How Doctors Die: It’s Not Like the Rest of Us, But It Should Be

[magical thyme]

29. when I was in school to become a medical lab tech

our anatomy professor, a 36 year nursing veteran and director and director of training at a local hospital, told us if she goes down, step over her body and go get a cup of coffee or something. She has no health insurance. Neither do I. I do have a way to check out painlessly if it comes down to it.

I doubt the timing is a coincidence, but please don't compare what a health care worker who lives it day in and day out says with Republicans 'die on the cheap' plan. The fact is that health care is up for discussion. This is something that needs to be discussed and addressed. So of course it comes up.

As it happens, the hospital where I work serves several nursing facilities and 2/3s of its patients are on medicare. It seems every time we are up on the floor, we have this discussion after. For each the very few people helped by what we do, there are many more for whom we are spending a fortune simply prolonging suffering. That is a fact. We come back down to the lab, look at each other and say, 'don't let that happen to me." My pets get better health care than we do.

You are right that insurance, laws, drug makers all influence the choices Drs. and patients are allowed to make. Humane treatment is possible. It's also often illegal.

"People are prepared to think the doctor is acting out of base motives, trying to save time, or money, or effort, especially if the doctor is advising against further treatment."

I remember long ago witnessing a woman in her 40s throw a tantrum when her elderly mother's doctor advised not treating a breast cancer. It was a very slow growing type and her mother was 1. far more likely to die of something else long before that cancer went very far, 2. the surgery would be horrific for someone her age

unfortunately a lot of people are not terri