Sunday, July 13, 2003
Other work has taken my time this week, so it's time to play catch-up.
"Aren't You Dead Yet?"
More than 5,000 people celebrate their 65th birthday every day.
(Administration on Aging, A Profile of Older Americans 1999)
The ethicists and academics are beginning to consider grabbing the pillow that the insurance companies have been holding for the last decade or so. But now, no matter who is doing the spinning, they're all glancing over at Granny.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, insurance companies started hiring major opinion research firms to conduct "ethical dilemma" research, or what we who did the research at those firms coined their "Toss Granny Out of the Boat" research. Basically, we were hired to ask the American people to make the Devil's choice. Insurance companies are not about to pay out to keep everybody alive (although they don't want to be one with blood on their hands), so they've wanted you to decide whether what they will pay out is used to keep Granny alive or to keep the new-born alive, and so on.
In essence, they are going to let someone die—period—and they're not going to lose any sleep over it. Life is cheap in Casablanca. And in Hartford, CT, as well.
Of course, Granny has the Devil's own time garnering any real support in that transaction.
As the years move along, Granny will still be thrilled to see the family come to visit. But, more often over time, she'll be locking up the pillows in order to be certain to still be alive to see them leave, and to wave goodbye.
Long may she wave.
***
Get Angry! Have your say. Write your elected officials now!
Register to Vote!
posted by Gotham 4:44 PM
0 comments
0 Comments:
