Oregon Health Plan won't pay for cancer treatment, but it will pay for assisted suicide.

I am in favor of the Assisted Suicide law in Oregon, but for them the Oregon Health Plan to suggest a suicide over a cancer treatment is unconscionable.

I believe people should have the right to end their lives when they want to.

Very very disturbing.

America's health care is so broken.

Dr. Mr. President... are you out of your mind? I really hope all these politicians are denied health care some day when they are diagnosed with terminal cancer and are instead offered anthrax to make the suicide process speed up.

This is some backward thinking!

If you pay the insurance premiums, you should be able to cash in on your plan and get what you paid for. The letter is a slap in the face, but the real issue is she is being denied a service that she has paid for. Health insurance companies/plans should be non-profits.

I'm not a biased advocate for National Health Care but actions such as this make a stronger argument for such a federally controlled program. These are the inevitable issues that arise when what should be a social program for health is instead handled like a business. Anymore, a health insurance company paying out for care makes a cost-risk analysis as if they're making an investment. The cost-risk is whether their expenditure to "fix" a customer will see a return when that customer is well again and likely paying a higher premium. As in the case of this article the cost-risk was too high so they declined to make the investment; but they did offer a buy out to end a contract.
Some systems just can not function as a capitalist venture and properly provide the services they were designed for.

This is a Government Operation

This is absolutely scandalous. Such cynicism, such contempt for individuals and life is unconscionable.

Of course, this insurance would pay for assisted suicide - a dead person cannot pay anything any more.

I always make a distinction between suicide and euthanasia. Namely that suicide is a psychological issue, and euthanasia is a medical issue.

The ethics of euthanasia, in my opinion, are that you would only euthanize someone with their consent in order to avoid unnecessary suffering when all other medical options have been exhausted (or something like that).

Oregon's Health Plan needs to be revised. Killing patients, whether through euthanasia or absence of treatment, just to save money is unacceptable.

No they aren't telling her they will pay for her to die; nooooo

they are just telling her that they will not help her live, and in case you die we have some "comfort care" that you will just love.....

I detest our health care bandits.....

thanks jubal!

I do not see how suicide could be considered health care. Suicide is the opposite of health care. The last thing people suffering from cancer should need to worry about is money.

1984 anybody?

unfortunate for this individual, a true shame my sympathy to her and her family. Fix our health system now mr. government or you will have us to deal with.