April 13, 2005

Health Insurance Reimbursment for New Rx. Called FOOD

I’ve been thinking about the execution of Terri Schiavo and probably will for some time; I believe we will now be faced with this more and more now that the lid on Pandora’s box has been sprung. Sure this has been done for ages but it’s been kept in the shadows. Now that it is brought into the light of day with the imprimatur of those hallowed, omniscient beings in black robes, watch what happens. You know I never made this connection before but I think I might understand why they are cloaked in black.

The Rev. Richard John Neuhaus, editor in chief of the catholic journal “First Things,” wrote, "Thousands of ethicists and bioethicists, as they are called, professionally guide the unthinkable on its passage through the debatable on its way to becoming the justifiable, until it is finally established as the unexceptional."

With the killing of Schiavo, we have passed the first three mile-stones Neuhaus mentions. Euthanasia was unthinkable, it has been debatable and it just became justifiable. All that remains now is for it to occur repeatedly, which it certainly will, until it becomes a yawn. Then we will know that it has become unexceptional. It’s only a matter of time.

But I was also thinking of the way language has been twisted to shape the agenda in our burgeoning culture of death. I have heard Ms. Schiavo’s nourishment of food and water referred to as artificial means, extraordinary measures, and artificial life support. I find this to have curious, though unintended repercussions on health insurance companies country-wide.

Since food and water is now considered “life support” shouldn’t health insurance companies be required to pay for what are obvious medical necessities? And since feeding a compromised individual is now considered “extraordinary means,” it seems perfectly consistent that expenses incurred by families with newborns, day care and care givers whose responsibility it is to feed these compromised ones, also be reimbursed under your typical health care policy.

Hey this could be a real financial windfall!

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great blog I hope we can work to build a better health care system. Health insurance is a major aspect to many.

1:44 PM  

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