Death Drugs Cause Uproar in Oregon: Terminally Ill Denied Drugs for Life, But Can Opt for Suicide

ABC News ^ | 8/6/08 | Susan Donaldson James

[wagglebee]

The news from Barbara Wagner's doctor was bad, but the rejection letter from her insurance company was crushing.

Barbara Wagner

(Paul Carter/Register-Guard)

The 64-year-old Oregon woman, whose lung cancer had been in remission, learned the disease had returned and would likely kill her. Her last hope was a $4,000-a-month drug that her doctor prescribed for her, but the insurance company refused to pay.

What the Oregon Health Plan did agree to cover, however, were drugs for a physician-assisted death. Those drugs would cost about $50.

"It was horrible," Wagner told ABCNews.com. "I got a letter in the mail that basically said if you want to take the pills, we will help you get that from the doctor and we will stand there and watch you die. But we won't give you the medication to live."

Critics of Oregon's decade-old Death With Dignity Law -- the only one of its kind in the nation -- have been up in arms over the indignity of her unsigned rejection letter. Even those who support Oregon's liberal law were upset.

The incident has spilled over the state border into Washington, where advocacy groups are pushing for enactment of Initiative 1000 in November, legalizing a similar assisted-death law.

Opponents say the law presents all involved with an "unacceptable conflict" and the impression that insurance companies see dying as a cost-saving measure. They say it steers those with limited finances toward assisted death.

"News of payment denial is tough enough for a terminally ill person to bear," said Steve Hopcraft, a spokesman for Compassion and Choices, a group that supports coverage of physician-assisted death.

[wagglebee]

Even those who support Oregon's liberal law were upset.

They refused to believe that the "right" would eventually become a "duty." I'm sure that in the late 1930s a lot of Germans were starting to feel the same way about the Nazis.

[wagglebee]

Pro-Life Ping

[wagglebee]

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[proudofthesouth]

The people who are in favor of this obviously don’t believe in God or that suicide is a sin.

[wagglebee]

Ping

[the invisib1e hand]

unintended-but-not-entirely-unforeseen-consequences-alert.

[Man50D]

Oregon's decade-old Death With Dignity Law

So much for Death with Dignity.

[wagglebee]

Nor do they understand that a person who has lived a dignified life WILL have dignity in death no matter what their appearance is.

They seem to think that “death with dignity” comes from a “clean and neat” death at the time and place of the person’s choosing.

By this logic, Adolf Hitler had dignity because he dressed in his finest uniform and put a pistol to his head, but Jesus Christ who was beaten, bloodied, humiliated and nailed to the Cross DID NOT have dignity.

[KantianBurke]

definetly recall several freepers pointing out that this very situation would come to pass.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

Oregon execution by insurance carrier ping...

[winodog]

Touche

[CindyDawg]

How insensitive. I realize that every drug a doctor orders may not be covered but basically it seems they told her to just die. Who is the manufacturer of the drug (gonna look in a minute)? Maybe they can give her a discount and charity can pick it up.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

So, now Oregon executes people through their health plan???

No trial?

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

Oregon executes people through their state health plan???

[BykrBayb]

The alphabet news is finally covering this?

[wagglebee]

This from a state which has only managed to execute two murderers since 1976.

http://www.oregon.gov/DOC/PUBAFF/cap_punishment/history.shtml

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

"The 64-year-old Oregon woman, whose lung cancer had been in remission, learned the disease had returned and would likely kill her. Her last hope was a $4,000-a-month drug that her doctor prescribed for her, but the insurance company refused to pay.

What the Oregon Health Plan did agree to cover, ..."

This is not an insurance company like the story says, it is a state run agency ordering an execution without a trial...

[Glenn]

or that suicide is a sin

Where is that written?

[wagglebee]

I think they always assumed that the culture of death would be a little more subtle about imposing the “duty” to die.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

Oregon is a pathetic state, the only thing that makes it better than California is that Oregon has a lot of water...