NY Times: the Financial Reality of Being Really Sick

[NW-Bound]

I followed the blog of a woman RV'er for her travel. Shortly after retiring early to take up RV'ing full-time, she discovered that she had uterine cancer. She was relieved when the doctors found out that it was only Stage I, and a hysterectomy followed by some treatments would take care of it.

Just about a year later when down in Mexico, she found herself with back pain, and thought she had some pinched nerves or a spinal problem. The Mexican doctor who performed the surgery told her that she had a metastasized tumor growing on her spine, and its tentacles were so entangled in her spine that he could not do much.

She went back to the US to pursue treatment, but knew it was going to be tough. After about 1 year or perhaps shorter, she informed her readers that the treatment did not work. Her doctors warned her that further treatments would prolong her life for some months, but at a very reduced quality of life. She decided to stop treatments, and to make the most of the few months she had left.

And so, she did spend those months to do some more travels, with the assistance of friends and relatives. Her blogs made little further mention of her disease, until her brother announced the bad news on her blog. She was in her mid 50s, if I remember correctly.

I hope to be as courageous as this woman when my time comes. Nobody lives forever, not even billionaires like Paul Allen and Steve Jobs.

 

[marko]

I'm surprised that the topic of CYA on the part of doctors vs lawsuits adding to extra tests, MRIs, second and third opinions etc hasn't come up yet.

 

[razztazz]

I'm surprised that the topic of CYA on the part of doctors vs lawsuits adding to extra tests, MRIs, second and third opinions etc hasn't come up yet.

Brother went trough it. Mother went through it. The upshot is, the little secret nobody wants you to know is, it is nearly impossible to sue a doctor no matter the degree of indifference or incompetent. Like suing the police. The end.

The head of some insurance association back about 15 yrs ago said, at a conference, that even if a cap on malpractice payouts went into effect they wouldn't lower their rates because it wouldn't make any difference.

Second and third opinions? OK. Maybe sometimes somewhere somebody goes a little overboard but if it's serious why not? And I doubt this is what's running up the score. With the regularity doctors are wrong I can't see it as a universally bad thing

The waste of extra tests and needless medical interventions that is seriously running up the score on costs is disease invention. Treating cholesterol levels. Screening for everything to "lower your risk" whatever that is. They never say. The medical industry pimping fake risk, fake disease, unnecessary drugs. That's where the waste and avoidable costs are. Not suing doctors cause they ain't gettin' sued to any extent. The insurance industry says so. Not second opinions before they bore a hole in somebody's head or stick a reaming device into your heart. That ain't it.