The recent transfiguration in the popular press of a proposal to provide Medicare reimbursement to physicians for advance care planning (ACP) into the creation of “death panels,” which would decide the fates of older and disabled individuals,1 can be seen as more than a political maneuver to discredit health care reform efforts. It provides valuable insights into how the notion of ACP is perceived by the general public and a lesson for the medical community about how to promote ACP.