[Newsbot]

Title: Surrey's miracle micro-twins home at last
Category: Health
Posted By: N_Fiddledog
Date: 2014-05-11 11:52:07

[Goober911]

The prents went thru hell, and the amazing abilities of Dr's, science and hope.................made for a very happy day.

[andyt]

$1:

But the other elephant in the room when it comes to micropreemies is the sheer cost of caring for such a medically fragile baby. The average NICU bill is $4,000-$5,000 a day. A baby that spends four months in the neonatal intensive care unit can easily run up a bill of half a million dollars.

"In Sweden, Norway, Finland, they don't resuscitate a baby under 25 weeks. They say we're going to use that money for prenatal care," Muraskas says. "The economic thing, I have to say, can become a big issue. …As a country, people are starting to say, 'I don't know if we can afford this.' It takes a lot of money to deal with multiple problems."

http://www.chicagoparent.com/magazines/ ... /preemie-1

A huge portion of our healthcare costs are spent on preemies and keeping alive the very old who will never recover quality of life. I agree with the Scandinavians.

[Jabberwalker]

My very early term preemie nephew is now a PhD Mathematician with an advanced and productive brain.

[saturn_656]

You want to talk about slippery slopes...

"We can save your life, but we won't. It's just too fiscally irresponsible, and we have to watch our bottom line you know."

I don't want the government to start assigning $ values to citizens.

[andyt]

We already do. fund certain treatments, not others. Delays in MRI's and surgery. your insur Taking heroic measures for people that have a poor chance of having quality of life isn't worth it IMO. I certainly wouldn't want them to do it for me.

[Brenda]

Jabberwalker Jabberwalker:

My very early term preemie nephew is now a PhD Mathematician with an advanced and productive brain.

Good for him. Most people who are not born premature are not. We should kill them all and keep the very early term preemies.

[Brenda]

saturn_656 saturn_656:

I don't want the government to start assigning $ values to citizens.

That happens every day. If you think you are much more than a number to the government, you are wrong.

[saturn_656]

Brenda Brenda:

saturn_656 saturn_656:

I don't want the government to start assigning $ values to citizens.

That happens every day. If you think you are much more than a number to the government, you are wrong.

There's a difference between your SIN and having your life assigned a dollar value.

[saturn_656]

andyt andyt:

We already do. fund certain treatments, not others. Delays in MRI's and surgery.

Like the 12 year old girl who can't get her MS meds covered and whose life will depend on the generosity of strangers?

I think I've made it abundantly clear how I stand on those sorts of issues.

[andyt]

There isn't a country in the world that can cover all requirements. The US system doesn't do it either. But I'd rather spend money on a 12 yr old girl than on a very premature baby that has a poor chance of making it, or a very old or terminal person who will never have quality of life again.

You want no $$$ taken into account in healthcare, you'd better be prepared to pay way more on taxes. And don't vote Conservative - probably the least likely to spend unlimited resources on health care.

[saturn_656]

andyt andyt:

There isn't a country in the world that can cover all requirements. The US system doesn't do it either. But I'd rather spend money on a 12 yr old girl than on a very premature baby that has a poor chance of making it, or a very old or terminal person who will never have quality of life again.

Don't much care what the American system does or doesn't do. I'm Canadian.

$1:

You want no $$$ taken into account in healthcare, you'd better be prepared to pay way more on taxes. And don't vote Conservative - probably the least likely to spend unlimited resources on health care.

I didn't say I didnt want $ taken into account in healthcare.

What I did say was I didn't want $$$ to be the deciding factor in whether or not we treat someone (like Madi). If the gov't is too fucking cheap to save her someone up in the ivory towers should come on down and have the spine to tell her to her face.

No weasel words either!

[andyt]

saturn_656 saturn_656:

I didn't say I didnt want $ taken into account in healthcare.

What I did say was I didn't want $$$ to be the deciding factor in whether or not we treat someone (like Madi).

I can't square that contradiction. There will always be somebody outside whatever limits are set. As I say, treat Madi because you saved money not doing heroic measures for preemies or old folks with a poor prognosis.

As for MS, I didn't think there was any cure for it.

[saturn_656]

Sorry, screwed up my acronyms. Kalydeco treats CF not MS.

[andyt]

I didn't follow that topic so I'm not sure what the deal is.

As I say, we spend a huge amount trying to save preemies that have a very poor prognosis, and keeping very old people alive who will never again have quality of life. YOur first and last year of life are what cost the health care system the most. I'm for making heardheaded and hardhearted decisions about where to put out health care resources. We do it anyway, just don't like to talk about it.