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Kroft's Reporter's Notebook

November 19, 2009 11:39 AM

When it comes to end-of-life care, how expensive is this for people in the U.S? Steve Kroft previews his upcoming "60 Minutes" report.

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by oditan November 22, 2009 9:18 PM EST
Thank you 60 minutes/CBS for that program; it touched me. I agree, people should be allowed to die with dignity, and we should come to terms with our mortality. When my husband was diagnosed with a terminal illness, I was very upset when the specialist physician more or less told me to get a priest and a coffin; he gave him three months to live. I said he was not God, and refused to give up - my husband was young, had the will to live and he had been given no, NO TREATMENT whatsoever. Fortunately, his primary doctor was willing to work with us and we tried different forms of treatments - orthodox, alternative AND prayers. His illness went into some kind of remission and he lived two good quality years before the illness came back with a vengeance. After watching him suffer for a week, hooked a machine that kept him just breathing (and possibly hearing since that is the last of the senses to go), I had to cry to God to cure him or take him.

It has been almost five years since he passed, but each time I remember that last one week of his life, the wounds are re-opened again and I cry. I do not blame any body, but I wish he had not suffered so. I wish also, we had discussed the inevitable.
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by LillyJulie November 22, 2009 8:27 PM EST
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Add a Comment by LillyJulie November 22, 2009 8:21 PM EST
I was extremely upset when Steve Kroft interviewed the doctors concerning the cost of caring for the elederly. The doctors are deceitful and do not know or have researched the horroRs and unthical standards of health care the elderly are receiving. Our neducations are not healing and causing overcrowed hospitals. Anti freeze is in our medications, food, csmetics, health products and causing harmful unecessary harm leading to dEath. Mr. Kroft when doctors spoke about nedical care for patients---you shoud have reported the corruption that is in health care r4search---repeated and repeated research that has been done over over again. Trillions and billions of doallars given to universities that are wasted. It is criminal abd misrepresenting the people. PLEASE CHECK OBAMA'S HEALTHCARE STIMULAS RSEARCH THAT IS UNCESSARY AND WASTING THE TAXPAYER'S MONEY. PATIENT SAFETY PROGRAMS WERE ORGANIZED TO PROTECT THE DOCTORS, HEALTHCARE INDUSTRIES AND THE PHARMACEUTICALS---A PATIENT SAFETY IN NAME ONLY---DOCTORS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO REPORT ERRORS---ONLY IF THEY WANT TO VOLUNTEER. CBS ALLOWED THE DOCTORS TO GIVE THEIR OPINON---AND WHO IS dAVID wALKKER TO SAY PATIENT CARE IS BANRUPTING OUR GOVERNMENT---HE WAS DIRECTOR OF GAO AND KNEW THAT ALL AGENCIES WERE NOT ACCOUNTABLE AND COULD NOT ACCOUNT FOR TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS. SHAME ON 60 MINUTES FOR SUCH A CORRUPT PROGRAM! MR. KROFT IT REMINDED OF AN ACCIDENT ABOUT TO HAPPEN---ONLY IT WAS A COMMERCIAL ABOUT TO HAPPEN---CORRUPT AND UNETHICAL. SHAME ON CBS
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by SirName November 21, 2009 5:06 PM EST
An ethical step to correcting imbalances in life, including dieing, is to create choices for the involved person(s) that can be clearly communicated and safely implemented. A living will is one example, but some patients may wish to end their lives without trauma sooner rather than later. The living will is a passive instrument. Given the potential complexities at the end of life, it provides an insufficient range of personal choices. Some patients may want everything possible done to prolong their lives. In creating ranges of choices this choice also needs to be preserved. Not only are alternatives without recrimination needed, but people also require information about how they can retain control over their lives - at least to the extent it is humanly possible. From the current debate on health care insurance reform it may be possible to obtain legislative agreement on these few principles. Changing recognition of how to pay for broader life management alternatives is more problematical, particularly amongst people who want to impose their answers on everyone else.
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by SirName November 21, 2009 5:05 PM EST
