New regulations have been proposed that would allow Medicare to reimburse medical professionals that talk with patients about end of life medical options. Supporters of the plan say that it will empower individuals to plan out what measures could be taken to prolong life such as long term life support or allow support to be withdrawn in certain circumstances. This issue has been a political hot button with critics of the Affordable Care Act saying that “death panels” would be set up which would make the choice of life or death for the chronically ill. A similar proposal was made in 2009 but scuttled by the Obama administration due to political concern but it now being sought due to increased control it offers to the elderly or ill.
See Pam Belluck, Medicare Proposes Paying Doctors for End-of-Life Counseling, new York Times, July 8, 2015.
Special thanks to Lewis Saret for bringing this article to my attention.
