So, the U.S. is hit with a major pandemic. Medical resources are stretched to their limits. Who gets treatment and who is left to die? Chest, the medical journal of the American College of Chest Physicians, has put together a handy list:

* People older than 85. * Those with severe trauma, which could include critical injuries from car crashes and shootings. * Severely burned patients older than 60. * Those with severe mental impairment, which could include advanced Alzheimer’s disease. * Those with a severe chronic disease, such as advanced heart failure, lung disease or poorly controlled diabetes.

The AP at least devotes a few sentences to the potential problems with such a list:

Public health law expert Lawrence Gostin of Georgetown University called the report an important initiative but also “a political minefield and a legal minefield.”
The recommendations would probably violate federal laws against age discrimination and disability discrimination, said Gostin, who was not on the task force.
If followed to a tee, such rules could exclude care for the poorest, most disadvantaged citizens who suffer disproportionately from chronic disease and disability, he said. While health care rationing will be necessary in a mass disaster, “there are some real ethical concerns here.”