Mary Markos: Foes of Massachusetts assisted-suicide bill warn of ramifications

Jun. 29--Opponents of a bill to legalize medical aid in dying, known as death with dignity, argue that insurance companies could opt for the "cheaper" option and stop covering expensive medical treatments.

"At the legislative hearing on Tuesday, we heard testimony about insurance companies refusing to pay for life-giving treatments and offering much cheaper suicide drugs as an alternative," Andrew Beckwith of Massachusetts Family Institute said. "We have the best health care in the world here in Massachusetts, and this bill would be a huge step backwards for quality of care and the rights of patients."

Beckwith and other organizations are pushing back against the legislation, pointing to testimony from people like Stephanie Packer, a California woman who said her insurance would no longer cover chemotherapy after physician-assisted suicide was legalized in her state. She traveled to Massachusetts earlier this week to testify against the bill in a Joint Committee on Public Health hearing.

"I can't describe what it feels like when someone tells you that they're no longer going to pay for drugs that will extend your life significantly, that will give me more time with my kids," Packer said. "But for a buck I can go ahead and make it stop if I kill myself."

Rep. Louis Kafka of Stoughton, the sponsor of the legislation, said Tuesday, "Everyone must be allowed to make their own choice based on their own beliefs."

Kafka was inspired to first file the legislation after a constituent who was dying from stomach cancer, Al, reached out to his office. Seven years after the idea was narrowly defeated during a statewide vote, Kafka filed an updated version of the legislation.

"For more than a decade now I have fine-tuned the End of Life Options Act, by listening and exploring the concerns articulated during hearings for previous versions of the bill," Kafka said at the hearing. "I continue to file the bill because I feel Al and many people like him deserve the choice of how they end their life."

The bill outlines the process of requesting medicine that would aid death. First, a terminally ill patient must bring up the topic with a doctor; it cannot be recommended by the doctor. The patient must also be determined by a second doctor to be terminally ill, and meet with a mental health professional who must confirm that the patient is not seeking the option due to mental health conditions. The patient then must submit a written request that must be made with two witnesses, one of whom must not be a relative.

The bill also defines a terminally ill patient as someone who is reasonably expected to not live longer than the next six months, and specifies that a person cannot qualify for aid in dying solely because of age or disability. In addition, a patient who has a legal guardian also does not qualify.

State House News Service contributed to this report.

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