It was early summer. A senior federal health official wrote a memo suggesting that living wills 鈥� documents that can convey patients鈥� wishes about when to end life support 鈥� could help curb health-care costs.
The memo leaked to the media. By August, a New York Times鈥� column said the official 鈥渓ikes euthanasia.鈥�
Sound like this year鈥檚 angry August? Well, this story unfolded in 1977, and the official in question was Robert Derzon, the first administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration, now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Derzon鈥檚 memo said, 鈥淭he cost-savings from a nationwide push toward 鈥楲iving Wills鈥� is likely to be enormous.鈥� But, it also warned of 鈥渟ome negative public reaction.鈥� (Read the full memo .)听听听
In an August 14, 1977, column, a Times writer called the note an 鈥渁mazing disclosure of the extent to which some in the Government would go to reduce medical costs.鈥�
But that鈥檚 not exactly what Derzon, 聽from swine flu, had in mind.
At his recent memorial service, , an associate administrator at HCFA and co-author of the controversial memo, explained. 鈥淭he hysteria, misinformation and accusations were vicious and lasted for weeks,鈥� Gaus recalled at the memorial service. 鈥淲hat is more surprising is that this country has made big strides in [patients鈥橾 rights to living wills and in making death more comfortable,鈥� he said. 鈥淵et the fringe critics still are able to command huge media attention.鈥�
Former New York Lieutenant Governor and health-care firebrand Betsy McCaughey leveled about death panels and current White House adviser Ezekiel Emanuel, who has written about end-of-life care, in the New York Post this summer. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin modernized the hysteria over end-of-life care when she popularized the term death panel鈥� in an August Facebook post.
The claims went viral in August town halls around the country, but were quickly debunked by news reports, including in the New York Times, which in a headline.
But, back in the 鈥�70s, 鈥淭he New York Times did exactly what the crazies have done years later,鈥� Gaus said in an interview. Gaus, who also shared his eulogy notes, added that he brought up the unfortunate chapter in his boss鈥檚 career in order to set the record straight. 鈥淚t鈥檚 chillingly parallel鈥� to today鈥檚 debate, he said.
The House Democrats鈥� health care bill 鈥� which passed Saturday 鈥� preserved the provision to pay for end-of-life counseling, with some extra caveats emphasizing that the counseling is voluntary and not meant to 鈥渆ncourage the promotion of suicide or assisted suicide.鈥� The Senate Finance Committee scrapped it altogether after complaints by leading Republicans and August protests.