Tommy Thompson on Inappropriate End-of-Life Treatment

Tommy Thompson, running for a Wisconsin Senate seat, spoke on the role of end of life costs play in the Medicare budget. 

“What happens? Mother or father or grandpa and grandma, you’ve been away, you haven’t done very much. Children come home, mother or father’s on their deathbed, they feel guilty because they haven’t being paying attention to mother or father. Let’s face it. So they say “let’s do everything we can for mother or father. Don’t spare the costs.” I’m not talking about denying anybody anything. I’m just saying let’s let mother and father have their wishes. They may not want to be on a respirator the last six months of their life.” Thompson said people need to have durable power of attorney to ensure their wishes are known, and he also said the nation’s medical schools need to start talking about death.  (Wisconsin Radio Network)