This is the third in a series of articles regarding ballot measure 1-1000 in Washington state that would legalize physician-assisted suicide. The other two articles are “ Washington State Citizens to Vote on Physician-Assisted Suicide this Year” and Physician Assisted Suicide in the Pacific Northwest.
Please be an informed and involved citizen. We invite you to sign up for the Family Leader emails by clicking here:
Imagine your health insurance company will not pay for the expense of beneficial cancer treatment, but will pay for the expense of physician-assisted suicide. Advocates of legalizing physician-assisted suicide suggest that “choice” is an important reason. But what happens when you have cancer and your health insurance carrier informs you that assisted suicide is your only choice. You think it can't happen? Ask Barbara Wagner of Springfield , Oregon , or Randy Stroup of Dexter, Oregon .
This example of rationing of health care and promoting assisted suicide was described by reporter Tim Christie in an extensive article entitled “A Gift of Treatment – When the Oregon Health Plan fails to cover a cancer drug, the drugmaker steps in” in the June 3, 2008 edition of The Register-Guard newspaper of Eugene, Oregon.
Two Oregonians on the Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid) and who have cancer told the following stories to the reporter.
Barbara Wagner of Springfield , Oregon , a 64-year old great-grandmother was diagnosed with lung cancer about two years ago. Her cancer was initially treated with chemotherapy and radiation and went into remission. In early May 2008, her cancer was back and her cancer physician prescribed Tarceva, a pill taken once a day for the purpose of slowing the cancer growth and extending her life. Studies show the drug provides increased survival rate for patients with advanced lung cancer. She is on the Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid) and was notified in May that the Plan would not cover the beneficial chemotherapy treatment, “but that it would cover palliative, or comfort, care, including, if she chose, doctor-assisted suicide”.
Barbara Wagner was devastated when she found out that the Oregon Health Plan wouldn't cover the cancer medication prescribed by her oncologist. “I think it's messed up,” Wagner told the reporter, bursting into tears. She was particularly upset because the letter of denial said that doctor-assisted suicide would be covered! “To say to someone, we'll pay for you to die, but not pay for you to live, it's cruel,” she said. “I get angry. Who do they think they are?”
Having been given no help or hope from the State of Oregon , her oncologist appealed to Genentech, the company that markets Tarceva in the United States , to cover Wagner's medication. On Monday, June 2, she got the call from Genentech that they would cover the drug for a year, at which time she could re-apply. She was expecting delivery of the drug on June 3. “It's fantastic,” she said. “I can't wait to start the medication.” Ultimately, the drug company demonstrated more concern about Barbara's continued survival than did the state of Oregon .
Randy Stroup, a 53-year-old Dexter , Oregon resident recently found out that the Oregon Health Plan wouldn't cover mitoxantrone chemotherapy prescribed for his prostate cancer. His oncologist reported that this chemotherapy is approved for prostate cancer, has been around about 10 years, and benefits patients by helping make their last months more bearable by decreasing pain. Stroup said he wants what ever time he can get. “My perspective is, if it works it works,” he said, “What is six months of life worth? To me it's worth a lot.” This is my life they're playing with,” he said. He was still waiting to receive the medication, which the state has refused to cover.
The Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid) uses a Prioritized List of Health Services established by the state Health Services Commission in determining what diagnoses, conditions and treatments will be covered. Since the origin of the Oregon Health Plan in 1994 one of its guidelines is that it will not cover the cost of surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy for patients with a less than 5% expected 5-year-survival when that treatment is intended to prolong life or alter disease progression for such patients.
However such patients are eligible to receive comfort/palliative care, which includes “services under the Oregon Death with Dignity Act” which is physician-assisted suicide.
So the message from Oregon , so aptly stated by Barbara Wagner, is: “We'll pay for you to die, but not pay for you to live.” You have the choice!
Finances, Inequality and Bias in Society, and Physician-assisted Suicide
There is concern nationally regarding the rising costs of health care. Financial conditions may lead to assisted suicide as an answer to those rising costs. In a December 2, 1998 article “Economics makes case for Euthanasia, Derek Humphry Argues” in The Oregonian newspaper, the head of the Hemlock Society described how legalization of physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia can help solve the problems of rising health care costs.
When the New York State Task Force of Life and the Law studied assisted suicide and euthanasia in 1994, they concluded:
