The Cost of Dying: End-of-Life Care

Many Americans spend their last days in an intensive care unit, subjected to uncomfortable machines or surgeries to prolong their lives at enormous cost. Steve Kroft reports.

[@rottyangel770]

Thank you for posting this video. After losing my beloved mother, and seeing how much money she was running through, I realized that the doctors keep people alive longer than when the Good Lord intended them home. But it's not entirely the doctors fault. It's like the gentleman said in the beginning, people and their families want to hang on to the point where denial of death becomes a delusion and people start acting in ways that make no sense.

[@OurAmazingWorld]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. I think psilocybin therapy can help patients and families cope with death. Ira Byock: "Palliative medicine and psychiatry must not allow politics or puritanism to prevent us from exploring these potentially important treatments for common and difficult-to-treat non-physical suffering among dying people." “If insurance companies knew about our outcomes, they might get a lot more interested in what we’re doing here.” www.ouramazingworld.org/hallucinogen-studies.html Roland Griffiths: “When you make people less afraid to die, then they’re less likely to cling to life at a huge cost to society. After having such a transcendent experience, individuals with terminal illness often show a markedly reduced fear of dying and no longer feel the need to aggressively pursue every last medical intervention available. Instead they become more interested in the quality of their remaining life as well as the quality of their death.” www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/magazine/how-psychedelic-drugs-can-help-patients-face-death.html

[@GuadalupeMendoza6119]

Im sorry for the passing of your mother. You’re very right, many families don’t accept their love ones dying even when they are dying.

[@corsomaximahu69]

Rest in peace

[@dearestdennis]

I hope it becomes available in more states soon to allow individuals to end their pain and suffering themselves.

[@carlahead5072]

I feel that the patient should have the right to choose whether or not they would want machines to prolong their life,and if they would want to die at home or in a hospital. And,whatever that patient chooses we should highly respect whichever way they choose to die if they are terminally ill. I personally wouldn’t want to be kept alive by a bunch of machines -the one thing I’d ask is to keep my pain well controlled if in fact I’m terminally ill,but please respect my decision by not using a bunch of machines to keep me alive,ok? Let me die at home and in peace,and pain free. Thank you

[@frlouiegoad4087]

I desire NO GOVERNMENT in my end days.

[@noreenmozee559]

It sounds as though the more money one as the doctors wants a piece Of the pie.

[@shanekasunich9756]

I bet if we were paying vs the insurance companies we would not have all thee things done. Its sad to think how we waste so much money on things that wont get better.

[@jakewhoskate]

Healthcare costs are out of control because of our ONLY privatized options. People at each level have an incentive to get their cut. Why would healthcare ever be like this I dont know.... Have both public and private options.

[@frlouiegoad4087]

Because of our SIN!