Death With Dignity Up For A Vote In Nevada (Las Vegas: 2013, insurance)

[tijlover]

State Sen. David Parks, D-Las Vegas is the author of the bill, which would be patterned after Oregon's 2-decade law, and one in Washington state. Co-sponsor's of the bill: Ben Kieckhefer, R-Reno and Tick Segerblom D-Las Vegas.

Besides OR & WA, Vermont has a similar "death with dignity" law since 2013, as well as Montana & New Mexico, and more than a half-dozen states are considering "death with dignity" laws including CT, KS, MA, NH, NJ, PA and Hawaii.

Will it pass? One must consider whom would be the beneficiaries and whom would be the biggest losers, and as you'd expect, the losers are already writing out checks to the legislators to oppose it, or merely voicing their opposition.

I work in a LTC/Rehab facility (12 years now), and the corporation I work for has 9 other facilities in the Las Vegas Valley, and 500 nationwide, and I know with certainty, they'll be among the potential losers who will be opposing it. And who else? Big Pharma, for sure! And?

I downplay the religious opposition.

Where I work, all you have to do is raise the subject of Physician-Assisted Suicide at the nurse's desk and the looks on the faces of the staff? Like seeing a ghost or a terrorist!

And if you're supportive of this law, it's not too early to start emailing our legislators to show your support.

[SoHoVe]

Thank you for sharing this...I totally support it.

[tijlover]

I sent my first 2 congratulatory, supportive emails, last nite, to the author of the bill, David Parks, and one of the co-sponsors Ben Kieckhefer, next: Tick Segerblom, and all the other 67 legislators.

[tijlover]

The bipartisan bill: dead on arrival!

State Senator Joe Hardy, Republican from Boulder City, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, confirmed he will not schedule a hearing on this bill! "The death with dignity bill will die,", said Hardy, a physician.

So much for a bipartisan effort, 5 Democrat co-sponsors and 2 Republican co-sponsors, to join Oregon, Washington and Vermont in offering physician assisted suicide to the terminally ill!

Question is: who paid off Joe Hardy? All the medical establishments that would lose money with its passage!

Ah! Nevada!

If you care about this issue, you know who you can direct your emails to!

[Buzz123]

When I was VP/GM of a TV station in New Mexico, we supported a bill to close high school campuses to prevent kids from doing drugs during school hours. Guess who defeated it? Insurance companies. More kids on drugs mean higher premiums.

[tijlover]

The sponsor of the bill, fearing it wouldn't pass with the current legislation session, is planning on putting it before the voters next year in the general election. Not that it will have any better chance of passage.

[Everdeen]

There is a great documentary on Netflix about the Oregon and Washington laws (have a box of Kleenex close by). I would completely support this. My only reservation is how insurance companies are going to try to use this.

In the documentary, a man was diagnosed with cancer and did not have a very good prognosis. He did not want to die and he got a letter from his insurance company saying that they did not want to continue paying for treatments that they had deemed would not be beneficial but would be happy to pay for the Seconal to end his life.

The most expensive part of a persons medical care is usually the last year or so of their life. I can see a possible future, especially as boomers age and stress medicare more, where it becomes your patriotic duty to go the Death With Dignity option even if you are not comfortable with it.

I want the option, but I hope that we examine the unintended consequences of it.

[Merrily Gather]

There is also a documentary about it on Hulu that you can watch for free, How to Die in Oregon (2011).

[Everdeen]

Originally Posted by Merry Lee Gather

There is also a documentary about it on Hulu that you can watch for free, [hulu=http://www.flickr.com/photos/715905]reqGQlU721DfVRLzXc--AQ[/hulu]How to Die in Oregon (2011)[/url].

I clicked on the link. I'm pretty sure that is the same one.