Why paralysed Dan wants to die: bank wants his home and his money's run out
18 Apr, 2011 04:03 PM

Paralysed since the age of three, Dan Crews hoped that he would not live to see the day that his money ran out.


Now, with his house in foreclosure in Antioch, Illinois and a nursing agency threatening to sue, family members face the heart-wrenching prospect of moving the 27-year-old man into a nursing home.

As a quadriplegic, Crews cannot move his body from the neck down. He relies on a ventilator and needs around-the-clock care, which had been paid for through a trust fund established in 1992 after a $6 million personal injury settlement.


At the time, doctors believed that Crews would live no longer than 20 years. But he thrived under his family's loving care in a custom-designed home, and has out-lived his resources.


Family members fear that nursing home staff, no matter how well-intended, will not be able to provide adequate care.


Crews, who can speak and eat, needs the mechanical respirator to breathe for him, pushing air through a tracheostomy tube into his lungs.


"He's totally helpless," said Cheryl Crews, 61, who lives with her son and serves as his main caregiver. "His arms don't work. His legs don't work. You worry. I won't be able to watch over the people watching over him."


Crews says that what he fears most is dying in a nursing home. His financial troubles only exacerbate the lack of control he says he has over his life.

Last year, he was so distraught that he called hospices, lawyers and media outlets to ask if anyone would help him end his life.


He does not have the physical ability to unplug his ventilator, and no one else has been willing to do it for him.

Disability advocates say that it is usually less expensive to provide medical care at home, rather than at a nursing facility. Crews, though, needs 24-hour supervision because of his dependence on a ventilator.


He has spent at least $300,000 annually on nursing care in past years, and still faces more than $300,000 in unpaid medical bills. He must pay the state $500 per month in a Medicaid spend-down program that will qualify him for nursing home care after he loses or sells his assets - his property.


With his trust fund empty, he says his only income comes from a $1400 per month annuity.


"I thought I wouldn't live to see this," said Crews, who has stopped paying his mortgage. "It started to dawn on me last year that money was leaking out like a sieve. ... I will lose the one thing that makes my life tolerable, my privacy and my family."


http://www.hepburnadvocate.com.au/news/world/world/general/why-paralysed-dan-wants-to-die-bank-wants-his-home-and-his-moneys-run-out/2137683.aspx?storypage=0b





Crews' mother said she doesn't want her son to die, but she supports his decisions. Doctors today say that he could live to be 40, she said.


"I can't imagine what it is like to live 24 years, not being able to get up, not having any privacy," said Cheryl Crews, who has a baby monitor in every room to be sure she hears the sound of her son's ventilator.


"He may not want to live, but he would like to die a certain way."


(full story in link)



And this is a SUPERIOR system to our OWN ?

Our "socialist" Medicare ?

Fking damn right it is.

I dont have to pay for freeloaders like you in the United States.

An old, non-paying socialist waste of space like you gets no free ride in a real country.

Malthusian thugs should not be dignified with a response, but I find this idiot aboves comments so insanely offensive I have to say such a person has no place outside of prison - social security is the right of all people especially the poor, elderly, sick and disabled/ :).

Prevailing wrote on Apr 19^th, 2011 at 10:50pm:

Malthusian thugs should not be dignified with a response, but I find this idiot aboves comments so insanely offensive I have to say such a person has no place outside of prison - social security is the right of all people especially the poor, elderly, sick and disabled/ :).

Hear hear.

Andrei.Hicks wrote on Apr 19^th, 2011 at 9:08pm:

Fking damn right it is. I dont have to pay for freeloaders like you in the United States. An old, non-paying socialist waste of space like you gets no free ride in a real country.

what a terrible thing to say... this is more about humanity than money...why is money GOD we cant take it with us..and looking at what you say and think.. it doesnt make us BETTER human beings.

even Chris Reeves found the going tough and needed to work to earn money...its a shocking system when the helpless get no support.

Andrei.Hicks wrote on Apr 19^th, 2011 at 9:08pm:

Fking damn right it is. I dont have to pay for freeloaders like you in the United States. An old, non-paying socialist waste of space like you gets no free ride in a real country.

Karma is real.....it's coming to get you one day andrei, I just hope it is YOU that gets the pay back and not your kids.

Relative to the opening post, Andrei, that comment was disgraceful and completely un-called-for.

Andrei.Hicks wrote on Apr 19^th, 2011 at 9:08pm:

Fking damn right it is. I dont have to pay for freeloaders like you in the United States. An old, non-paying socialist waste of space like you gets no free ride in a real country.

Hey Andrei....

Methinks you should look around a little before shooting off your mouth.

A "real country" ??????

Your country can't afford diddly-squat, let alone a decent health care system. Every one of your elected representatives, going back at least 20 years, should all be doing time for defrauding citizens just like you.

In a "real country" the custodians of the economy would never drive the people down to the point where their national debt is equal to the country's GDP. A measly 14 TRILLION rapidly devaluing US dollars!!

