Tonight, I wondered whether the cost of our medical care sometimes prompts us to consider whether it is worth it all. Say, a person is in such terrible condition that it appears he (or she) might well die within months. Are we, then, sometimes inclined to wonder whether the expense is worth it?
Say, we take life-saving measures, and the person lives but another four months. Was it worth it? I say, often it is. If the person's life is not overly painful, then it is worth it.
But, the same, I think of how the dilemma we face underscores how hospital expenses have reached unacceptable levels. I believe health care costs could be much, much less. And, that we are changing so much that we consider forgoing some of our efforts because people are going to die within months anyway. Well, that is a big argument for bringing health care and hospital costs down.
They should not be so expensive that we are tempted not to keep people alive.
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