安乐死离我们还遥远临终关怀离我们却很近

我国自20世纪80年代就开始了对安乐死立法的讨论，有的人赞同安乐死，有的人反对安乐死。就我国现阶段的社会状况来说，尚不具备为安乐死立法的社会条件。而对于那些身患绝症、救治无望、极度痛苦的濒临死亡而又惧怕死亡的病人，如何解决他们生理的、心理的、生活的痛苦、焦虑与不安？临终关怀是最好的选择。     

Stunted growth. Spending growth--dampened by Medicaid, Medicare--dropped for the first time in 7 years, but consumers still paid big bucks

Healthcare spending growth dropped for the first time in seven years in 2003, but spending still hit a record amount--1.7 trillion dollars. Some observers say the numbers don't support any particular approach to fixing healthcare. And some say the continued absolute rise in costs, despite efforts to rein them in, shows that privatization isn't working. "I don't think you'll continue to see a decrease," said the Ochsner Clinic Foundation's Warner Thomas.