Oh and while I'm at it, a "real country" wouldn't let a bunch of white-collar criminals perpertrate the world's greatest financial scam, and then let the same crooks keep strutting the streets with bulging pockets, without fear of reprisal.........

Only in the USA..........

(Which once was a REAL country.)

GrandPaPa wrote on Apr 20^th, 2011 at 8:16am:

Andrei.Hicks wrote on Apr 19th, 2011 at 9:08pm: Fking damn right it is. I dont have to pay for freeloaders like you in the United States. An old, non-paying socialist waste of space like you gets no free ride in a real country. Hey Andrei.... Methinks you should look around a little before shooting off your mouth. A "real country" ?????? Your country can't afford diddly-squat, let alone a decent health care system. Every one of your elected representatives, going back at least 20 years, should all be doing time for defrauding citizens just like you. In a "real country" the custodians of the economy would never drive the people down to the point where their national debt is equal to the country's GDP. A measly 14 TRILLION rapidly devaluing US dollars!! Oh and while I'm at it, a "real country" wouldn't let a bunch of white-collar criminals perpertrate the world's greatest financial scam, and then let the same crooks keep strutting the streets with bulging pockets, without fear of reprisal......... Only in the USA.......... (Which once was a REAL country.)

yes the yanks talk in trillions now billions went a while ago..

what comes after trillions???

The words "health care" and "comedy" aren't usually found in the same sentence, but in Academy Award winning filmmaker Michael Moore's new movie 'SiCKO,' they go together hand in (rubber) glove.

While Moore's 'SiCKO' follows the trailblazing path of previous hit films, the Oscar-winning BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE and all-time box-office documentary champ FAHRENHEIT 9/11, it is also something very different for Michael Moore. 'SiCKO' is a straight-from-the-heart portrait of the crazy and sometimes cruel U.S. health care system, told from the vantage of everyday people faced with extraordinary and bizarre challenges in their quest for basic health coverage.

In the tradition of Mark Twain or Will Rogers, 'SiCKO' uses humor to tell these compelling stories, leading the audience to conclude that an alternative system is the only possible answer.

   * Get the 'SiCKO' DVD.    :)

Andrei.Hicks wrote on Apr 19^th, 2011 at 9:08pm:

Quote: Last year, he was so distraught that he called hospices, lawyers and media outlets to ask if anyone would help him end his life. He does not have the physical ability to unplug his ventilator, and no one else has been willing to do it for him. I dont have to pay for freeloaders (like you) in the United States.

Perhaps you could pay him a visit - when you're next in Illinois ?
It should be positively rewarding for BOTH of youi

Universal healthcare with no strings attached is a must for any civilized society. :)

Strings meaning when Malthusian thugs start adding conditions on the health care on others for the privilege such as mandatory sterilizations or abortions,.

Andrei.Hicks wrote on Apr 19^th, 2011 at 9:08pm:

Fking damn right it is. I dont have to pay for freeloaders like you in the United States. An old, non-paying socialist waste of space like you gets no free ride in a real country.

Back from holidays & in fine sh!t stirring form I see.
How's long was that US contract, be starting to get a little worried if I was you, all this talk of credit downgrading & such.
Might be time to check out the availability of work in the Old Dart eh... get that salary in pounds sterling.
One thing you can put money on is you will one day be VERY VERY grateful to have an Australian passport & British passport 2 things that will allow you to access that horrible socialised medicine you so dispise but won't knock back.

As Crook says check out "SICKO" for the real story of the broken society your champion.
It's not even a partisian political rant so check that excuse off your reasons not to view.

It is hard to ignore that in 2006, the United States was number 1 in terms of health care spending per capita but ranked 39th for infant mortality, 43rd for adult female mortality, 42nd for adult male mortality, and 36th for life expectancy.
These facts have fueled a question now being discussed in academic circles, as well as by government and the public: Why do we spend so much to get so little?

Comparisons also reveal that the United States is falling farther behind each year (see graph). In 1974, mortality among boys and men 15 to 60 years of age was nearly the same in Australia and the United States and was one third lower in Sweden.

Every year since 1974, the rate of death decreased more in Australia than it did in the United States, and in 2006, Australia’s rate dipped lower than Sweden’s and was 40% lower than the U.S. rate.

There are no published studies investigating the combination of policies and programs that might account for the marked progress in Australia.
But the comparison makes clear that U.S. performance not only is poor at any given moment but also is improving much more slowly than that of other countries over time.
These observations and the reflections they should trigger are made possible only by careful comparative quantification of various facets of health care systems.




Interesing read ...

http://healthpolicyandreform.nejm.org/?p=2610

You speak as you find in this world.

I live in the USA, I pay less tax than in Australia (I have over $10,000 extra in my pocket than I would in Aus).

I have health insurance which covers my family for all incidents and occasions.

There are the most qualified doctors and surgeons in the world here.

