Nifster, I have worked in health care for over 25 years, 15 of those in direct patient care, many of them terminally ill oncology patients or patients with various other afflictions, many of whom I came to know quite well due to their repeated visits to me over the course of years. (Years, incidentally, that were in many cases possible for them to experience due to the health care delivered to them by a system this author appears to abhor.)
My wife is an RN who has worked in her career as long as mine in every job from unit receptionist to charge nurse in all critical care areas with all types of patients. Being married to her is an additional form of education for me.
I have pretty good knowledge of hospital care for many types of patients, including terminally ill patients. I am not writing articles for extremely left-wing websites that are shilling for Obamacare, so even if I am not impartial to the subject from a conservative point of view, I am not swinging all the way to the other side either.
And my experience with the terminally ill is not wholly professional, either.
I stand by my point that this slanted viewpoint presented by the author is far from universal, though he does not present it as such.
My parents were both docs and my daughter is a hospice nurse. I volunteer at the local hospice because all too often family memebers are unwilling to be around those who are passing through this veil of tears. I do not advocate one point ot view over the other. I know what I want for myself. I know that for those for whom I am a voice, I make sure THEIR wishes are provided. I am not suggesting that the author has it 100% right, just that those I know in the medical field tend towards minimal procedures at the end of life....comfort care or palliative care is what most of them want. If someone wants everything possible done, good for them. I support their right to make that choice. I advocate for families to be involved and informed that is all. I guess I wasn’t very clear on that. Sorry for the confusion