Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Medicare Gives End-Of-Life Counseling The Go-Ahead

Mountlake Terrace resident Jennifer Calnon, 67, recently discussed her advance directive with her doctor. Starting January, Medicare plans to pay physicians for end of life counseling.
(Ruby de Luna/ KUOW)
Mountlake Terrace resident Jennifer Calnon, 67, recently discussed her advance directive with her doctor. Starting January, Medicare plans to pay physicians for end of life counseling. (Ruby de Luna/ KUOW)

Remember the “death panels”? That’s what Sarah Palin called them when the Affordable Care Act first proposed paying doctors for end-of-life counseling with patients. The uproar killed that plan, but recently Medicare announced that beginning next year, it will pay doctors to have these discussions. Ruby de Luna from Here & Now contributor KUOW reports.

Reporter

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.