The Obama Administration has already caved in one more time on improving health care in the United States -- this time, by allowing the cost of end-of-life care discussions to be deleted from medical professionals' eligible expenses. If we fail to present all options available to those approaching the end of their lives, we are despicable. If we fail to support medical professionals in such discussions, we are truly cowardly.

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In a clear case of sending the absolutely worst signal to his rabid opponents, President Obama has caved in once again on a vital health care issue: end-of-life care discussions with medical professionals, which have just been deleted as eligible costs under the 2010 health care legislation.  While one might think that discussions of such options as hospice care would be automatic whenever appropriate, removing their eligibility sends a clear signal to doctors that they are not ranked as a top priority for those in need of end-of-life care.  Thus, already-weak health care legislation is made even weaker, and its opponents are given even more encouragement to gut what remains in the bill.

Some of us had hoped that our President would find his spine in Hawaii, something he has not managed in Washington, but that appears not to have happened.  While his opponents cavort over their victory in taking over the House of Representatives, Obama caves in once more.

This pattern would not be quite as despicable had it not become a way of life at the Obama White House.  From the continuation of those Bush tax breaks for the rich and super-rich, which were due to expire,

to the continuation of our two endlessly-costly and meaningless wars,

our President has shown himself to be weak-kneed as well as spineless.

While there is no easy cure for cowardice, it will make a real difference for each and every progressive to stand up and tell our President: the American people did not elect you to cave in and cop out on vital issues.  It is not yet too late to salvage your presidency and even your dignity.  You will never placate those determined to destroy that presidency, and you desperately need to stop trying to do so. 

End-of-life care options are a vital issue, one which will affect each and every one of us sooner or later.  Discussion of such options needs to be clearly covered in the new health care legislation, as it was when that admittedly-weak bill was passed last year.  If President Obama cannot stand up for the dying, then indeed he is unlikely to stand up for the living, either. 

Authors Bio:

Author's Biography

Eugene Elander has been a progressive social and political activist for decades. As an author, he won the Young Poets Award at 16 from the Dayton Poets Guild for his poem, The Vision. He was chosen Poet Laureate of Pownal, Vermont for his poem Pownal People. His three new verses for America the Beautiful:September 11, 2001 were widely acclaimed and read into the Congressional Record by U.S. Senator Chris Dodd.
Dr. Elander has authored four volumes of poetry: The Right Click, The World Click, Journeyings, and Philosophy over Fika, all written from 2004 to now, in the U.S. and Sweden -- as well as two published novels: The Goat of God, and Turning the Tides, both available via Signalman Publishing on Amazon.com in Kindle and electronic pdf editions. A self-help book titled Empowerment:Taking Charge of your Life was recently completed and is available via Amazon.com KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing.
Dr. Elander is a freelance columnist who published a newspaper for ten years in New London, CT. He is an economist and college lecturer, and has been an agency executive director, emergency management consultant, investigator; and former animal control officer, deputy code enforcement and health officer for Farmington, New Hampshire. He and his wife Birgit, who co-authored The World Click, divide their time between Georgia and her homeland, Gotland, Sweden.
Several other books are underway, including a sequel to The Goat of God, and a public version of his doctoral dissertation on Cooperatism, a new economic system he developed which includes all stakeholders (workers, consumers, and the public as well as stockholders) in crucial decision making. Dr. Elander has been a member of the Stonepile Writers group in Georgia and the Poetry Society of New Hampshire. He is president of his own Elander Press.