I have read the Op Ed by Ezekiel Emanuel published in The Atlantic entitled Why I hope to die at 75 (http://www.theatlantic.com/...) and I am stunned by its content. What is even more startling is the fact that this is a very personal statement by someone who is an architect of our current health care policy, notably our recent American health care reforms.
Cost effectiveness should not be the primary consideration of health professionals as they define policy or fund programs. We're not counting beans here - we're talking about people's lives, no matter how long or how short. Our trusted policy hands must always be weighing what's in the patients interests and most importantly, recognizing that the ultimate care choices are to made by the patients and their loved ones.
Setting an artificial threshold of 75 years is preposterous. It demeans decades of significant research accomplished by the scientific community and American medical ingenuity that has clearly extended the average age of every American. Given that American women typically outlive American men (for years) after age 75, Mr. Emanuel's uniform limit of 75 years would disproportionately affect the good health and longevity of many more American women. It's hard to see how that wouldn't be viewed as sexist policy, once again forwarded by patriarchal interests.
As I pen this response, I am reminded of both my parents and their early deaths from heart disease, something that today would be highly preventable. I think of what they have missed, what I have missed most of my adult life, and what my children have missed every day of their lives. It's not a stretch to believe that as a family, if possible, we would have taken all necessary steps to provide them with longer lives and relished every milestone. I'm confident we would have tolerated and happily accepted some fuzzy thinking, a slower gait, a stubborn stomach, more hospitalizations, a feeding tube, or even a daily IV in trade for their company, their wisdom and joy.
Yes there comes a time when machines need to be turned off and loss of life must sadly be accepted. However, some of my closest and dearest friends are in the 75+ club and I wouldn't trade the time I share with them for anything.
They have brought a special meaning and purpose to my short life of 60 years.
Albert Einstein once said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Dr. Einstein’s first option is a life of bean counting. The second is a life where every human “bean” is a miracle, no matter how stale or imperfect.
Profile: Duchy Trachtenberg, MSW, has survived cancer multiple times; has served as an effective health policy advocate and elected official in Montgomery County, Maryland; and will be recognized by the American Public Health Association at this year’s Annual Meeting in New Orleans, for her many contributions and leadership in the field of Integrative, Complementary and Traditional Health Practices.