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It's Expensive To Die In America

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It's expensive to die in America. We spend upwards of $3 trillion on medical care, a large percentage of those dollars concentrated in the last year of a person's life.

High-tech treatments, diagnostic tests, and advances in medicine all contribute to the high cost of health care. Many offer hope and a path toward renewed life. 

Yet, many of the treatments offered in those final months don't extend life or improve the quality of the time that's left. Use of them can sacrifice patient comfort and closure when options like palliative care are available.

While medicine today offers life-saving options not available even a decade ago, we need to ask what we really needto do and when we stop trying. This is a big question with no easy answers.  

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Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.

Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. She served as the Senior Producer for 'The Colin McEnroe Show' for several years before stepping down in 2021 and returning to her previous career as a registered nurse. She still produces shows with Colin and the team when her schedule allows.

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