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That is a deeply personal choice, and as a Brit one that I believe equally deeply should not have the threat of bankruptcy or the lack of funds as a factor in the decision.

Your advice, won through sorrow, may be very good advice. I remmeber when my own mother found out her cancer had returned after a remission, and I know I would fight any move to a society that made "Can we afford it?" a question at that time.

I am sorry for your loss and the OPs pending loss. This is not for you, but for everyone else reading in the US - for fucks sake sort your shit out guys.



By bringing in QALYs?


QALYs are barely relevant in this discussion. Quality Adjusted Life Years are an attempt to allocate scarce resources in the absence of a pricing mechanism. It is by no means perfect, but thats not the point - it is used at the margins. Do we spend money on this cancer drug that will extend the life of 75 year old prostate cancer patients by 6 months or spend it on heart disease drugs for children giving them 50+ years. Unless you are one of the 75 year olds or children it is a pretty easy question.

But the question we do not ask ourselves is - do you have the means to pay now you are dying of a horribly expensive disease? No-one cares about QALYS here in the UK except when newspaper editors decide to go for a ratings pull




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