August 13, 2009: On July 14, Republican John Dingell and eight fellow Democrats introduced H.R. 3200, the health care reform bill, in the House. The bill includes Section 1233, “Advance Care Planning Consultation,” which requires Medicare to pay for one session of end-of-life counseling every five years. This section especially has brought about a debate in which people even do not hesitate to link President Obama and his wished for reform with nazi-practices. In her article “Euthanasia and Health Care Reform: What is the truth” Patricia Murphy tries to present the issues at stake. Special attention should be given to the comments; they demonstrate the tone of the debate. (RJ)
