Health Care to Die for

Health Care to Die for: People in the press and on the other side of the aisle accused Republicans of exaggerating about 'death panels,' but now that leaders have had a year to read the law, many of those same detractors are coming around to the truth. Tucked into the law's 2,000-plus pages is the creation of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). Among other things, IPAB would be responsible for keeping Medicare costs down.

That sounds innocent enough. But the big controversy isn't whether IPAB should save money--but how it does. As Medicare's own chief, Donald Berwick, has said, it's much cheaper for the government to let sick people die than care for them. If Medicare costs balloon above a certain point, this board would have the power to decide what gets cut from Americans' coverage. Essentially, the President would be putting a trillion dollars' worth of decisions in the hands of 15 unelected political appointees.

These men and women would have the power to limit which doctors you see, what treatments are available, and in some cases, whether you're eligible for care at all. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) called it a 'rationing board.' And even liberal groups are starting to agree. Still, the President isn't backing down.