[mimimo]

Being in the health care industry, I can tell you that family with limited financial (and insurance) resources are pressured into "code 1 status-do not resuscitate" status. The doctors almost focus exclusively on it.

However, if the patient has multiple insurance policies, or are family members of doctors, or prominent persons of the community and family member, they will pull out go the extra, extra, 100th mile to prolong, and possible save their lives.

This has disgusted me, and figured in my decision not to continue to work for this particular hospital, and I've told my family members to NEVER let Doctor so and so touch me with a ten foot pole. (the pull the plug happy, I used to call them)

[kylaka]

Hello GOD. I never thought I'd meet you in this life. Hey, maybe we can modify your natural selection theory a smidegon.
When I get sick, Bill Clinton's third cousin twice removed, gets to give me a thumbs up or thumbs down. No Thanks.

[Mamzelle]

re: Being in the health care industry, I can tell you that family with limited financial (and insurance) resources are pressured into "code 1 status-do not resuscitate" status. The doctors almost focus exclusively on it. )))

Or, you could be full of BS. Go ahead, get specific. You being in the healthcare industry, and all...

[Rebelbase]

"Being in the health care industry, I can tell you that family with limited financial (and insurance) resources are pressured into "code 1 status-do not resuscitate" status. The doctors almost focus exclusively on it. "

You are nuts.

[DefCon]

from the zotted post:
..."There are others here in the US that are denied care because of their inability to afford medical care and/or medical insurance. ..."
- - -
Or, as in the case of my daughter, they may simply be unable to find any insurance company that will insure them. In our case, it is not a matter of not being able to afford it, it is a case of the insurance companies flat-out refusing coverage. Whenever she applies, she always receives a nice polite letter explaining that she is being "denied coverage" because of her pre-existing condition. She has to take expensive medicine and see expensive specialists, but she is classified as "uninsurable" so it is all out-of-pocket.
The day is coming when she will have to go on dialysis or seek a transplant, we will not be able to afford it and we don't know what we will do when that time comes.
Even that, as close to home as it hits, does not make me want to have a universal government run healthcare system.

[ladyinred]

DNR's are pushed on everyone! Makes me crazy.

[FITZ]

I can tell you that family with limited financial (and insurance) resources are pressured into "code 1 status-do not resuscitate" status.

I don't think that's true at all --- since it's the families that make the decision. It's more likely someone with assets and nice wills will have a family not want to prolong their life ---- I've seen that. I think whenever someone wants to pull the plug on someone you have to look at the wealth of the pluggee. Once I saw a case where the wife and kids didn't want to sign admission papers for a man in ER, they delayed signing for a while because they were concerned more about losing their home than about losing him. It turned out he was an abusive alcoholic anyway, had beat his wife and she preferred to lose him over losing her house.