Monday, October 3, was opening day for the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court heard oral arguments in three consolidated cases: Douglas v. Independent Living Center of Southern California, Douglas v. California Pharmacists Assn. and Douglas v. Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. In these cases, Medicaid recipients and providers are suing the state of California to stop … Continue reading Can people on Medicaid sue states to stop budget cuts?
While Compassion and Choices is gearing up for a new year of assisted suicide advocacy, its President, Barbara Coombs Lee, has announced that their proposed legislation will no longer include the “needless and intrusive burden of government reporting.” I’ve always had problems with the Oregon “Death With Dignity Act” Reports, and now the Washington Reports … Continue reading Compassion & Choices: Coombs Lee Advocates First Step Toward Deregulation of Assisted Suicide
Much of the state level legislative activity concerning POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) has been carried out under the general public’s radar. But when Governor Chris Christie vetoed the New Jersey POLST bill yesterday, it hit the news feed. According to NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM and the Governor’s veto message – While noting the prospective benefits in … Continue reading NJ Governor Vetoes POLST Bill, Suggests Revisions
I just learned that the Illinois legislature passed a bill authorizing Physician Orders on Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) (ILH 3134) which was signed by the Governor last week. We haven’t addressed POLST on the NDY blog yet, but it’s a primary focus of legislative activism on the part of the so-called “end-of-life” coalitions that formed during … Continue reading Not Getting on the POLST Bandwagon
While national disability organizations work hard to influence the federal budget debates, painful Medicaid cuts are already being considered and implemented at the state level across the country. Getting disability advocates and issues to the table is a major challenge. The Executive Director of the Center for Independence of the Disabled in New York just … Continue reading Disability Health Disparities Based on Negative Quality of Life Judgments Must Be Challenged
