Medical care in the United States is very expensive. I read somewhere, years ago, that many elderly people lose their life savings in the last few months of life as the result of being hospitalized for an extended period of time. Of course, hospitalization and life-saving medical procedures cost huge sums of money. Some folks, regrettably, lose their homes, businesses and entire estate due to medical bills. What to do?
More individuals will choose to die a cheap death. These individuals will rationally decide for themselves, if diagnosed with a terminal illness, to meet end-of-life decisions with as little expense as possible. For some it will be the choice to die at home; hopefully surrounded by family caregivers and perhaps hospice.
My father-in-law was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor 4 years ago. The physician said the tumor was the same type which struck Senator Ted Kennedy. My father-in-law was given nine months to live. He never spent a single day in a hospital. His choice. Instead, he chose to pass at home. He did receive palliative care from home-visiting nurses and hospice was especially helpful the last few weeks. His end-of-life medical bills were basically nil.
The man could have chosen to enter the hospital and undergo extensive treatment, buying himself maybe another six months to a year. At the cost of tens, if not hundreds , of thousands of dollars. Some of the bills picked up by taxpayers and some by himself or his estate. He chose to go as cheaply as possible.
My wife's uncle basically did the same thing: die cheaply at home rather than risk running up huge bills, risk losing a home. He was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. He was treated for pain at home and passed quietly with little fanfare or cost. His home and estate remain intact for his widow's enjoyment. Given the choices made, I see such decisions as rational, even heroic.
Unlike the two men above, we have millions of people, without money or insurance, flooding into hospitals demanding state-of-the-art medical care with no regard for who will have to pick up the bill. This is the main factor in driving up medical costs. An unemployed drug addict can walk into an emergency room assured of being treated, then hit the strreets with little concern of ever paying the bill.
Rationed healthcare is coming. Most likely, government panels will decide how many healthcare dollars will be spent on your behalf. Will a $300,000 heart surgery be performed on an indigent person? Will Aunt Lucy be allocated $250,000 for a liver transplant? Will $$hundreds of thousands be spent on chemo and radiation for an 80 year-old grandmother who at best will gain an additional year of life?
Many middle-class individuals will choose to go cheaply. Especially, those who have a home and small estate. They will choose to pass this to their heirs rather than have it seized to pay medical bills. The wealthy will have the means to pay. The poor will not have the means. Not surprisingly, those who worked hard all their life to earn a living will have to make difficult choices.
