Capitol Hill Blue Forums Life and Moral Issues Morality & Society At what point...?

Lately, I've seen relatives get really expensive medical treatments (over $100k) then die.

What's the point? At what point do, or should, we say: That's enough?

The doctor's benefit because insurance is getting billed. Do the patients benefit? As a family member, it simply prolongs the emotional inevitable.

A friend of a friend hasn't worked since 1991. He's gotten free HIV medications for nearly 20 years. Now, doctors want to perform plastic surgery on the guy because his face is drooping.

This is all at CA taxpayer expense. Apparently, these docs haven't heard that CA is having financial problems.

Am I being selfish, cold-hearted, or callous?

Plastic surgery is not always cosmetic. There may be a medical reason they want to do this, like drooping eyelids interfering with eye lubrication, etc. If it is purely cosmetic, then that's asking for trouble for somebody with HIV, on immunosuppressives, or with the type of skin that scars easily. Better to just put up with a little age-appropriate appearance!

So in a few years half the US will be employed trying to keep the other half alive-or incarcerated. The road to prosperity!

It is nuts. I pay around $1,500 a month for my wife and I and we rarely ever go to doctors. To me it seems like I am paying this so someone can eventually shove me through some fantastical procedures near the end to scape out a few more months of my existence.

Then I think of canceling and spending the money on massage therapists who will also provide happy endings. Ya know that sure works good to kill the pain!

Then I think about my lifes savings been seized to pay the hospital bills. It’s “protection” money. I want to cancel it all and say Phuket but I can’t pull the trigger. It’s nuts.

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Drooping eyelids?

Oh Lordy how I sometimes wish I could afford health insurance. It interferes with your vision quite a bit too.

The State of Florida apparently isn't as generous as the State of California.

Rick, first, I am pretty sure that you gave a limited statement of the facts and the devil is always in the details. Secondly, I am quite sure that if you were in the shoes of each individual, you would have a different perspective.

"Cosmetic" surgery for fatty deposits in HIV survivors can be medically important but even if not, the stigma attached to some of the fatty deposits can be devastating psychologically. Again, without a full analysis of his situation I would say judgment is inappropriate.

As for end of life medical decisions, my experience is that often it is the children or spouse who wants "everything" done.

BTW, Cal Medical has a lien on the estate of every recipient which has to be paid on death.

While there is a legitimate discussion about the appropriate boundaries of medical care, I think it is a very difficult conversation to have in the abstract.

CR,

I know the PROKA is "off the wall" on socialist med care - even by NJ standards ! And I've often "asked the same question(s). Remarkably just today !

My nonagarian parents were flooded out by Irene and we were looking for short-term facillities for them to stay. Turns out if they were idigent, illegals, addicts or a minority there was lots of opportunity. Unfortunately, they're not ! Just some elderly people that have paid taxes for over seventy years in (possible) need of some short-term assistance in finding living accomodations until their home can be rehabilitated. NFW has been pretty much the SOP answer !

Galls me to see multiple generations of criminals get far more - and better - assistance than these folks ! >Mech

What galls me is false statements made by people who are just full of prejudice.

Phil,

How did any/all of this "quality of life" become the "responsibility of the state" ? >Mech

For example, my Uncle Larry recently passed away of bone cancer. My mom was notified on WED, APR 6th 2011 she had bone cancer and she passed away four days later on Sunday April 10th.

Uncle Larry (dad's sister's husband) had bone cancer to over two years. Who lives with bone cancer for over two years?

My Aunt Joanne (dad's sister) is a nurse. She of course had at her fingertip every known medical resource at her disposal. She got Uncle Larry into a UCLA study for a new drug treatment. Would that have happened to the average non-medical field family? Of course not.

Yet, hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent for what...to keep Uncle Larry alive for a few more months - a year? The last two years of Uncle Larry's life, he was in and out and in and out and in and out of the hospital and hospice centers.

My dad would say: I hope he gets better.

I told my dad that was a ridiculous statement: Of course he's not going to 'get better' - he has bone cancer. Some times my dad can be so...

These mega-expenses to prolong someone's life a few days or months is a converation that we as a society need to have.

Sounds like New Jersey is also more generous than Florida.