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There's a third option, permit people to end their lives with dignity.
Assisted suicide is a valid response to terminal illness and dementia.
Heck, I have no problem with people ending their lives because they're tired of living.
It should be their choice.
As the baby boom marches into old age, they will demand the choice to die with dignity in response to terminal illness and dementia. Right now, 1/8 ( 13%) older Americans has Alzheimer's disease. This increases to 1/2 for those age 85 or older.
27% of Medicare's annual $327 billion budget goes to care for patients in their final year of life.
The question is can we still afford this kind of expense, and is it right to be spending this much for a hopeless causes when there are more productive ways to spend this money that would be in the better interest of the country and the general welfare of the people.
How could the system be improved.
so do you think we should play God and decide when we cut off medicare when these people have paid into it for years? What about the preemie who is born and will either not survive or will need special care for years, should the insurance companies say we are going to cut them off?
I know some doctors and besides quitting smoking and losing weight, the one thing they wish they could get their patients to do is to write up a 'living will'....especially the seriously ill/older ones. They say a lot of the "flogging" they do on elderly patients is due to the fact that the patient didn't have a living will and one member of the family is insisting on doing "everything" to save Nana, so the doctor has to do it.
A living will is totally different> Even with that, just keeping a person comfortable often cost thousands of dollars. Yes, some do want to do what they can for grandma, but the Op is talking about cutting off everything if a patient is terminal or that is what it sounds like he/she is saying. My husband and I do have living wills as most senior now do have> All this does is say do not do anything artificial to keep us alive. It doesn't refer to meds, to keep someone from suffering for instance.
The way to approach this is to limit health care to preventive/palliative care only after a certain age. I suggest but 67 could entertain 70-75 as well. Prior to that, one would get all the treatment they now get aimed at curing and prolonging life. But after the cutoff date, well then it is only preventative exams and pills and hospice. Aside from saving billions that could be better spent just about anywhere, it would encourage people to live healthier lifestyles when they were younger knowing that there would be no treatment for their problems after 67. A simple change like this would put Medicare in the black and allow the tax burden on younger workers to be reduced.
do you have both parents living?
if so how old are they?
my mother lived to be 92
amazing if you were in charge of her
she would haven had no chance to see that age
good grief
lets just starting starving them to death
that way you can save on food as well
remember
one day you are going to be this age
if you make it that long
How does one determine which year is the last one?
Many 'old' and even elderly people have costly surgical corrections and then go on to live a normal, active and, with some,even productive life for many years after that.
too damned bad
that is what these folks want to do
elderly
who needs them
right??
It was not meant to be sarcastic. Frightening? Maybe, but it is reality. As in so many other areas, we are now wanting what we were not willing to pay for. The old people voted and lobbied against higher taxes during their lives in the amount needed to cover their medical expenses. They failed to save for their own care. It is illogical to borrow trillions to care for old people who have neglected their own needs and have no economic value anymore. It is immoral to saddle generations to come with staggering debts, lost opportunity, widespread poverty and a sharply reduced quality of life that will be the price for repaying those debts. As the saying goes: you made your bed, now lie in it.
amazing how cold some people are
just remember you will one day be elderly
maybe this ice running in your veins will freeze you to death
and you will be taken care of before you are starved to death by some of these lovely folks here who are so lightly taking about tossing aside folks who are unproductive to them
bet your parents and grand parents are proud
good grief
It's only a small step from being okay with killing babies to being okay with killing old people.
yes and these "people" have reached it
but lets not stop with old folks
what about mentally ill
lets ditch them too
or what about the ugly??
or the fat
come on if you really try it might come down to millions you could oft??
amazing how cold some people are
just remember you will one day be elderly
maybe this ice running in your veins will freeze you to death
and you will be taken care of before you are starved to death by some of these lovely folks here who are so lightly taking about tossing aside folks who are unproductive to them
bet your parents and grand parents are proud
good grief
I'm already approaching elderly. I realize that I am little but a financial burden on the younger generation. I understand that my medical costs will eventually greatly exceed the amount I contributed to Medicare while I worked (and I made and paid much more than most). It's tough, but there is no money to keep me going if I get seriously ill. Our generation chose war over social well-being, low taxes over fiscal responsibility, consumption over savings, and profit over caring. Time to pay the fiddler, I'm afraid.
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Exactly.....but certain people don't want to let the facts get in the way of a good rant.
