3 ms·
That’s a very commendable metric to use but there’s very little political support for it. If Medicare banned hip replacements for anyone older than 75 and real
by nugget 8y ago
That’s a very commendable metric to use but there’s very little political support for it. If Medicare banned hip replacements for anyone older than 75 and reallocated those resources to preventative care, many more “years” of life would likely be saved. (Not to mention heroic end of life care in hospital ICUs which Americans seem to culturally celebrate.) But you would start to see backlash from families affected. My point is simply that you couldn’t import the NHS to America and expect it to function well; there are unique social, cultural, and political considerations that have to be factored into a reform of the system.
- akiselev 8y agoHow'd you go from "will fewer people die of preventable medical causes" to "[i]f Medicare banned hip replacements for anyone older than 75"? To your specific example, immobility is a significant contributing factor for most age related conditions and a hip replacement is an expensive but efficient preventative treatment in old age, especially when it enables the patient to return to regular exercise. Hip replacements aren't like organ transplants where there are a limited number to go around that present an unavoidable moral dilemma. Such a ban would be political suicide for anyone who even proposes it since seniors vote much more reliably so I don't think anyone expects to ship the NHS bureaucracy here wholesale.
- metildaa 8y agoICU heroics isn't anywhere near as revered as our media makes it out to be. If it were, hospice and death with dignity (in some states like my own) would not be offered. Most dying people I've seen choose to live the best quality of life they can rather than attempt to extend their lifespan with procedures that likely will not help. https://www.deathwithdignity.org/news/2018/12/impact-of-death-with-dignity-on-healthcare/ https://www.deathwithdignity.org/news/2018/12/impact-of-deat...