So Mr. Moss, your Grandmother had to wait for a hip replacement in England? When she had the hip replacement how much did it cost her out of pocket? Did she have to declare bankruptcy? How long ago was this hip surgery, how old was she, was she in good health otherwise?

The counseling is done so the Senior Citizen will understand what their right are under the law. Instead of being taken advantage of some unscrupulous Insurance representative who would sell them an unnecessary cost. It would allow them to understand the meaning of a "Living Trust" or a "Living Will" and not leave it up to their emotionally confused children.

You are going to die some day, Mr. Moss. Why wouldn't you want to have control over what your life is like when that day arrives.

You sir, are a fear monger. And a servant to the Insurance and Health Care Industry. Carrying their water to scare people is NOT a life to be proud.

Billy,

If you think America holds the number 1 spot in health care, just look at the facts for yourself.

Here's the link to WHO (World Health Organization)

http://www.who.int/whr/2000/media_centre/press_release/en/index.html

And if you want a big break down of it, here's another link for you.

America is 37th in the world's health care systems

http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html

America is 24th in life expectancy.

http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthy_life_table2.html

America is 72nd in health attainment and performance, and I might add IRAN, Bosnia, and Mexico are all ahead of us in availability of health care and the performance of the health care available!

http://www.photius.com/rankings/world_health_performance_ranks.html

And here's the real eye opener! You know where we rank the highest? In health expenditures, we come in at #2!

http://www.photius.com/rankings/total_health_expenditure_as_pecent_of_gdp_2000_to_2005.html

Now Billy, you can say it's all a left wing conspiracy if you want to, but I don't think the left organized the WHO and made up all these statistics just to help their cause! It's not something being fed to me from MSNBC, because I do my homework!

So you tell me how it makes any sense that American's spend more than the majority of the civilized world on health care, yet we have a lower life expectancy, less coverage and access to health care, and overall a worse health care system than the majority of the civilized world?

Is this the best our free market society can do? NO! It's not! Your grandmother and aunt may have a wait for non life threatening surgery, but they will get their surgery. That is way more than many individuals in this country can say. We have people in our country dying of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc... all of which could have been treated or prevented if they had access to health care!

So you have the facts now, Billy, and I'm hoping you can handle the truth!

The key to the counseling statement would be who is offering the counseling. I know a lot of people who could certainly use and welcome some counceling with their medical problems. Many people have no concept of what their medicine is supposed to do, the side effects, and etc. Sometimes a doctor doesn't fully explain this to pts. and if they do the pt doesn't fully understand. There are documented cases where the Pharmaceutial companies with held information about the serious side effects of the medicine that was put on the market. A physician can only inform a patient about the information that is available to him from the manufactors and the FDA.

The FDA is another whole can of worms that needs to be redone!!!!!!

You guys who think our health care is so great are in for a rude awakening. I worked in the medical profession and believe me when big business got their hand into hospitals, the patient care went downhill drastically. Ask yourself this question: If they were not making big bucks at the expense of SOMEONE (insurance, patients, and etc.) would they be in business. Free enterprise is great but it should not be allowed to pray on the sick for a big profit. What people pay for soft drinks, beer, and tobacco products is one thing: they can do without these items. WHAT A PERSON PAYS FOR THEIR MEDICINE IN ORDER TO LIVE IN ANOTHER CAN OF WORMS!

Dana,

I know there is little hope for you and your sidekick Ron but I do hope for open minded people to look further into this and make an educated decision. One more thing to consider if this is such a great plan how come congress has exempted themselves from this plan. Call congressman Kissell and Senator Hagan and ask them that question

Section 1233 of the tri-commmittee healthcare bill creates a government run Advance Care Planning Counsultation.

On page 425 it says that congress will make it mandatory that every five years people on Medicare have a required counseling session. During these sessions recommendations of pain relief options and hospice will be discussed. The counselors by law will have to make people aware of these options. If there is a significant change ini the persons health or status during that time counseling may be administered again.

I'm afraid that as more baby boomers reach retirement age and Medicare costs soar the pressure to consider these options could very well rise as well. The message could possibly be "to do what's in society's best interest and cut your life short.

Your facts about the United States being 37th in the world for medical care are both laughable and ridiculous. You really should broaden your sources of facts to more than NPR and MSNBC.

This country has the greatest healthcare in the world without a doubt. Why do people from other countries who hve socialized medicine come to the United States for care? There are two main reasons, 1- they can't great treatment in a timely matter, 2- we have the best hospitals and treatment centers in the world.

