Has the Schiavo case Become a Political Football?

"CQ's Carey Discusses FY 2006 Budget Resolutions, Crawford Confirmation Hearings, Proposed NIH Reauthorization, Possible Tort Reform Comprise
[Mar 21, 2005]
Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, addresses the Senate's vote to remove $14 billion in proposed Medicaid spending cuts from its fiscal year 2006 budget resolution, FDA Acting Commissioner Lester Crawford's promise to improve safety oversight, NIH reauthorization legislation and Sen. Bill Frist's (R-Tenn.) medical malpractice compromise in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ." According to Carey, the Senate last week voted to strip $14 billion in proposed Medicaid cuts from its FY 2006 budget proposal, while the House approved a proposal that calls for $20 billion in spending cuts, much of which could be made to Medicaid. The debate over cuts to entitlement spending likely will dominate the House-Senate budget resolution conference, with House Republican leaders expected to support restoring some of the cuts, Carey says. She also discusses a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on Crawford's nomination as FDA commissioner, in which Crawford pledged to improve the agency's drug safety oversight and promised that ideology would take a backseat in the agency's decision-making. Carey added that the committee and the Senate are expected to confirm Crawford's nomination. Carey also examines House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Joe Barton's (R-Texas) plan to streamline management at NIH by introducing legislation to reauthorize the agency in the next few months. Finally, she discusses Frist's willingness to compromise on medical malpractice legislation, in part by seeking alternatives to a $250,000 cap on noneconomic damages (Carey, "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ," 3/21)."

Until the total budget is approved, what they strip today might be added back tomorrow. I think it would be wise to wait and see.

0 Replies

It doesn't look so nice and clear cut for Medicaid's future.....

Quote:

With Medicaid funding plans for the upcoming fiscal year uncertain, local lawmakers cited a variety of potential cuts to the program. Among others, Barnett mentioned the number of covered prescriptions could be reduced from seven to five a month and the number of home health visits cut from 60 to 28,

"We're going to have it in conference, so it could change again," Barnett said. "It's not cut and dried."

District 39 Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith agreed.

"It's going to be a battle," Hyde-Smith said. "There are going to be some services cut."

SOURCE

0 Replies

Quote:

In talking about Terri Schiavo, Gov. Jeb Bush says we need to look out for our most vulnerable residents.

But in his budget, Bush plans to yank the safety net right out from under people just like Terri.

He is proposing deep cuts in the state's Medicaid program. Services that may be affected include prenatal and newborn care for the infants of poor women. Also on the list are pharmaceutical benefits and hospice care.

Looks like J Bush may be the culprit here.... Anyone know more about this than I - wouldn't be hard.

0 Replies

What is most interesting is the fact that our debate on a2k is more introspective of president Bush than all the t.v. media now covering this issue.

0 Replies

cicerone imposter wrote:

What is most interesting is the fact that our debate on a2k is more introspective of president Bush than all the t.v. media now covering this issue.

Nah. Bashing is bashing Smile

0 Replies

You call it bashing. We call it a big discrepancy in president Bush's rhetoric.

0 Replies

And his actions.

0 Replies

Only a bit longer, dear.

0 Replies

I like that you posted the Senate vote on the cuts, JW, very nice sleight of hand though I'm sure completely unintentional. Meanwhile, down in the hot, hot hotHOuse the cuts were affirmed or hadn't you noticed? Now it goes to conference where the brave Senators from the GOP will acquiesce to their Congressional Brethren, shrug their shoulders and say they did the best they could. Better cover would be hard to find.

Meanwhile, I am hoping I can get the Congress to hold an emergency session regarding a personal matter of mine.

These guys and gals wrote the book on hypocrisy.

Joe(Why would anybody vote for these cretins?)Nation

0 Replies

Bush approved legislation in Texas to withhold medical care if the family is unable to pay for their care. He is now saying "every life is precious." What's wrong with this picture?

0 Replies

Debra posted lots of nice parts of the constitution but she failed to interpret them correctly or include the other parts that apply.

The Florida courts threw out the Florida legislation because it deprived Terri Schiavo of due process when the legislature interfered and it also violated her right to privacy.

"Florida courts have held that the right to privacy includes the right to make personal medical decisions without interference from the state.
"

The interesting part of this ruling is that the Federal law also states that people have the right to make personal medical decisions without interference. I believe the law was passed in 1990. The legal reasoning is the same on the Federal level as it is on the state. The law clearly violates Terri Schiavo's rights.

