Ronbo .... as far as people reaching 85 and incurring the kind of costs you are talking about , some probably will and some won`t . I just went to a friends`s funeral about 4 weeks ago who was 33 and died from AML .... and their bills were approaching $1 million for the transplant, drugs , chemo etc . ... and her Granny was 90 and in fair health .
Did I mention they had no insurance and were treated in a world class cancer treatment center and have had the bill written off ? Same for my lady`s daughter , who died at 32 of colon cancer ... and received the same quality treatment . Do you think this might have some bearing on the cost of aspirin etc the hospitals incur ??
In my experience , I don`t know any Doctors who push unnecessary operations ... but just like in any other "industry" , I`m sure there are some . However , wouldn`t you want to know what options there were and then make the decision for one more year or not ? That happened to a friend of mine about 3 years ago .
As far as maintenance drugs and not a cure ... I have been told by people in that industry that they would love to be able to come up with a pill to cure a disease ... but in the meantime , the maintenance drugs are the best hope to keep people alive .
No , I`m not a Doctor or in that industry , but I have learned over the years to look at all sides of an issue and not just some spectacular incidents . As you see , I`m a little touchy about this issue after watching three friends get and die from cancer over the last 3 to 4 years ... and I got to see a lot more of the "inside workings" of the medical profession than most do .
Smoking ?? In the two autopsies I was "privileged
" to watch , there is a marked difference between a smoker`s lungs and a non smoker ... black vs pink. Are you saying this doesn`t affect your health ??
Bob