Americans are treated, and overtreated, to death

Article

Americans increasingly are treated to death, spending more time in hospitals in their final days, trying last-ditch treatments that often buy only weeks of time, and racking up bills that have made medical care a leading cause of bankruptcies.

More than 80 percent of people who die in the United States have a long, progressive illness such as cancer, heart failure or Alzheimer's disease.

More than 80 percent of such patients say they want to avoid hospitalization and intensive care when they are dying, according to the Dartmouth Atlas Project, which tracks health care trends.

Just thought I would put this article out there. I wish there would be more advances in health research these days...hopefully we will be able to cure most diseases in the near future.

reply to post by buni11687


Materialism, wow, you brought a great point to my attention.

People want to live so bad that they spend all their money trying to stay alive forgetting about everyone else surrounding them.

S&F

reply to post by LittleSecret


WRT elderly patients, this is all obviated with a DNR directive.

More peripherally, this sounds like a "you need to expect less from the medical profession," in anticipation of the reductions in services necessitated by Obamacare which just seem to percolate up everywhere recently.

Lastly, OP, you make it seem like there is an epidemic of iatrogenic illness out there, which while certainly extant (MRSA), is more than a bit misleading.