An ethical step to correcting imbalances in life, including dieing, is to create choices for the involved person(s) that can be clearly communicated and safely implemented. A living will is one example, but some patients may wish to end their lives without trauma sooner rather than later. The living will is a passive instrument. Given the potential complexities at the end of life, it provides an insufficient range of personal choices. Some patients may want everything possible done to prolong their lives. In creating ranges of choices this choice also needs to be preserved. Not only are alternatives without recrimination needed, but people also require information about how they can retain control over their lives - at least to the extent it is humanly possible. From the current debate on health care insurance reform it may be possible to obtain legislative agreement on these few principles. Changing recognition of how to pay for broader life management alternatives is more problematical, particularly amongst people who want to impose their answers on everyone else.
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by SirName November 21, 2009 5:04 PM EST
An ethical step to correcting imbalances in life, including dieing, is to create choices for the involved person(s) that can be clearly communicated and safely implemented. A living will is one example, but some patients may wish to end their lives without trauma sooner rather than later. The living will is a passive instrument. Given the potential complexities at the end of life, it provides an insufficient range of personal choices. Some patients may want everything possible done to prolong their lives. In creating ranges of choices this choice also needs to be preserved. Not only are alternatives without recrimination needed, but people also require information about how they can retain control over their lives - at least to the extent it is humanly possible. From the current debate on health care insurance reform it may be possible to obtain legislative agreement on these few principles. Changing recognition of how to pay for broader life management alternatives is more problematical, particularly amongst people who want to impose their answers on everyone else.
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by neighbor707 November 20, 2009 7:11 PM EST
Most physicians (and hospitals)are not trying to pad their bottom line by ordering "unnecessary tests." As an emergency physician I am paid a flat rate for many patients whether I order twelve CT scans or zero. If patients and families weren't so litigious, then many of these tests wouldn't be performed. No one ever congratulated a doctor on the witness stand for saving money and NOT doing a test. Even when presented with less invasive, but still comfort giving, treatment options, they want "everything done."
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by ccb711 November 20, 2009 3:59 PM EST
As long as a person has the will to live and wants to live, then no one else on earth has the right to tell them they should give up and stop treatments. God is the only one who should decide when someone dies, not physicians, government, or insurance companies.
My father loved his life and had the strongest will to live of anyone I've ever seen. He had a number of health problems, but stayed active and wanted to live. His heart had blockages that could have killed him at anytime.. and eventually did. My dad at 80 yr old had bypasses on arteries in his leg,came through the surgery well, and then had a heart attack. And, was still fighting to live and talking of going home. We could have told the Dr to let him go with the next heart attack since they said he could not recover since they could not get through the blockages in his heart to open the arteries. But my dad wanted to live. My family was able to spend the morning with him very coherent and talking to us before his last heart attack from which there was no recovery. We kept him alive 2 days in ICU, because he was still desiring to live. And, that was his right. He worked and paid for insurance for 60+ years and continued to have the right to use Medicare and private insurance to support any medical decision he wanted.
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by 3lrockltd November 20, 2009 12:19 PM EST
Increased awareness is needed by our society, health care provides, and by the industries (pharmaceutical, insurance, health care). People in general are fearful of the end of life process and what "all you can do" when sometimes the "all you can do" is in one short word, horrific. Personal experience, my father went through major heart surgery because he was told he had 2-3 months without it; survived that surgery, living an additional three years in captivity due to an alzheimer-like syndrome. HORRIFIC. Teach people to let go and die with dignity. Just because something can be done, doesn't mean it should be done.
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by foxybarb November 20, 2009 11:30 AM EST
Many elderly people are in so much pain they really want to die and be out of the suffering. A friend went to see his father and stepped out to get a cup of coffee and came back to find his dad trying to end his life by sticking a plastic bag over his head. My pal was horrified, the nurses were horrified, but what to do? His dad passed away about two days later, and as your story relates the hospital bills continued to mount due to care-giving and machines.
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