Editorial voices from elsewhere
Editorial voices from newspapers across the United States as compiled by the Associated Press:
Six years ago, a proposal to compensate physicians for talking to patients about their treatment in their last days was stripped from the Affordable Care Act after critics made dark predictions about “death panels” and government rationing of care to senior citizens.
Last week, with little fanfare, the federal government announced as of Jan. 1, it would begin paying doctors for these counseling sessions – giving millions the say in their own end-of-life treatment that they want and deserve.
Nothing is currently stopping physicians from offering end-of-life consultations, of course. Some doctors provide the service without getting paid for the counseling time, and some private insurers already reimburse for it.
But because Medicare covers 55 million people, making it the largest insurer at the end of life in the United States, its decision to cover advance care planning is significant – and not just because private companies often follow Medicare’s lead.
Fears the new rule is a slippery slope toward rationed care should be allayed by the fact that advance care planning is voluntary. It’s up to each patient whether or not to have end-of-life discussions with their physician. So in a society where more of us are living longer, we should welcome physician reimbursement for advance care planning as a way to help ensure a dignified conclusion to those additional years of life.
On Nov. 2, the first of 44 federal inmates were released from their prison sentences early because of sentencing guideline modification returned to northern West Virginia.
Their early release is part of the effort to shorten criminal sentences for some drug crimes in response to concerns over prison overcrowding, the costs of housing inmates and the fact the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world.
Make no mistake, all of those factors are legitimate concerns. And handing out shorter sentences to nonviolent drug offenders is one way to address those issues.
We support efforts to make drug rehabilitation available to those who are addicted, with the emphasis on treating the addiction instead of punishing those who are ill. We must begin to provide treatment instead of punishment if we hope to beat back the scourge of illegal drug use. However, it is a narrow line to walk when those addicted turn to dealing or other criminal activity to support their habits.
We’re sure this change in sentencing guidelines caused some angst among those in law enforcement and the general public. But the verdict on the modified sentencing guidelines won’t be known anytime soon.
We’re hopeful the new guidelines are a step toward providing more help to those addicted instead of just locking away the problem and hoping that it goes away.
That solution just hasn’t worked.
Sadly, it has come to this.
Heroin and opioid abuse in Greater Cincinnati has become so bad some are looking to children to deliver naloxone to save the life of someone dying from an overdose.
While well-intentioned, providing kids with the training to properly inject medicine through a vein, muscle or the nose is a very bad idea. No child should have such a responsibility, regardless of the circumstances.
Treating an overdose victim also isn’t as easy as it appears. Naloxone sends addicts into immediate withdrawal, and they can be violent when they regain consciousness.
Sadly, heroin addiction seems to be getting worse, particularly in Northern Kentucky and rural areas of Ohio. Ultimately, only a collaborative effort from law enforcement, lawmakers, health care professionals – and, yes, a caring community – will get results.