首页
登录
职称英语
It is said that in England death is pressing, in Canada inevitable and in Cal
It is said that in England death is pressing, in Canada inevitable and in Cal
游客
2023-12-23
71
管理
问题
It is said that in England death is pressing, in Canada inevitable and in California optional Small wonder. Americans’ life expectancy has nearly doubled over the past century. Failing hips can be replaced, clinical depression controlled, cataracts removed in a 30-minute surgical procedure. Such advances offer the aging population a quality of life that was unimaginable when I entered medicine 50 years ago. But not even a great health-care system can cure death, and our failure to confront that reality now threatens this greatness of ours.
Death is normal; we are genetically programmed to disintegrate and perish, even under ideal conditions. We all understand that at some level, yet as medical consumers we treat death as a problem to be solved. Shielded by third-party payers from the cost of our care, we demand everything that can possibly be done for us, even if it’s useless. The most obvious example is late-stage cancer care. Physicians—frustrated by their inability to cure the disease and fearing loss of hope in the patient—too often offer aggressive treatment far beyond what is scientifically justified.
In 1950, the U.S. spent $12.7 billion on health care. In 2002, the cost will be $1,540 billion. Anyone can see this trend is unsustainable. Yet few seem willing to try to reverse it. Some scholars conclude that a government with finite resources should simply stop paying for medical care that sustains life beyond a certain age—say 83 or so. Former Colorado governor Richard Lamm has been quoted as saying that the old and infirm "have a duty to die and get out of the way", so that younger, healthier people can realize their potential.
I would not go that far. Energetic people now routinely work through their 60s and beyond, and remain dazzlingly productive. At 78, Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone jokingly claims to be 53. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor is in her 70s, and former surgeon general C. Everett Koop chairs an Internet start-up in his 80s. These leaders are living proof that prevention works and that we can manage the health problems that come naturally with age. As a mere 68-year-old, I wish to age as productively as they have.
Yet there are limits to what a society can spend in this pursuit. As a physician, I know the most costly and dramatic measures may be ineffective and painful. I also know that people in Japan and Sweden, countries that spend far less on medical care, have achieved longer, healthier lives than we have. As a nation, we may be overfunding the quest for unlikely cures while underfunding research on humbler therapies that could improve people’s lives. [br] The author’s attitude toward Richard Lamm’s remark is one of______.
选项
A、strong disapproval
B、reserved consent
C、slight contempt
D、enthusiastic support
答案
B
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3299199.html
相关试题推荐
WegenerallythinkofCanadaasthenorthernneighboroftheU.S.,however,more
[originaltext]Canada,fortheseventhconsecutiveyear,ranksasthebestplace
[originaltext]Canada,fortheseventhconsecutiveyear,ranksasthebestplace
[originaltext]Canada,fortheseventhconsecutiveyear,ranksasthebestplace
InwhichyeardidCanadastarttorankasthebestplacetoliveintheworld?[
InwhichyeardidCanadastarttorankasthebestplacetoliveintheworld?[
InwhichyeardidCanadastarttorankasthebestplacetoliveintheworld?[
InwhichyeardidCanadastarttorankasthebestplacetoliveintheworld?[
InwhichyeardidCanadastarttorankasthebestplacetoliveintheworld?[
ThetroubledU.S.-Canadarelationshipmightbefixedby______.[br][original
随机试题
I’dneverhaveguessedhewasaWilson--hedoesn’tlook______likehisbrothers
[originaltext]I’dliketowelcomeyoualltoourActiveOutdoorClub.I’ll
我们所选择的访问对象无非两类,一类是唱“主角”的,一类是唱()A.“旦角”
在网络规划中,政府内外网之间应该部署网络安全防护设备。在下图中部署的设各A是
上半口义齿基托折裂或折断最常见位置为() A.上颌结节区 B.后
关于路基填料选择的错误说法是( )。 A、含水量不适宜直接压实的细粒土,经处
(2012中)假定政府发行一种没有到期日、不需还本且按年支付固定利息的公债,则该
根据以下资料,回答问题。 2000年、2005年、2006年发达国家、发展中
2001-2008年,社会投资用于地质勘查投资的资金平均每年约增加()亿美元。
PDCA循环第四阶段的内容是()。A.制定方针B.落实对策C.组织检查D
最新回复
(
0
)