age cohort -- beginning at about age 50 and working up -- are out of sync with the rest of the country.
None of the proposed reforms would cut Medicare -- part of what reform would try to do is lower costs and consequently save this vital government program.And convincing [older people] of the need for change is proving to be an uphill battle. Last week, a CNN-Opinion Research Corp. poll found that a majority of voters over 50 opposed the healthcare overhaul effort, while most voters under 50 supported it.
Opponents have seized on a reform proposal to pay doctors to talk with people about their wishes for end of life care -- to ask delicate questions like, do you want to be hooked up to feeding tubes and breathing machines? At present, you are not going to find doctors asking these things -- they get paid for hooking us up, not listening to us or helping us understand options. Opponents label the availability of such conversations with medical professionals a form of euthanasia. I'd call them offering us dignity and choices.
But then, since I think we need health care reform (almost certainly far more than we'll get), I must be a Nazi or a Communist or something.
2 comments:
less of a comment on this post, and more just on the blog...
Love the redecoration you've done!
It's lovely! And it has that comfy, lived-in look.
:)
It's going to be a rough battle, but contrary to reports and what you see in video of town hall meetings, a lot of elders understand how crucial health care reform is for everyone.
We need to keep speaking up like this.
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