Death Panels Are Back

The New York Times reported on Christmas Day, that the Obama Administration will pay doctors who advise Medicare patients on end-of-life care. This is troubling, and an end-around of the flawed heath care legislation passed earlier this year. Starting on January 1st, doctors who receive Medicare payments will be able to discuss end-of-life treatments during a Medicare patient’s annual exam. The doctor, who is paid by the government, will be in the position to consult the patient to forgo aggressive treatments that may save their lives. By writing “regulations” and going around the flawed Health care law, the Obama Administration is clearly laying down a marker for the new Republican controlled House of Representatives. I am sure this will not be the last time the Obama Administration uses “regulations” to circumvent the Congress.