I got a phone call yesterday. Actually this young woman was trying to send me a text message, pushed the wrong button(s) and ended up calling me.

She was probably in her 30’s, she said she had a 12 y/o who had developmental issues. She told me that she had been diagnosed with a STAGE 4 CANCER. She was being treated at one of those very large very recognizable MAJOR Health care system – east of the Mississippi.

She told me that she was told a few months ago that her cancer WAS CURED and they would start to reduce her pain management. Then a month or so ago, they told her that they were wrong, but they were going to continue reducing her pain management meds and her prognosis was MAYBE – ONE YEAR!

Maybe the doctors are more concerned about the $$ that are going to be expended on a terminal pts. So I asked www.perplexity.ai:  how much money is typically spent on healthcare in a person last two years of life.
I referred her to a physician who I know is very emphatic and taking on pts who he refers to as “pain refuges”. By referring, I mean that I gave her the doc’s two phone numbers & email and after I got off the phone with her… and call this doc and gave him a “heads-up” and the Cliff’s notes of what her health issues were!

how much money is typically spent on healthcare in a person last two years of life

Healthcare spending in the last two years of life is substantial and varies across countries, but generally represents a significant portion of lifetime healthcare expenditure. Here’s an overview of the typical costs:

## United States

In the US, healthcare spending in the final years of life is particularly high:

– The average healthcare cost in the last 12 months of life is approximately $80,000[4].
– For the last 3 years of life, the total healthcare expenditure averages around $155,000[4].
– A more detailed study found that the mean total healthcare cost in the last 2 years of life was $316,579 in 2000 dollars[1].

Citations:
[1] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1361028/
[2] https://www.rbcwealthmanagement.com/en-us/insights/the-real-cost-of-health-care-in-retirement
[3] https://trustees.aha.org/articles/852-health-care-costs-and-choices-in-the-last-years-of-life
[4] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanam/article/PIIS2667-193X(22)00176-4/fulltext
[5] https://www.nber.org/bah/2010no2/out-pocket-health-care-expenditures-end-life
[6] https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2017.0174

I remember when we had the pharmacy and Home Medical Equipment business and a female – who was a nurse – had come into town because her Father was dying of Lung Cancer. She was wanting to get her Father home Oxygen and she had talked to her Father’s pulmonologist about home oxygen and she said that the pulmonologist response to her was “.. he is dying, there is really no need “.   I don’t remember what we did, but I know my home care staff would do just about anything to get a pt’s needs taken care of.

Filed under: General Problems