My english grandmother needed a hip replacement and was told because of her age that she would have to wait 12 months. My aunt needed gall bladder surgergy and had to wait six months because of the back log. This doesn't exist in this country but it eventually will if we get socialized medicine.

These pharmaceutical companies that you demonize are the same ones that develop the medications that enable people to live longer and healthier lives. They also provide billions of dollars worth of free medication to lower income people who othewise would do without. They also put a lot of their profits back into research and development for new drugs.

These are the facts Dana even though "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH".

Sec. 1233 of the bill, labeled "Advance Care Planning Consultation" details how the bill would, for the first time, require Medicare to cover the cost of end-of-life counseling sessions.

According to the bill, "such consultation shall include the following: An explanation by the practitioner of advance care planning, including key questions and considerations, important steps, and suggested people to talk to; an explanation by the practitioner of advance directives, including living wills and durable powers of attorney, and their uses; an explanation by the practitioner of the role and responsibilities of a health care proxy." [PolitiFact.com, 7/16/09]

There it is, Mr. Moss! So tell me how this is anything like what you wrote, "“End of Life Counseling” which means people who are up in age will not be able to get treatment for certain conditions simply because there isn’t enough money."

Here's a clue, it's not! What does this actually mean? Let me break it down for you. This simply means Medicare will pay for you to be consulted and counseled by YOUR DOCTOR on your "end of life" care. What could possibly be wrong with a doctor discussing all your options with you? I just dont' see how you all can take something like this and turn it into an evil.

Here's one more clue, Mr. Moss, this is not mandatory! SO, please spare me the ins and outs of that argument.

In addition, Mr. Moss, you are incorrect about all the other countries in which their government is involved in health care. FACTUALLY, the USA is number 37 in the world in regards to our health care, we are not number 1, that title goes to France! You might be surprised to know, the UK and Canada both have better health care systems than the USA due to all the preventative measures they take as a result of a universal health care system.

The only people who continue to deny the fact that our health system is in desperate need of a total overhaul are the people who get paid the most from the state of health care, the insurance companies and the pharmaceutical companies. Just follow the money, Mr. Moss, it's really a no brainer!

This letter is a total and complete pack of lies, bought and paid for by the GOP Fear Machine!

How about this, instead of throwing out this complete load of junk, why don't you give us the real information, Mr. Moss. Tell us what they intend to cut from Medicare, instead of the cookie cutter letter they've passed out to all the blind followers!

Our current state of health care is in trouble, and something needs to be done! If you don't believe me, just look up where the US stands in health care, because contrary to popular belief, we are not the leading country in health care. No, that title goes to the country with REAL SOCIALIZED MEDICINE!

Mr. Moss, are you the same one that is helping to circulate those preposterous emails about abortions being covered by tax dollars! It should be criminal to circulate out and out lies such as this!

Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter -- they were abortions that lived.

Nemo,it came by the US Mail.That Figures,Government Ran.

nobrain, how were those Parcel-Birth abortions shipped, FedEx or UPS?

Billy Moss didn't write this letter. It was shown on MSNBC last night along with a number of other ones that have been circulated so that gullible people will promote the Insurance Lobby's greed.

Nobrain, the people of Oregon VOTED to approve a persons right to die with dignity if their disease is terminal. I don't agree with it, but it was the will of the people of that state. I would think you would support it since it is a States Rights issue.

A "Deather" speaks! Right out of the Right Wing Nut Play Book. They said the same things when Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare into law. The sky is falling, the world will come to an end, we can't afford to take care of the "old people" at government expense, how can you take all that money away from the wonderful people who run the bloated private Insurance Industry? Yata, yata, yata, blah, blah, blah.

This letter is a total lie. The "death counseling" has to do with a "living will" which has been part of Medicare for over 20 years. My wife and I have one, President Obama and his wife have one, and any attorney worth their salt would advise you to have one too.

Typical Republican Lies!

Billy,You are so right.I saw a lady talking the other night on T.V..She lived in Organ,and they these have assisted Suicide there,She had Cancer,her Insurance company Told her that with her Government Policy they would not pay for her Medicine but would pay for assisted Suicide.I wonder how these people would take that news.Cancer can be cured.With this assisted suicide being passed in The U.S.they better not want Government Insurance.You have a President that will kill a baby by abortion and Parcel-Birth abortion don't mind killing you.

Great letter Bill. If this bill passes it would be devastating to those on medicare and medicade and would deprive many of the insurance they already have. This is what one great president had to say about socialized medicene:

http://action.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147486024

Bonnie Wheeler

http://action.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147486024