Does the U.S. need to ration costly end-of-life care?
Controversial Issue to be Focus of Miller Center National Debate
With skyrocketing Medicare costs contributing to record-setting budget deficits, does the United States need to ration costly end-of-life care? This compelling topic will be the focus of an upcoming debate produced by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, in partnership with MacNeil/Lehrer Productions and The National Press Club.
The debate will take place at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, March 24 at 7:00 pm ET. It will be webcast live at www.millercenter.org and air later on PBS stations across the country.
Debaters include:
– Ken Connor, Chairman, Center for a Just Society, Gov. Jeb Bush’s Attorney in Terri Schiavo case
– Marie Hilliard, Director of Bioethics and Public Policy, National Catholic Bioethics Center
– Dr. Ira Byock, Director of Palliative Medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Author, “Dying Well”
– Arthur Caplan, Director, Center for Bioethics, University of Pennsylvania
Susan Dentzer, Editor-in-Chief of “Health Affairs” and a “PBS NewsHour” analyst, will moderate the debate.
With more than one-fourth of Medicare expenses going to medical treatment in patients’ last year of life, debaters will argue what, if anything, the government should do to contain costs. Should the government spend less on costly end-of-life procedures and instead use these resources to care for more patients? Would it be better to ration by choice and let patients and their doctors decide on end-of-life care, such as living wills and pain management? What would be the social implications of a rationing policy? Would the government be deciding who is worth saving and who is not?
This debate will be followed later this spring by debates on the cost of college moderated by Ray Suarez, senior correspondent for “PBS NewsHour” and on the impact of the Internet on democracy moderated by Robin MacNeil of MacNeil/Lehrer Productions.
The Miller Center of Public Affairs is a leading nonpartisan public policy institution aimed at bringing together engaged citizens, scholars, members of the media and government officials to focus on issues of national importance to the governance of the United States, with a special interest in the American presidency.
Source: National Press Club
IRS Problem Solver to take campaign against taxes to Washington
CPA Phil Liberatore Challenging Incumbent Gary Miller in California’s 42nd District
As founder of IRS Problem Solvers, Inc., Phil Liberatore has helped thousands of Americans battle the most loathed — and feared — branch of government: The Internal Revenue Service. Now, Liberatore, a CPA and fervent critic of a fiscal policy that he believes is taking the United States down a road toward economic ruin, has decided to do something about it: he’s challenging veteran GOP congressman Gary Miller in California’s 42nd District in what is shaping up to be a lively primary battle.
“Gary Miller went to Washington as a Conservative, but has lost touch with the values of his constituents, voting with the Democrats over 400 time since he was elected to congress,” says Liberatore. “When he voted to waste billions of dollars on the misguided and outrageous TARP Bailout Bills, that was the last straw for me. That was when I decided to challenge him. I’m ashamed to live in a district represented by a Republican who votes far too often with Barney Frank. As more of his constituents see his record, I believe they will vote in June to send me to Washington to restore fiscal sanity to our country.”
The 42nd district, which stretches from Whittier in Los Angeles County to Mission Viejo in Orange County and includes parts of San Bernardino County, is one of the most conservative districts in California with a track record of electing conservative candidates. But Miller is widely believed to be vulnerable not only for his voting record, but also for an ongoing FBI investigation into various real estate transactions. Asked why he would challenge a fellow Republican, Liberatore responded:
“This is not about parties. I’m running for the Republican nomination, but I am first and foremost a patriot and a man who loves his country and I will speak out against corruption whether it comes from the Democratic Party or my own party. In November, dozens of members of congress who voted to increase the tax burden on the American people are going to be swept out of office. I plan to speed up that process by sending one of them home early on June 8th.”
A married father of two grown children and an ordained minister, Liberatore’s strong stand on taxes comes from a lifetime of work with those who are crushed by the heavy hand of Washington:
“On a daily basis I see people in my office who suffer from the effects of the burden Washington imposes on the lives of average Americans,” he says. “I’m going to Washington with two goals in mind: to lift the crushing burden of taxes on citizens of my district and to restore fiscal sanity to our nation. I believe America’s best days are ahead of us-but only if we meet the challenge we face from an out of control administration and its willing accomplices in my own party.”