Does the RNC Want to Kill Granny?

Remember how the RNC had to do an about face after the fact that their health insurance plan included abortion coverage? Guess what else their insurer, CIGNA, covers. Yup, "death panels."

But ThinkProgress has noticed that Cigna, the RNC’s health insurance provider, also urges beneficiaries to think about end-of-life services. Cigna’s website has a page called "Care at the End of Life," which covers topics such as how to talk with "loved ones" about "end-of-life choices" and whether to stop life-prolonging treatment....

It’s unclear whether the RNC’s insurance plan covers these end-of-life consultations, and neither Cigna nor the RNC replied to inquiries from ThinkProgress. But nevertheless, the RNC’s insurance provider has posted information on its website advising beneficiaries about the complicated questions that accompany decisions at the end of someone’s life.

By the time the RNC gets back to Think Progress, chances are pretty good that their plan will not include end-of-life counseling, though Cigna will still be providing that information to its beneficiaries, which would include RNC employees.

All of this is to point out not that the Republicans are hypocrites; that's hardly necessary at this point. It's to demonstrate that end-of-life services, like abortion services, are standard, well-accepted practices within the medical community, providing critical services to consumers at some of the most difficult times of their lives. That's what insurance is for.