ACA (Obamacare) updates for 2014

While I understand your POV Rick....and tend to agree with some of your points,the REAL issue is controlling your destiny and the QUALITY of your remaining years. IF quality is present and medical
intervention does NOT detract from it...then YES, seek out treatment. IF that treatment creates OTHER
medical problems and quality of your life deteriorates...what is the point? It,of course, is a VERY PERSONAL choice.

Perhaps MY POV is colored by my conversations with my friend, a Hospice Nurse (presently) and was
working as an RN in an assisted living environment in the past.

Pain management is a HIGH priority and is the MOST misunderstood issue (in the medical community)...IF you are NOT aligned with a medical professional who "gets" the process you are SCREWED. And THAT is where controlling your destiny come into play.

It is BEYOND comprehension that PALLIATIVE care is not well understood,even by doctors. Per the WSJ article last month...I have done extensive research into the subject BECAUSE of my conversations with my friend.

It is not a perfect world and that is even more apparent when you are aging and moving thru the medical process. (Medicare)...my friends father (who is 87) fell and injured his legs. Leaving him unable to walk. The medical community threw a battery of tests (including testing for Parkinson's,which he did not have)at him and in the end sent him to rehab. Unfortunately, his rehab benefits expired before he was able to walk and they sent him home (he was NOT ambulatory). It would have been better for him to forgo the endless testing and spend more time in rehab so he could have regained his strength and gone home as
a "walking patient",rather than have his 90 Y.O. wife provide care. (THIS from the hospice nurse who is
their daughter).

ONE of the reason health care is in the dire condition presently...COMMON SENSE is vastly lacking. JMO

Home, my point is more about the ACA and the architect that would like to see more elderly people "bravely" opt out of preventative care and even stop taking antibiotics. because that kind of death is swift and relatively painless.

It is really hard for us to say no. Indeed, even people who are sure they don’t want life-extending treatments find it hard to refuse antibiotics. But, as Osler reminds us, unlike the decays associated with chronic conditions, death from these infections is quick and relatively painless. So, no to antibiotics.

So IMO, the whole point of his article is that the only way his extremely flawed HC bill can work, is if the elderly take a pass on even the most basic forms of treatment like antibiotics so they will not be a burden on a flawed health care system that will work better for the young as long as the older die sooner.

Now here's a famous backer of the ACA:

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Now you tell me, which party wants you to die quickly?

YES, I understand the"death panel" controversy....but here's where my eccentric self kicks in...when my
Hospice Nurse friend tells me the SAME thing about antibiotics (decline use IF you want a "death
with dignity" approach) and HER POV is exactly the same as the author's...I am REQUIRED to pause and TRULY REFLECT on what is my objective. As a Hospice nurse...death and dying are issues that are confronted EVERY DAY..I do not have that same experience. But, we ARE both metaphysically inclined and see the issue as just another chapter in the book of life (which has NO final chapter).

The present healthcare mess will NOT go away,Obama care is NOT the problem,it is the RESULT of an
IN- efficient delivery process. JMO,but my Hospice friend is in agreement with this statement.

homeagain wrote: YES, I understand the"death panel" controversy....but here's where my eccentric self kicks in...when my
Hospice Nurse friend tells me the SAME thing about antibiotics (decline use IF you want a "death
with dignity" approach) and HER POV is exactly the same as the author's...I am REQUIRED to pause and TRULY REFLECT on what is my objective. As a Hospice nurse...death and dying are issues that are confronted EVERY DAY..I do not have that same experience. But, we ARE both metaphysically inclined and see the issue as just another chapter in the book of life (which has NO final chapter).

The present healthcare mess will NOT go away,Obama care is NOT the problem,it is the RESULT of an
IN- efficient delivery process. JMO,but my Hospice friend is in agreement with this statement.

Obamacare may not be the main problem, but it was only passed through lies and bribery. I struggle to understand why people who think it's not the problem have a hard time admitting that it's definitely not the solution. It's like the first draft of a bad book that got published and the author still expects everybody to read and like it. The ACA needs new authors, it needs TRANSPARENCY, and it needs to be non-political. I will not accept that this is the best we can do when my deductible went from 3k to 6k and an extra $125 a month without getting better health care.

These THREE things are really excellent things to think about and understand about end of life care

1. What Doctors Want from End of Life Care

www.radiolab.org/story/262588-bitter-end/

study this chart... the ONLY one of these things that most doctors want is the LAST ONE on the RIGHT




Preferences of physician-participants for treatment given a scenario of irreversible brain injury without terminal illness. Percentage of physicians shown on the vertical axis. For cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), surgery, and invasive diagnostic testing, no choice for a trial of treatment was given. Data from the Johns Hopkins Precursors Study, 1998. Courtesy of Joseph Gallo, "Life-Sustaining Treatments: What Do Physicians Want and Do They Express Their Wishes to Others?"

2. a FANTASTIC site to help you organize things for end of life decisions

getyourshittogether.org/

There are a few simple things I wish I had taken care of before my life went sideways, like a will, living will, and some details jotted down. Should the ground fall out from under your feet—plan now for a softer landing. In fact, it's easy to finish the planning and basic papers your life needs.

In 2009 my husband was killed in an accident. In the following hours, weeks, and months I was shocked by the number of things we had left disorganized or ignored. Critical documents you can spend a fraction of the time doing now. Here are those core items, streamlined.

