Medical care. A moral choice.

[Tank]

You have a finite budget. Do you spend money keeping people aged 70+ alive for an average of 3 extra years. Or do you spend that same money on kids who would live on average an extra 10+ years? How do you explain your choice to each group?

[Bad Penny II]

I think the dollars spent in the last couple of years could be spent better elsewhere.
Why? the quality of life tends to be pretty crap, desperation keeps 'em hang'n in.
I'm not so concerned about getting the young to 90 instead of 80, increased quality of life provided by such as quoted below appeals to me.
Less dying at 30, less woman suffering infertility against prolonging the shitty life of a 90 year old, no competition.

The HPV vaccine

A vaccine called Gardasil 9 has been developed that protects against nine HPV types which cause around 90% of cervical cancers in women (and the majority of other HPV-related cancers in women), 95% of all HPV-related cancers in men and 90% of genital warts.

HPV-related cancers include almost all cancers of the cervix, and a proportion of cancers of the anus, vulva, vagina, penis and throat.

Gardasil 9 provides fully vaccinated people with protection against nine types of HPV including:

    types 16 and 18, the two types that cause the majority of HPV-related cancers
    the five next most common HPV types associated with cervical cancer (types 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58)
    two non-cancer-causing HPV types (types 6 and 11), which cause 90% of genital warts.

Gardasil 9 is used in the school-based National HPV Vaccination Program (from 2018). It replaced Gardasil, which protected against four HPV types and was in use bewteen 2007 and 2017.

Australia's Professor Ian Frazer and his team at the University of Queensland discovered how to make the vaccine particles, which form the basis of the HPV vaccine.

More than 270 million doses of HPV vaccines have been administered worldwide (as of May 2017). Over 10 million doses of Gardasil 9 have been given in the US in the past year.  http://www.hpvvaccine.org.au/about-the-vaccine/vaccine-background.aspx

[Dave]

As a 73 yo heart attack victim (50%ish self-inflicted) with €20,000 worth of electronics (at the price when fitted) in my chest (actually twice, the first one broke) and consuming kilos of medicines I wish there was something like the Fith Ammendent that I could plead.

Maybe I donate £25/month to medical and children's charities and make cash and other gifts to local schools to assuage my "guilt". I also purchase those medicines (paracetamol mainly) available off prescription and have had private consultations for elective, non-critical (but beyond GP level) problems. Currently the local hospital is the main beneficiary in my will.

I do attempt to make myself useful via voluntary and charity work.

PS, since being taken off a certain medication my time demands on the NHS have probably reduced by about 70%.

[hermes2015]

[Dave]

I desire that object!

[hermes2015]

[I desire that object!

So do I; it's beautiful. I knew you would like it.

[Dave]

[I desire that object!

So do I; it's beautiful. I knew you would like it.

I am a bit into Steampunk as well...

[Davin]

Split the spending, give them equal amounts, so 1.5 years to 70+ and 5 years to the younger.

The younger will get older, and if they get 10+ years, more of them will lose those years later in life if money is not spent on them when they are older. So spending it all on the young and not the old is a waste of money.

There won't be enough to get old enough to get the 70+ spending if the young are not taken care of, so spending it only on the old would also be a waste because then there will be fewer people to reach that age (and then there will be money available to spend on the young).

[Dragonia]

I desire that object!

Oh so do I! I love it!

[Bad Penny II]

I desire that object!

Oh so do I! I love it!

When I saw it I thought it might of been a comment,
mechanical heart in need of lube.
Re: Medical care. A moral choice.
Still not sure it wasn't.

[hermes2015]

I desire that object!

Oh so do I! I love it!

When I saw it I thought it might of been a comment,
mechanical heart in need of lube.
Re: Medical care. A moral choice.
Still not sure it wasn't.

That's way too subtle for me. I'm just an uncomplicated fellow.

[Bad Penny II]

That's way too subtle for me. I'm just an uncomplicated fellow.

Of course.
I used to draw cogs and wheels in my accounting classes,
whilst me absorbed the knowing.
Your cogs, I noted your cogs.
I could post a pic of a bleeding heart I suppose.

[Dave]

I'm just an uncomplicated fellow.

Yeah, yeah - OK...