Federal health officials are proposing that Medicare begin paying doctors to discuss end-of-life issues with their patients, six years after the "death panel" controversy erupted in the early days of the debate over President Obama's health-care legislation.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the new plan Wednesday as part of its annual Medicare physician payment rule. The proposed rule includes reimbursement for "advance care planning." The final rule is due Nov. 1, and payments would start Jan. 1. The discussions would be voluntary.
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