May 04, 2005

Living Wills Should Not Be About Cost Savings

U.S. Health and Human Services secretary Michael Leavitt this week made unsubstantiated and unseemly comments about how Medicare could save money if more seniors wrote living wills.

Saving money should not be a goal of living wills. Bureaucratic bean-counters drooling over potential cost savings are out of line on this topic. Living wills are a matter for individuals, their families and their caregivers to discuss with accurate, balanced and complete information. It's a matter of individual values and preferences, not the bottom line.

Posted by schwitz at May 4, 2005 07:35 AM | TrackBack
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