The death panel myth among older adults: Political ideology, advance directives, and perceived discrimination on the basis of age

Abstract

The “death panel” myth holds that the Affordable Care Act sought to determine which Americans are worthy of medical care. Two interview surveys among older adults (Study 1, N = 210, Study 2, N = 196) investigated differences between those who do and do not believe the death panel myth. Those who believed in the death panel myth had more conservative political ideology, lower perceived need for living wills, and higher perceived discrimination on the basis of age. The death panel myth may stem from partisanship and a belief that society places less value on the lives of older adults.