clayinaustin
Charter Member
But first a little background...
Healthcare expenditures in the United States exceeded $2 trillion in 2006 and are expected to rise rapidly during the next decade. A disproportionate share is spent at the end of life (EOL). Thirty percent of Medicare expenditures are attributable to 5% of beneficiaries who die each year; about one-third of the expenditures in the last year of life is spent in the last month. Previous investigations have found that most of these costs result from lifesustaining care (eg, mechanical ventilator use and resuscitation), with acute care in the final 30 days of life accounting for 78% of costs incurred in the final year of life.
http://www.compassionandchoices.org//documents/EOL_Health_Care_Study_2009.pdf
If my estate (and my family) had to pay for 100% of the cost of keeping me alive in my final days (months), I would have a living-will that would say "pull the plug". I would rather die (I'm going to die anyway) than to cause my estate (and my family) this incredible financial hardship.
With this mindset, I would not want the country to pay to keep me (or anyone else) alive during my final days (months).
So here are my questions...
Would you bankrupt your family to keep you alive an extra week, month, year?
Do you think the country should go bankrupt to keep its dying citizens alive for an extra week, month, year?
Healthcare expenditures in the United States exceeded $2 trillion in 2006 and are expected to rise rapidly during the next decade. A disproportionate share is spent at the end of life (EOL). Thirty percent of Medicare expenditures are attributable to 5% of beneficiaries who die each year; about one-third of the expenditures in the last year of life is spent in the last month. Previous investigations have found that most of these costs result from lifesustaining care (eg, mechanical ventilator use and resuscitation), with acute care in the final 30 days of life accounting for 78% of costs incurred in the final year of life.
http://www.compassionandchoices.org//documents/EOL_Health_Care_Study_2009.pdf
If my estate (and my family) had to pay for 100% of the cost of keeping me alive in my final days (months), I would have a living-will that would say "pull the plug". I would rather die (I'm going to die anyway) than to cause my estate (and my family) this incredible financial hardship.
With this mindset, I would not want the country to pay to keep me (or anyone else) alive during my final days (months).
So here are my questions...
Would you bankrupt your family to keep you alive an extra week, month, year?
Do you think the country should go bankrupt to keep its dying citizens alive for an extra week, month, year?
