I also wrote: "When immigrants sponsor in their relatives, as this woman's family did, they are required to sign an Affidavit of Support accepting legal responsibility for financially supporting the sponsored immigrant(s) until they become U.S. citizens or can be credited with 40 quarters of work. The hospital can and should sue the relatives for her costs. The Affidavit of Support usually requires the sponsor to pay medical bills out of pocket."
How is that vitriolic? My first comment was that I don't want her to die. The second comment is merely a statement of fact and law. Please explain to me how you interpreted those comments to mean that I think the woman should be starved and dehydrated to death?
Poor ol' Lastchance didn't bother to read what I wrote, either. He just immediately went into self-pity mode and then insinuated I wanted to kill HIM! Why would any of you just automatically assume that someone on a conservative forum would in any way ever advocate death, like Lastchance did, and like you did, without even bothering to read their comments? Why would you automatically assume the worst; who, after all, is vicious and nasty?
Courtesy ping to post 130, because the rude person posting about you doesn’t know enough to ping you. Or maybe it thinks you’re not worthy.
You are.
Sorry yes I believe you do favor the death of this woman. I don’t claim you overtly favor it. You favor it because the primary issue for you is one of payment. We do not know the family circumstances. We do not know what payment was demanded from the hospital. We do not know if the family attempted to make arrangements. Your concern was not on the action that would cause this woman’d death but on the inaction of the hospital being compensated. (Which by the way no one has said they should provide service for free.)
What we do know is that care for for this stroke victim cost lost of money. Though the cost of providing hydration and nutrition is certainly not extraordinary in terms of ethics or budget. Now the reason the guardian withdraw the nutrition and hydration was very simple she thought the woman was taking away valuable health care resources from another theoretical patient. Keep in mind we are not talking about someone who is brain dead and being kept alive by artificial means. This woman decided on her own that any and I emphasize any care to this woman would be futile care.
What makes it futile? Could it be because the woman is now disabled and her quality of life is severly impacted? Do you know that is a favorite argument of those who support death panels and the philosophy behind them? Did you know that the disabled are most vulnerable to such actions? Did you know that disability rights groups filed Amicus Briefs in the Terri Schiavo case just for that reason?
Disabled people do take up more health care resources. We often can not afford private insurace. I self ration a lot of care. I do not receive MS inteferon drugs both because of bad reactions and because of the high cost. I have rejected certain treatments because the cost is too high. Even with the pittance Medicare reimburses the cost is too high. Look up Tysarbi costs. Now say I am in this woman’s position. I stroke out. Do you think in the hands of an guardian such as she has I would have any chance of receiving even hydration and nutrition? The answser is no.
We are told to have a health care surrogate but that did not help this lady as the hospital (I think it was they) took away the family’s power to make medical decision for their mom. She would not be in the position she is in if the court had not appointed this current guardian.
There is no reason that the hospital could not have pursued all options available to them to collect payment even going to court. That is their legal right The family could declare bankruptcy if they truly can not pay.
It is not self pity to point out that under your guidelines, money first life giving care second, I would be more vulnerable to a decision that would end in my death.
The woman in the article is certainly going to die if food and water is not restored to her. That must basic of care should not be debatable when their is no medical reason to believe such care is not futile. Futile as in the patient is truly terminal and food and nutrition is now a burden to her organ systems and her body is unable to process the same.
By the way cupcake I am a she.
To: lastchance
I am so sorry your disease has made you disagreeable and unable to grasp simple concepts.
54 posted on March 11, 2011 8:17:51 PM EST by La Lydia
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Perhaps the above might be a clue for you.