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Cost Benefit of Sustaining Life

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Cost Benefit of Sustaining Life

The number of people with serious illnesses in the U.S. has been rising mainly due to the

consistently increasing proportion of older people. A serious illness is a life-threatening health

condition or significantly straining to the caregivers (Yadav et al., 2020). Most such illnesses are

chronic health conditions common in older people. The life of such a person is sustained at a

cost. However, there are also benefits to doing so. Sustaining the life of a person with a severe

illness involves the costs of treatment and care and the mental health issues experienced by the

family members and caregivers, while the benefits include continued emotional bonds and

relationships with family members and friends and opportunities for continued positive

contribution to the society.

Discussion

Costs

A seriously ill person incurs costs associated with treatment and care services. The costs

emanate from treatment, disease management, and other services offered by healthcare providers

and organizations (Shi & Singh, 2023). In the U.S., healthcare insurance plays a significant role

in covering such costs. However, it may not cover all costs. Also, some people with serious

illnesses may not qualify to be covered by health insurance programs such as Medicare and

Medicaid (Shi & Singh, 2023). They may also not have private healthcare insurance. In such

cases, such persons may strain or overburden the family members due to the escalating

healthcare costs during the life-sustaining process (Yadav et al., 2020).

In most cases, the patient and family members have medical debts. At the same time, the

government allocates 4.1 trillion annually on health insurance and other expenses involved in
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sustaining the lives of people with chronic severe illnesses (CDC, 2023). Thus, life sustenance

leads to high financial costs for patients, family members, and the government.

In addition, life sustenance causes mental health issues to the family members and

caregivers. Watching a seriously ill person suffering in pain every day for a long time causes

depression and stress to the family members (Haltia et al., 2018). Such mental health problems

also occur due to the burden of costs involved in treatment and care, especially when the family

incurs medical bills. At the same time, the healthcare providers involved develop depression,

burnout, and stress when they spend much time caring for individuals with serious illnesses that

end up dying eventually (Haltia et al., 2018). In some cases, extra costs can be needed for

treating mental health problems experienced by family members and healthcare providers. Thus,

life sustenance leads to costs associated with mental health problems experienced by family

members and caregivers.

Benefits

One of the benefits of life sustenance is that it provides an opportunity for continued

relationships with family members and friends. Thus, the seriously ill person gets more time to

bond with people close to them. They can spend moments and share memories that make the

patient feel good emotionally. At the same time, the seriously ill person can use the opportunity

to share their wishes with the family members before dying.

In addition, life sustenance allows the patient to contribute positively to society. Despite

the health challenges associated with chronic illnesses, the patients can, in some cases, continue

giving advice and getting involved in advocacy in ways that benefit society. For instance,

individuals with chronic cancer are often involved in advocacy for better treatment and pain

management approaches (Sheridan et al., 2021). Their advice has contributed to developing more
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effective interventions for the disease. Thus, the positive contribution to society is among the

benefits of life sustenance.

Conclusion

In summary, life sustenance for individuals with severe illnesses involves treatment and

care service costs. Also, there are costs associated with the mental health problems developed by

the family members and caregivers and their treatment. Despite this, the sustenance gives an

opportunity for the patient to spend more quality time with friends and family members. Also,

the patients get an opportunity to contribute more to the society. When considering whether to

support life extension for an individual with terminal severe illnesses, it is vital to consider such

benefits and costs.

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References

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2023). Health and Economic Costs of

Chronic Diseases. https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/about/costs/index.htm

Haltia, O. et al. (2018). The indirect costs of palliative care in end-stage cancer: a real-life

longitudinal register-and questionnaire-based study. Palliative medicine, 32(2), 493-499.

https://doi.org/10.1177/026921631772978

Sheridan, P. E. et al. (2021). Cost savings associated with palliative care among older adults wit

advanced cancer. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine®, 38(10), 1250-

1257. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049909120986

Shi, L. & Singh, D. A. (2023). Essentials of the U.S. Health Care System (6th ed.). Jones &

Bartlett Learning. Burlington, MA.

Yadav, S., et al. (2020). The health care cost of palliative care for cancer patients: a systematic

review. Supportive Care in Cancer, 28, 4561-4573. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-020-

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