FEDS MAY REIMBURSE MEDICARE ‘END-OF-LIFE DISCUSSIONS’ AFTER MOCKING PALIN’S ‘DEATH PANELS’
Years after former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was mocked for being concerned about “death panels,” the federal government may reimburse Medicare doctors for end-of-life consultations that critics say would only encourage sick patients to reject costly treatments to prolong life.
The New York Times reports that “Medicare may begin covering end-of-life discussions next year if it approves a recent request from the American Medical Association,” which is “the country’s largest association of physicians and medical students” and creates “billing codes for medical services, codes used by doctors, hospitals and insurers.”
According to the Times, the group “recently created codes for end-of-life conversations and submitted them to Medicare” and The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is expected to make a decision in the fall that could “profoundly affect the American way of dying.”
As the Times notes, “end-of-life planning remains controversial,” especially after Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s “‘death panel’ label killed efforts to include it” in Obamacare. The Obama administration tried to sneak in a provision in a 2010 regulation before it “had Medicare rescind that portion of the regulation” after intense political pressure.
Now, the federal government may try again.
image: thousandfullmoons
“End of life discussions” are nothing new. Physicians just want to bill for the time it takes. Thus the creation of new “discussion” billing codes.
The bureaucracy and its propaganda arm, the LSM, will conveniently forget what Mrs. Palin said.
“End of Life Discussions” will morph into coercion.
Obama has lied about everything and at every turn, how could anyone at this point not believe there will be DEATH PANELS?
If you are on Medicare you should have noticed by now the ever decreasing amounts paid by the government since Obama took office. DemocRats need income earners that pay higher taxes to support their entitlement programs. Old people are a burden to this way of governing..
Yes Tim, I’m afraid you’re right.
MadJack – bingo!
I’ll forgo life prolonging treatments when I can take one of these useless politicians with me.
Pardon me for repeating myself. There is a reason the Hospice benefit is the most generous benefit paid out by Medicare and Medicaid.
Madjack is correct.
On March 30th, 2010 they voted to cut Medicare’s budget by $575 BILLION!
“Maybe you are better off by not having the surgery, but taking the pain killer.” – BHO
And who can forget this?
…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2AMOgKM6qo…
@Tim: Welcome to the new holocaust. Doctors will soon be “trained” in government indoctrination facilities. The killing will be done “in secret” and will be expanded to include political dissidents.
Before government ‘assistance’, you were guaranteed to make it all the way from the womb to the tomb because, as a Judeo-Christian nation, we respected life FROM CONCEPTION TO NATURAL DEATH.
Then government declared abortion the law of the land, thus providing the slippery slope that no longer guarantees that you will make it from the womb ALIVE.
Now, we are seeing that government intervention is leading us toward no guarantee we will ‘naturally’ make it to the tomb without government ‘assistance’, thus providing the slippery slope via death panels.
Judge Bork had it right, naming his book “Slouching Towards Gomorrah”.
Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!!
That infant’s hand on Granny’s doesn’t mean he wins out over her. Under Zerocare, 50+ and <15 don't get any "useless spending."