Affordable Care Act Requires Euthanasia For Sick Seniors
Â Two years ago, Mildred Honeycutt, a seniorÂ and a resident ofÂ an assisted living community near Miami, Florida, was ecstatic about her new health coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Deemed âtoo affluentâ for Medicaid, she had found it impossible to get coverage due to her advanced age and several pre-existing medical conditions. Today she is singing a different tune.âI went to see my doctor, because Iâve been tired all the time and I noticed I was bruising easily. They ran some tests, and it turns out I have leukemia. I asked the doctor what kind of treatment I would need, and he said that normally they would start chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants immediately. I asked him what he meant by ânormallyâ, and he told me that those procedures for someone at my age arenât covered. He said they are considered to be cost-prohibitive, meaning that the amount of time that they could extend my life was not deemed to be âworth the costâ.âIt gets worse. The approved treatment for someone in Mildredâs condition at her age is euthanasia. If she opts out of the approved treatment, meaning she will get to die naturally, the plan will not cover things like pain medication.âItâs like they actually want to kill me. Either I let them do the same thing to me that they do to convicted murderers, or theyâll take my meds away and Iâll be in constant pain until I die naturally.âAn insurance underwriter from Blue Cross and Blue shield was willing to take a look at Mildredâs case on the condition of anonymity.âIt is pretty clear cut. They have all these financial de-escalators in place here, mostly buried in the fine print and shrouded in legalese. But, she is right. Her policy dictates that the only allowable treatment for her condition is euthanasia. If she refuses treatment, it will basically nullify her entire policy. Sheâll wind up having to take Asprin for pain caused by her cancer, and sheâll have to pay for that out of pocketâMildred was understandably upset by the findings, and is unsure of what she is going to do. Even if she was to file a motion or suit, she would either be dead or too far gone to receive treatment before it ever got before a judge.âI donât know what Iâm going to do. I know Iâm going to die either way, but I donât want to spend the rest of my life in agony. At the same time it seems wrong to just let them kill me like a feral dog. I am going to pray about it. Itâs just not right,â said Mildred.Whatever Mildredâs choice, she has a little over a week to decide. Her next appointment is coming up fast, and one way or another, it will be her last.