Health Insurance Reform

In April, 2009, Compassion & Choices recognized an opportunity to increase the frequency of discussions between patients and their physicians regarding end-of-life treatment preferences. Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer introduced legislation to pay physicians in Medicare for discussing end-of-life decision-making with their patients, which initially became part of the larger health insurance reform package.

Congressman Blumenauer’s provision was not included in the health insurance reform bill that became law this month. Attacked and distorted by anti-choice extremists, key legislators deemed the provision too controversial, even as news stories and commentary debunked those claims. In October, Compassion & Choices delivered a petition in support of the provision to Congress, signed by thousands of people from across the nation.

However, as a result of Compassion & Choices advocacy efforts, together with Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, the new law includes a provision to require health insurers in the so-called Public Exchange to offer enrollees information on resources available for advanced care planning.

Additional provisions of the new law will evaluate current pain care, develop recommendations for improvement and fund pain care education and training programs.

In addition, Compassion & Choices, together with others, successfully prevented the inclusion of a measure that would have undermined aid-in-dying laws in Oregon and Washington.
 
Compassion & Choices’ talented advocacy team is determined to continue strategizing a way forward. There is broad popular understanding of the importance of communication and choice at the end of life. With great support from our members, legislators learned we are a passionate and active group who will be watching for progress in the future.

Click here to read the myths vs facts on the end-of-life conversation in the health care reform debate.

Click here to read Factcheck.org: False Euthanasia Claims.

Click here to read Politifact: Betsy McCaughy's false claims on end-of-life counseling for Medicare patien

Read the 2009 study in the Archives on Internal Medicine: Health Care Costs in the Last Week of Life.

Read: End-Of-Life Talks Better for Patients and Budgets fromOncology Nursing News.

Read: A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluding that end-of-life conversations are associated with less aggressive medical care near death and earlier hospice referrals.

Read the Life Sustaining Treatment Preferences Act of 2009.  

Read Compassion & Choices testimony to the Senate Finance Committee.

To learn more about this and other important bills we are currently working on, read our End-of-Life Legislative Tracking 111th Congress Summary here.