Raising awareness about the hospice industry and PECHTA

We have been raising awareness about the growing trend of oppressive coercion that is applied in healthcare settings. It is a trend of pushing people into hospice before they're ready, regardless of if they want to, and even pressuring a patient to enter hospice when the patient is not terminally ill, and even though modern day hospice at times hastens death.

The elderly, disabled, and chronically-ill may be told to consider hospice. Social workers, physicians, nurses, and other staff pressure patients and family to accept placement in hospice.

Many of you know about this pressure from your own personal experience with your families. Many of you have asked, "How can I help?" This is how you can help:

Bills have unfortunately been proposed that will make the unconscionable push for hospice even more unavoidable and will make the hospice industry even more powerful than it already is. The bill is called PCHETA (the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act ... H.R. 647 and Senate bill S. 2080). There is no admission that any wrongdoing is occurring within the industry, and this bill enables the hospice industry and medical community to pressure people into entering hospice, even more than they already do.

The National Association of Pro-life Nurses (nursesforlife.org) has issued a statement in opposition to PCHETA. To view the statement, visit nursesforlife.org/napn-in-the-news.html

The Healthcare Advocacy & Leadership Organization (halorganization.org) has issued its statement in opposition to PCHETA.

We need you, really need you, to call your Congressional Reps, Senators, as well as the President, to explain that before any funding is increased for hospice & palliative care, the industry needs to be reformed! PCHETA must NOT be enacted into law!

Please help. Please write. Please call.

Thank you. All healthcare must be pro-life, otherwise it is not really healthcare.

Ron Panzer

Hospice Patients Alliance

www.hospicepatients.org