Get your shit together now and breathe a huge sigh of relief. You can do it.


3. a really good story about a young woman that CHOOSES how to die with dignity

Why Newlywed Brittany Maynard Is Ending Her Life in Three Weeks

www.nbcnews.com/health/cancer/why-newlyw...-three-weeks-n221731

If everything goes as planned in her life, 29-year-old Brittany Maynard's death will occur on Saturday Nov. 1 — in her bed, on an upper floor of her Portland, Oregon home, with cherished music filling the room.

Doctors watch people die on a daily basis, most people don't. Doctors know that most extreme end of life measures are a waste of time and money, most people don't.

A TRIBUTE to AspenValley...who chronicled her decline and ultimate demise (?)....she was the FIRST in my life to "show" the reality of catastrophic illness. Her blog TheZenofGradualness was an eye-opener. The issue of pain management was graphic and heart-breaking in it's clarity. It was ONLY then that I realized the true nature of the problem. THANK YOU ASPENVALLEY....for being so vulnerable and wide open.

Rick wrote: Now it all makes sense!
<snip>
We should all be good citizens of the collective like this guy. I'm guessing that when we reach the inevitable goal of the ACA,(single payer) we won't have a choice. The architect of the ACA obviously wants us all not to live too long (where have I heard that before?)

I am talking about how long I want to live and the kind and amount of health care I will consent to after 75. Americans seem to be obsessed with exercising, doing mental puzzles, consuming various juice and protein concoctions, sticking to strict diets, and popping vitamins and supplements, all in a valiant effort to cheat death and prolong life as long as possible. This has become so pervasive that it now defines a cultural type: what I call the American immortal.

www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/201...to-die-at-75/379329/

Why has it become so pervasive? Because the society is losing its ties to the notion that there is a life after this one due to the assault on religion led by the statists. Those who believe that there is life after death have no fear of death for they know in their hearts that death is not the end, but another beginning. Those without that belief, however, want to avoid death for as long as possible because they believe that death will be the end of them.

When I will be called home to my Creator is unknown to me, but I know that He will summon me one day. To date there have been numerous opportunities for Him to have done so, when the homemade elevator fell on my neck and shoulders, when I fell asleep behind the wheel and could have hit either the mountain or fell into the valley and hit the mountain, when my appendix ruptured in the middle of the night when I was barely a teenager, and many, many other opportunities, some of which I am probably totally unaware of. Some would say I am lucky to be alive after some of my experiences, but I know I still live not because of my will, but at the will of He who created me. He has more He wishes me to do before He calls me home and I live each day trying to do it.

My Pa died at 65, after fighting squamous cell carcinoma of the lung for a year. His death was not quick, nor was it painless, but it was certainly dignified even though he lost all of what our modern "thinking" has deemed makes us human. He lost all ability to care for himself, to walk, to speak, to eat, to drink, his last months, weeks and days were filled with pain and suffering, but he never once lost his dignity, or his humanity. That is because these were gifts of his Creator, not the society, not the government. It is important that we keep that in mind while the "progressives" seek to redefine it just as they seek to redefine everything else and give new meanings to words that express ancient concepts.

So.... just trying to help a friend who Kaiser told them that their Obamacare coverage was apparently cancelled or not recieved ( glitch?), (with no notices) I received this message on Connect Colorado trying their login. Well, no I am not having them signing any flipping "attestation" whatever TF that is. And yes thanks, this is very easy language to understand.



Please check the box below if you are enrolled in a commercial health insurance plan through Connect for Health Colorado and want to sign into your account to review your enrollment and eligibility information. If you recently lost your coverage or started your application earlier and received a Medicaid denial, please use this form to continue shopping. If you have questions or need to report a change, please call us at 1-855-PLANS-4-YOU (855-752-6749).

Attestation*
By checking this box I certify that I understand that open enrollment is closed and I cannot buy a new plan. I understand that I need to call the Customer Service Center if I have changes to my account or coverage or if I am receiving a premium tax credit and my income has changed.

Do you need a lawyer now for Obamacare?

www.thefreedictionary.com/attestation

at·test (-tst)
v. at·test·ed, at·test·ing, at·tests
v.tr.
1. To affirm to be correct, true, or genuine: The date of the painting was attested by the appraiser.
2.
a. To certify by signature or oath: attest a will.
b. To certify in an official capacity.
3. To supply or be evidence of: Her fine work attests her ability. See Synonyms at indicate.
4. To put under oath.
v.intr.
To bear witness; give testimony: attested to their good faith.
n.
Archaic Attestation.
[Latin attestr : ad-, ad- + testr, to be witness (from testis, witness; see trei- in Indo-European roots).]
at·testant n.
attes·tation (ts-tshn, t-st-) n.
at·tester, at·testor n.
at•tes•ta•tion (ˌæt ɛˈsteɪ ʃən)

n.
1. an act of attesting.
2. an attesting declaration; testimony; evidence.
[1540–50; (< Middle French) < Latin attestātiōn- (s. of attestātiō). See attest, -ation]
Thesaurus Legend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun 1. attestation - the action of bearing witnessattestation - the action of bearing witness
testimony - a solemn statement made under oath
law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order"
2. attestation - the evidence by which something is attested
evidence - an indication that makes something evident; "his trembling was evidence of his fear"