FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 28, 2009
TNDP Chair Asks Thompson To Promote Honest Health-Care Debate
NASHVILLE – Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester said former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson should be embarrassed for allowing his radio show listeners to believe that health-care reform legislation now moving through Congress promotes suicide. ”Making the wild leap that the bill promotes suicide or euthanasia is flat out irresponsible,” Forrester said. “Sen. Thompson should know better. He is a respected statesman here in Tennessee, and people generally take him at his word.”I respectfully ask Mr. Thompson do the right thing and stop pandering to the special interests who want to derail health-care reform. “Skyrocketing health-care costs are crippling many Tennessee families, as well as the nation’s economy. Allowing people to come on your radio show and spread this kind of aspersion does nothing for the debate about how to overhaul and improve delivery of health care in America.”
Former New York lieutenant governor and conservative health expert Betsy McCaughey claimed that a provision in the current legislation now moving through Congress promotes euthanasia during a July 16 radio interview with Thompson. “Congress would make it mandatory, absolutely require, that every five years, people in Medicare have a required counseling session that will tell them how to end their life,” McCaughey told Thompson. Thompson reportedly has been referring to McCaughey’s assessment of the legislation as “the dirty little secret” of the health-care reform debate. The provision would require Medicare to cover advanced care consultations, but it does not mandate people to take advantage of the benefit, Forrester noted. A consultation should be done every five years that includes “an explanation by the practitioner of the continuum of end-of-life services and supports available, including palliative care and hospice, and benefits for such services and supports that are available under this title,” according to the legislation.
“Most responsible health-care providers already discuss life and death issues with patients when the situation calls for it,” Forrester said. “Distorting the bill’s intention is a cruel, irresponsible tactic used to scare senior citizens.”The bill moving through Congress is not perfect, and I’m sure improvements and revisions will be made along the way. But at the end of the day, most everyone agrees that we have to do a better job of making sure everyone can afford quality health care,” he added.
Contact: Keith Talley
TNDP Communications Director
615-327-9779 (office)
