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Sarah Palin was laughed at.
Mocked.
Ridiculed.

She said that a single-payer, socialized health care program would include Death Panels.
A board of people who made decisions on when to let people die.

It was outrageous.
That would NEVER happen in a civilized country.


Well, the impossible is happening.
England has a government run healthcare system.
And they overstepped their ethical duty.
Again.


Alfie Evans is the latest tragedy.
A story that could not end well. Alfie's life was over as we know it. That much is generally agreed.

And if we let logic persevere over emotions, the decision to cease the life support can be easily justified from an economic and even from a humanitarian point of view.

But when the parents are denied their right to transport their dying son out of the country? Even though a Vatican hospital in Italy agreed to accept Alfie in?
When the English healthcare system and their courts demand that he stay so that they may pull the plug?

And when we learn it's not the first time?

Sarah Palin.
Nostradamus.
the distinction is blurred.

I agree that in this case, the parents wishes should have been supported - if no risk to local doctors or insurers.

But, I get why it wasn't a slam dunk. We can forget ever getting health care costs under control if we don't get to the point where it is ok for someone/thing to be the arbiter.

What were the potential outcomes of different paths in this case? A few more days? Weeks? Full life expectancy? I have no idea. Does it matter? What's a stranger's extra week of life worth? Is it the same as a parent or child? Who gets to say? It better be someone other than family. If you found that your mother could buy a few months to live, but it would cost ten million dollars - would you have a right to be upset if your insurance company said 'not happening'? Nobody wants to admit it, but cost of health care is in real money -- not monopoly dough -- and without a tough guy in charge saying, "No",...then we'll never control costs. Because like it or not, everyone is going to have to come to terms with cost/benefit -- as ridiculous as it seems to be putting dollar value on life or quality of life.

Would England's Death Panel have been so quick to pull the plug if Alfie were Jimmy Kimmel's kid?

Perhaps.


Is that wrong?

As I said above, health care costs actual, real money. Maybe someone who can afford better care should get it. What's the alternative?

I try my best not to think in terms of right or wrong on these types of issues. My original comment was attempting to point out that we have our own versions of death panels and that no healthcare system is perfect.

I happen to like universal/hybrid type systems similar to the NHS. I like the idea of covering everyone at around half the cost of what we're currently paying, while still providing similar health outcomes.

Sarah Palin... who is that again?