[Bluebird Singing]

“Considering the cases she talks about, none of these questions are easy, as a futile treatment often ends up being effectively an act of cruelty, and to that outcome some heed should be given”

I worked as a NICU nurse for a bit, I wasn’t cut out for it because of exactly what you mention. Your wife is very special. I admire her strength.

And you’re right - we don’t need the government making these decisions.

[Carry_Okie]

I just did a SWAG analysis of what dire NICU cases really cost. My wife estimates that her unit loses between 1-1.5 kids a month. Of those, about two thirds are instances in which the baby had virtually no chance of making it. Let's say each one cost a half million. Ten kids a year works out to five million a year. In this region, there are maybe three hospitals the same size serving about three million people. So a decent number would be $20 million per year for the valley, or $2 billion a year for the whole country.

That's NOTHING in terms of the total cost of medical care nationwide. It's a false ethical question because the number of children in such dire condition is really very small.