Exclusive: Fred Thompson on health-care reform

Hot Air ^ | 08/18/2009 | Ed Morrissey

[fiscon1]

In a Hot Air exclusive, radio host and former Senator and presidential candidate Fred Thompson writes about the end-of-life provisions in versions of Barack Obama’s health-care reform plan. Thompson helped to tee up the “end of life counseling” issue several weeks ago, and since then been addressing the various mischaracterizations, which the left has attempted to use to do to citizens’ concerns about the health care issue what “end of life counseling” would do for some Americans. Here is the latest installment.

[Constitutions Grandchild]

That’s all I’m asking. Final bill, read by all, discussed and voted upon with public input. No more, no less.

[uncbob]

What about all the other government control of people’s lives
in the bill

[shekkian]

Fred Thompson ...

Didn't he use to be on some TV show?

[browardchad]

The issue here is not whether a living will or a durable power of attorney are good things, although these fall under the expertise of legal counsel not doctors, doctors’ assistants or nurse practitioners as provided for in the bill. People simply have concerns that some very undesirable results might occur among the hundreds of thousands of cases when a government panel decides what treatments are reimbursable to a government-paid medical practitioner who is giving advice to people who are perhaps at their most vulnerable.

Good point.

Although the critics have been many, the left has given my syndicated radio show credit for initially raising these issues...

Self-serving. I read a lot of blogs, internet who-ha, etc., and Fred's comments have not been at the forefront. Good on him for making those comments, but he's not in the mainstream. Disclaimer: I don't give a hoot who first raised this issue, but do we really need anyone to claim bragging rights?

[Venturer]

Fred dissappointed me immensely with a lacklustre, half hearted attempt at running for President, and personally I dont care what he has to say now.