If you pooh poohed the idea of death panels...

...in the Health Care Bill, well the attitude of many people over Dick Cheney's heart transplant should disprove that opinion.

No sooner was the news of the former VP's transplant made public than the "he's too old and he should not have been allowed a new heart" opinions started. He's 71. Folks 71 is not that old anymore when so many live into late 80's and 90's. Remember all the outrage over Sarah Palin and others worrying over death panels?  We won't have to worry about gramma, she'll be taken care of, anyone who says age will be a factor in treatment is just plain wrong.

Well, it seems there is a large number of people out there believing it's a good thing to refuse treatment of some people because of age.

Worry over nothing? I don't think so.

Comments

[Ron]

The Supreme Court will rule the mandate is unconstitutional and basically require Obama/congress to start over. There is a lot that can be done to hold down cost, address issues like pre-existing conditions and put the tax benefit of premiums on an equal footing, withoout this bad bill.

[Joe]

" "In general, once the patient is over 65 or 70 they become excluded from heart transplant," Mariell L. Jessup said.

There are lots of reasons for that. One is that older patients are less likely to survive the operation, and more likely to die soon after even if they do.

"More of these patients are more likely to die within the first 30 days than patients who are younger," says transplant surgeon Scott C. Silvestry of Washington University in St. Louis. "

Sounds like Cheney's heart transplant is more of a medical best-practice issue than a concern over government in health care.

[Rand]

I agree Joe, the article I read mentioned his history of 5 heart attacks and that he already has a partial mechanical heart. This continued "Death Panel" scare tactic is just too laffable to be taken seriously.
And besides, insurance companies (yours and mine) make these decisions every day. Who gets on the wait list for transplant, and who doesn't. The differences can be very small.
And then there are patients removed from the lists because their health has deteriorated beyond some arbitrary point.