SOMEONE'S GETTING SMART - AT 5:57 P.M. ET:  From AP:

Key senators are excluding a provision on end-of-life care from health overhaul legislation after language in a House bill caused a furor.

Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, said in a statement Thursday that the provision had been dropped from consideration because it could be misinterpreted or implemented incorrectly.

A health care bill passed by three House committees allows Medicare to reimburse doctors for voluntary counseling sessions about end-of-life decisions. But critics have claimed the provision could lead to death panels and euthanasia for seniors.

COMMENT:  At least a few people are awake in Washington.  The provision itself had some admirable provisions.  But, as critics said, it could be twisted and "interpreted" by "enlightened" bureaucrats, like a former Democratic governor of Colorado, who was quoted as saying that some people had a "duty to die."  Now the legislators can work on a replacement provision, if they wish, although the kind of advice on end-of-life care mentioned in the original bill is readily available today from physicians and religious groups.

August 13, 2009