“Apparently, the treatment only adds an average of 4 months to the patient’s life so, I’m actually OK with not spending 7-8 thousand dollars for 4 extra months.”
Really? I would have gladly paid 7-8K for another 4 or so months with my Dad...but that’s just me, I guess.
My wife's uncle had lung cancer and he said no to three more months. I respected his decision..but he made it, not some bureaucrat.
And even though there's no doubt Dendreon's doing incredible work and I hope they keep extending their success, it's 4 bad months: you're still dying from cancer.
I don't think I'd want this treatment - facing four more months of misery before the inevitable doesn't sound appealing to me.
And you are completely free to spend $8000 for your Dad.
The question is whether the treatment should be paid for by Medicare.
After all, you are spending money that belongs to all taxpayers. It is not a bottomless pit of gold.
If we want fiscal responsibility, we must make some choices. Is this a good choice, or bad choice?
Me too, with both my mom and dad. They both died of cancer.