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

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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.

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