Good intentions can’t survive ‘death panels’

Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., thought end-of-life planning was a health care issue Democrats and Republicans could agree on.

And it was, until rhetorical "death panels" were born and refused to die.

Blumenauer, who wrote the part of the health care bill that was inaccurately twisted into calling for "death panels," writes about the experience for the New York Times.

It's an interesting look at how seemingly preposterous notions can take hold in the public consciousness.

A highlight: "While continuing to work on other important health care reform provisions, I was confident that in this area, we had made a contribution that would ultimately be in the final bill. It might even serve as a bridge for bipartisan compromise as we entered the frustratingly contentious end game of finishing the overall legislation."

Here is a link to the entire piece headlined, "My near death panel experience".