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A comment on End-of-Life Warning at $618,616 Makes Me Wonder Was It Worth It.

Re:End-of-Life Warning at $618,616 Makes Me Wonder Was It Wo... by dhyasama on Thursday March 04, 2010 @06:31PM (#1168373)
Some friends lived with me for a few months while their daughter was in the NICU because she was born extremely prematurely. I don't know the final tally, but at some point the calculated the total cost to be just north of $2,000,000. I don't think it is possible for me to rationally discuss if is worth it because I'm emotionally involved (they now have a beautiful, healthy little girl), but it's easy to see that it doesn't take many cases like hers to jack insurance premiums up pretty high.

As our medical skills are improving we can keep people alive that used to die. Unfortunately our medical skill isn't advanced enough to do it cheaply. Perhaps the luxuries of time and money will get us there one day.

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Re:End-of-Life Warning at $618,616 Makes Me Wonder Was It Wo... by vaksel on Thursday March 04, 2010 @09:59PM (#1168689)
the same 2 million dollar treatment probably costs 3-5 grand in Mexico or India. Personally I think health tourism is going to be much more popular soon, since the healthcare costs in the states are getting less and less affordable.
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Re:End-of-Life Warning at $618,616 Makes Me Wonder Was It Wo... by sokoloff on Friday March 05, 2010 @12:24AM (#1168897)
Are you honestly suggesting that someone would travel to Mexico or India to put their premie in newborn intensive care unit there? Really; that seems remotely reasonable (or even possible) to you?
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Re:End-of-Life Warning at $618,616 Makes Me Wonder Was It Wo... by dtby on Thursday March 04, 2010 @06:52PM (#1168414)
It seems unlikely that medical technology will not continue to advance. As such, there will always be new techniques which are, by their very nature, expensive relative to older proven means. So, yes, we'll be able to provide today's state of the art medical care "cheaply" in the not too distant future... but that will no longer be the standard by which emotionally-involved people judge "good enough" care.
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