I can't stop reading .... about hospice care

I posted another article by Atul Gawande a while back that dealt with health care costs by looking at two towns in Texas. This excellent and at times tear-jerking article deals with looking at reducing health care costs and improving quality of life through the use of hospice car. The article hit close to home on several fronts, but I think anyone regardless of past experience can relate to what he talks about. The article does an amazing job of describing the dilemma physicians face when talking about end-of-life-care as a result of society's view of death. I still blame the GOP for mischaracterizing, nay, lying, about "death panels" when health care was being debated and causing reimbursement for counseling to disappear, but I realize now the problem goes much deeper than that. More than anything, it comes down to a choice between the societal ideal of fighting death to the bitter end or giving up the chance to be healed and focusing on enjoying life and minimizing pain.

I'd like to thank Mike for being the bigger (read: more weak-willed) man and finally posting. The blog is back at least until next month when it's been another six weeks since his lazy-ass has posted.