Medicare doesn't pay if the patient doesn't show improvement. If the person is dying, medicare will not pay for their care, leaving dying people and their families to choose between pain and debt.
We will all die. Why, in this world of medical advancements, can't we all help each other die as painlessly as possible?
This is a great question, and I agree with you about the value of palliative care. But it is a question of Medicare policy, not government vs. private insurance.
Extending Medicare to cover everyone (one model for how the U.S. could move to single-payer), would not solve this problem.
We will all die. Why, in this world of medical advancements, can't we all help each other die as painlessly as possible?