Category Archives: better dead than disabled

A Watershed Moment: NIH Designates Disabled People as a Health Disparity Population

August 13, 2024ableism, access to health care, better dead than disabled, health disparities, Lisa Blumberg, medical discrimination, Our News & Commentary Bloghealthcare disparities, Lisa Blumberg, National Institutes of HealthDiane Coleman

By Lisa Blumberg, JD In late 2023, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), designated people with disabilities as a population with health disparities for research supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that NIMHD now recognizes that people with disabilities as a group experience significant disparities in their rates of … Continue reading A Watershed Moment: NIH Designates Disabled People as a Health Disparity Population →

Lisa Blumberg: Brain Injured Are Denied Life Sustaining Treatment Too Early

July 22, 2024American Academy of Neurology, better dead than disabled, brain injury, health disparities, life-sustaining treatment, Lisa Blumberg, medical discrimination, New York Times, Our News & Commentary Blog, pvs, quality of life judgments, rush to judgment, treatment withdrawalbetter dead than disabled, brain injury, denial of medical care, medical discrimination, Rush to Judgment, treatment withdrawal, vegetative stateDiane Coleman

A 2007 Not Dead Yet blog described “rush to judgment” cases where people who had sustained a major brain injury were denied life sustaining treatment before appropriate time had passed to determine if they could become conscious. It referred to an article co-authored by Dr. Joel Frader, now a member of the Northwestern Center … Continue reading Lisa Blumberg: Brain Injured Are Denied Life Sustaining Treatment Too Early →

NDY Comment on Comment on Proposed Texas Futility Regulations

July 12, 2024ableism, advance directives, better dead than disabled, ethics committee, futile care, futility, Health care decision-making, life-sustaining treatment, Lisa Blumberg, Our News & Commentary Blog, public comment, quality of life judgmentsethics committee, futile care, futility, medical discrimination, public comment, Texas Advance Directive ActDiane Coleman

July 12, 2024 HHS Office of Inspector General – Chief Counsel Division P.O. Box 85200 Austin, Texas 78708 Email: IG_Rules_Comments_Inbox@hhsc.state.tx.us RE: Proposed Regulations published in the June 14, 2024 Texas Register Dear Chief Counsel: Not Dead Yet is a national disability rights organization focused on combatting disability- based healthcare discrimination, particularly in the context of … Continue reading NDY Comment on Comment on Proposed Texas Futility Regulations →

Lisa Blumberg: The 504 Regulations Now Explicitly Prohibit Healthcare Discrimination Based on Disability

July 2, 2024better dead than disabled, Health care decision-making, health disparities, HHS, informed consent, life-sustaining treatment, Lisa Blumberg, medical discrimination, Our News & Commentary Blog, treatment withdrawalHealth care decision making, healthcare discrimination, healthcare disparities, Section 504Diane Coleman

The updating of the 504 Regulations by the Department of Health and Human Services under the Biden-Harris administration is historic. Various provisions included in the amendment interact and work together to promote equal access to healthcare for persons with disabilities. Not Dead Yet’s response to the Department’s request for public comment when the updates were … Continue reading Lisa Blumberg: The 504 Regulations Now Explicitly Prohibit Healthcare Discrimination Based on Disability →

Boston Globe: “For assistance in dying, please press 1”

June 13, 2024"death with dignity", aid in dying, assisted suicide, better dead than disabled, boston globe, john kelly, Liz Carr, Massachusetts, Our News & Commentary Blog, Second Thoughts, slippery slope, United Kingdomassisted suicide, assisted suicide expansion, Boston Globe, Liz Carr, medical aid in dying, Second ThoughtsDiane Coleman

Liz Carr’s documentary, “Better Off Dead?”, continues making a difference, serving as a wake up call about the dangers assisted suicide laws pose for people with disabilities. A Boston Globe columnist noted this week: The most chilling detail in “Better Off Dead?” a new BBC documentary by the English actress and comedian Liz Carr, is … Continue reading Boston Globe: “For assistance in dying, please press 1” →