Berwick Lashes Out at GOP Critics of Health Reform Law

At the Institute for Health Improvement's annual conference in Florida last week, former CMS Administrator Donald Berwick criticized Republicans who stood against the federal health reform law. He criticized some of the opposition rhetoric surrounding the reform law, including the notion of so-called death panels, which he described as "hogwash." Berwick also discussed the GOP's use of the term "rationing," saying that "the true rationers are those who impede improvement, who stand in the way of change, and who thereby force choices that we can avoid through better care."

• "Berwick: Attacks on Health Care Law 'Beyond Cruelty'" (Baker, "Healthwatch," The Hill, 12/8).
• "Berwick Calls Republicans 'the True Rationers'" (Galewitz, "Capsules," Kaiser Health News, 12/8).