My cost of living is also 60% of yours.

Better place to live?

Give me the United States over your place anyday of the week.

And I am Australian too.

Working class people have no rights or social security safety net in America.  The USA has some of the worst poverty and social injustice in the world.  The poor in America are burdened with the high cost of corporate welfare they must pay to support the unproductive idle ruling elite. 8-)

Incorrect actually, the poor do not have to pay for other people.

In the United States we have this strange old concept of you pay for yourself. So they don't pay for others.

Tell me why in Australia I should pay for my own healthcare AND pay for someone else to have it at my expense?
How on earth is that a good thing??

where do these morons get this idea from that the U.S doesnt have a f*ckload of welfare from

it has tonnes

The Poor are the only ones who pay their own way in the USA and are on their own, the elite are unproductive and have a well crafted welfare system based on corporate welfare and philanthropy which redistributes all of the welfare taking it from the bottom and giving it to the top of the food chain.  The only purpose for congress is to identify any additional cuts that can be made on spending that may inadvertently benefit the undesirable poor and you cant have that can you?  There is this monumental sense of entitlement in the ruling elite to welfare for its own class. 8-)

Andrei.Hicks wrote on Apr 21^st, 2011 at 6:58am:

Incorrect actually, the poor do not have to pay for other people. In the United States we have this strange old concept of you pay for yourself. So they don't pay for others. Tell me why in Australia I should pay for my own healthcare AND pay for someone else to have it at my expense? How on earth is that a good thing??

So tell me dickhead why does some of my taxes go towards public transport when I don't use it?

Why do I have to pay some of my taxes to private school when I send my kids to a public school?

Why do some of my taxes go towards Child Care Rebate when I have never use child care in my life? Which you say you claim when you were living in Australia.

Why do i pay taxes to built roads then have to pay to use the roads?

Why do I have to pay some of my taxes towards heaps of things that I never use or want. Would you like to paid no taxes at all and have private enterprise built and run and make you pay for everything that you use, that is what you are saying and you would be worst off

Jack do us a favor you moron and stick to one ID.

I know you're paranoid about the cops wiping your PC clean again, but your grammar and education is just so poor it sticks out to anyone with half a brain cell.

Andrei.Hicks wrote on Apr 21^st, 2011 at 5:31am:

You speak as you find in this world. I live in the USA, I pay less tax than in Australia (I have over $10,000 extra in my pocket than I would in Aus). I have health insurance which covers my family for all incidents and occasions. There are the most qualified doctors and surgeons in the world here. My cost of living is also 60% of yours. Better place to live? Give me the United States over your place anyday of the week. And I am Australian too.

If you are an Aussie Andrei you seem to be trying very hard to convince yourself you've made the best move so far as country of residence is concerned!
Maybe we can agree on one thing.... Both countries continue to struggle under a political class who haven't got a bloody clue.....

So you can't answer the question andrei so you have to shoot the messenger.

BTW are you ripping off the America tax system like the way you ripped off the Australia tax system.

GrandPaPa wrote on Apr 21^st, 2011 at 7:55am:

Andrei.Hicks wrote on Apr 21st, 2011 at 5:31am: You speak as you find in this world. I live in the USA, I pay less tax than in Australia (I have over $10,000 extra in my pocket than I would in Aus). I have health insurance which covers my family for all incidents and occasions. There are the most qualified doctors and surgeons in the world here. My cost of living is also 60% of yours. Better place to live? Give me the United States over your place anyday of the week. And I am Australian too. If you are an Aussie Andrei you seem to be trying very hard to convince yourself you've made the best move so far as country of residence is concerned! Maybe we can agree on one thing.... Both countries continue to struggle under a political class who haven't got a bloody clue.....

I am already convinced, I am not trying.

The United States (in my own personal experience) leaves me financially better off and offers me a lot more than Australia or the UK did.

I would take life in La Jolla over Melbourne anyday.

Andrei.Hicks wrote on Apr 21^st, 2011 at 7:41am:

Jack do us a favor you moron and stick to one ID. I know you're paranoid about the cops wiping your PC clean again, but your grammar and education is just so poor it sticks out to anyone with half a brain cell.

You dickhead you had to check my profife out then check the other site i belong to and guess what I found out that much about you through your ISP it is not funny.

Off topic comments removed by mozzaok

You said you went to univeristy you are not to smart are you on a computer are you.

Mods if you want to bar me go ahead

What I removed was not relevant to the thread Wattle, and I noted Andreis personal insults attacking you, but we still need to respect people's right to divulge their personal info if they want, but it does not extend to others doing so, which means just leave it alone.
Do not put out any info about others, that they do not choose to put out themselves, and do not threaten to publish people's IP address, that is not how we behave here.
As far as banning goes, if ANYBODY posts personal info about other members, which they shouldn't, then they will be banned, so EVERYBODY needs to respect that fact, and try and stay ON TOPIC- Thank you, from mozzaok

Much appreciated Mozza.