Health Affairs Blog: Hospice Doc Leads Us on a Journey through the Valley of the Shadow of Death

I recommend a fascinating piece on the Health Affairs Blog by Joanne Lynn, who among her many callings is a “hospice and long-term care physician. ” You don’t see that as a specialization very often!

The title is Traveling The Valley of Shadow of Death in 2017.  Drawing upon both her work and personal experiences, Dr. Lynn points out:

• “First, the life possibilities of an elderly person with increasing disabilities is profoundly depending upon the surrounding community….” 
• “Second, the preferences and priorities of elders in this phase of life vary much more than in earlier phases….”
• “Third, we need more reliable and reasonable financing plans. Working-age people still don’t realize that they need to provide for themselves in old age. Policies need to change to make vehicles for saving affordable and reliable….”
• “Fourth, sick and disabled elders living in the community need continuity and reliability across time, instead of the cut-up care system we provide….”

She seems to advocate a unique form of deregulation, concluding:    

We need an era of innovation and testing, shaped by the facts of the situation. We need a new set of policies for our new way of living at the end of our lives. Let’s try substantial innovations, mostly by relieving communities of the burdens of past policies and regulations, and let’s learn quickly so we can count on living comfortably and meaningfully in the last years of our lives.

I recommend the whole essay.