"10% of all Medicare costs occur in the final 30 days of life. Most of the money in those last 30 days pays for intensive care and invasive, unwanted treatments intended to extend life, like feeding tubes and mechanical ventilators." A pillow over the mouth, however, is very inexpensive ("compassionately" administered of course). "A large, authoritative study appearing this March. concluded higher medical costs in the final week of life were associated with more physical distress and worse overall quality of death, but no difference in survival rates" How does one measure "quality of death"? It's a little difficult to solicit feedback after the fact. Morevoer, it is those willing to risk the added expense of life-prolonging proceses that fund the necessary experimentation in technology that lead to the very innovations that will improve end-of-life treatment. Innovations that will become affordable and accessible to more people over time - if not distorted by the government. Decrying a "profit-centered" industry displays an ignorance of profits. In a free marketplace, profits go to those providers who provide "the comfort care and supportive services people truly want." In an unfettered profit/loss system, the patient (customer) does indeed come first. Patients and their families are allowed to decide what services they want. Conversely, a top-down, authoritarian, one-size fits all medical buearacracy provides only those services deemed worthy by politicians.

Want to cut down on traffic congestion in DC? Start by cutting the size and power of the federal gov't.

How many teacher's jobs could have been saved with that $2.2 million?