When it comes to politics, it really helps to have a bullshit dectector. I won’t pretend that the government never does crazy, stupid things. But when a big, politically controversial bill like health care reform is being written, you should generally assume that the people who are writing it want it to pass. Thus it is unlikely that they will include provisions in the bill that are likely to be universally unpopular and drag the whole bill down with them.
If someone tells you that the bill is going to require that seniors get Soylent Green-style “end-of-life counseling” that will advise them to die, you should immediately recognize that they are bullshitting you. This is doubly true if the person saying this is a notorious liar. Likewise, if someone tells you that health care reform would mean “a doctor would lose his license for providing health care to someone over age 59,” you should probably recognize that person is also an insane liar.
Turn on your bullshit detectors, folks. This is not that hard.