This clearly violates the same provisions in the US Constitution that were violated in the Florida one.

Perhaps you can tell us Debra which way the courts rule when one person states something in court and there is no evidence to the contrary? There is no evidence contradicting Michael Schiavo's statements about his wife's wishes. There is a lot of gnashing of the teeth but no evidence. What do courts do at that point? I think I know. But could you tell us Debra?

0 Replies

How can she? She was not there in person to be a witness.

0 Replies

cicerone imposter wrote:

Bush approved legislation in Texas to withhold medical care if the family is unable to pay for their care. He is now saying "every life is precious." What's wrong with this picture?

I'd say just about everything.

Nice photo of Bush trotting up to the White House, interrupting his vacation, in order to sign this bill. He looked serious.

Unfortunately, it's usually a foreign crisis (war, terrorism, stuff like that) which generally conjurs a President to interrupt their vacation to deal with MUCH more important issues.

But nice photo op. I'm sure it's what the neocons needed to distract America from all of their miserable failings...

0 Replies

Yeah.

<demoralized>

Peace breaking out in the ME...first time elections, historic voting, democracy...

<boo hoo>

0 Replies

I read that recently, as part of this whole shemozzle - (not that I have been keeping up with it until Debra's legal posts in another thread piqued my curiosity) about the during Bush's governorship Texas gave hospitals the right to determine to remove life support thing...

Dammit, I will have to check it out when I get home.

It does seem a little odd that Bush did that as governor, then this case becomes a political drama - and the federal government intervenes.

Who IS paying for the care of this unfortunate woman?

Although, this sort of dilemma seems to bring such things out - and all politicians, I think, become fearful of losing votes.

In Oz, the Northern Territory (which is almost, but not quite a state - thus the commonwealth has rights over it that it does not have over other states - because of its tiny population - 500,000 people only) enacted right to assisted suicide legislation, and it became what I gather is a similar in scope, but clearly not in content, (this case is a whole different baby) furore when a federal Parliamentarion introduced a private member's bill to overturn the NT's bill.

I suspect that most MPs privately supported the NT bill, but it was political dynamite (they believed) to say so, and the bill was revoked.

I must say, I feel deep sympathy for any poor bastards having to make a decision about a matter as fraught as this one, with as many good arguments on either side.

I found this interesting critique of the clinical methodology behind the PVS diagnosis.

I am wondering, though, if MRI imaging has progressed further (it is a decade old, I believe) since the paper was published, and more is known about the brain?

http://www.cwu.edu/~chem/courses/Chem564/finalpapers/PVSfinal.html

Doh - wrong url - this is the one I meant:

http://www.thalidomide.ca/gwolbring/pvsilm.htm

0 Replies

cicerone imposter wrote:

Bush approved legislation in Texas to withhold medical care if the family is unable to pay for their care. He is now saying "every life is precious." What's wrong with this picture?

This is very disappointing to me, if true. Can you provide a link?

0 Replies

dlowan wrote:

I read that recently, as part of this whole shemozzle - (not that I have been keeping up with it until Debra's legal posts in another thread piqued my curiosity) that during Bush's governorship Texas gave hospitals the right to determine to remove life support?

Yes. It was just done to a six-month old with a rare form of dwarfism.

And yes, ability to pay the medical bills is one of the criteria for terminating life support.

0 Replies

Debra_Law wrote:

What is the definition of murder?

What are the legal precedents? What are the opinions of the medical ethicists? There's much more to this than the simple "definition of murder."

0 Replies

DrewDad wrote:

dlowan wrote:
I read that recently, as part of this whole shemozzle - (not that I have been keeping up with it until Debra's legal posts in another thread piqued my curiosity) that during Bush's governorship Texas gave hospitals the right to determine to remove life support?

Yes. It was just done to a six-month old with a rare form of dwarfism.

And yes, ability to pay the medical bills is one of the criteria for terminating life support.

Not to state any opinions whatsoever, but I thought they witheld medicine from the six month old because the Doctors in their infinite wisdom Rolling Eyes

decided that it was what is medically referred to as "futile care" because of his condition.

0 Replies

dlowan, The doctors have taken electrogram measurements of Terri's brain, and there was no activity; she is brain dead. 19 judges have decided on the removal of life sustaining food and water. This battle has been going on for 15 years; Terri's health was not good, because she was bulimic and was grossly overweight. Some of the doctors have concluded that her poor health was the cause of her heart attack.

0 Replies

Has the Schiavo case Become a Political Football?

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know