Introduction
It doesn't take a major in economics to see that things are not looking good if health care costs are rising by 10% or more year but personal income is only increasing by 4%. It is completely feasible for someone to put in a lifetime's worth of labour, retire with a nest egg of $200,000 or more, only to see it destroyed by a single serious medical condition. This is particularly true if you have a serious injury or sickness that requires the use of equipment to keep you alive. A living will can, at least financially, make the difference between saving or ruining a family in heartbreaking situations like these.
A living will is a legal document that gives someone else the power to stop treatment if the patient is unable to eat, drink, or function without the help of machinery or medical attention. If the executor of a living will decides to do so, any machine or device being used to maintain a person's life may be ceased or switched off, including a feeding tube and a ventilator.
Of course, in order for the executor of a living will to decide to stop treatment, there are a few requirements that must be satisfied. Unfortunately, because they vary from state to state, there is no set of requirements for a living will that are uniform and concrete.
However, in general, doctors must decide that a patient is in a debilitating or painful state and unlikely to get better. Additionally, the patient must be unable of caring for themselves and therefore need a machine or other medical technology to keep them alive. If the executor asks doctors to stop treating the patient at that moment, the person with a living will may have their care stopped.
Of course, there are situations where family members who are not listed in the living will question the validity of the living will. The majority of the time, the courts have upheld the wishes stated in a living will and have infrequently mandated the continuance of treatment. In all honesty, the cost of that treatment can easily reach hundreds of dollars daily.
No one likes to see a loved one suffer, but no one wants to witness their death either. It is likely that someone who took the time to have a living will drafted would want treatment to end if they were in a condition covered by the document. Even if it's an uncomfortable subject, it's a fact that there are medical conditions where the person will not recover and can only be kept alive by machines. At that point, extending life merely causes additional pain, confusion, and expense for everyone. A living will is the responsible alternative that places the responsibility for a potentially difficult decision squarely in your own hands, where it belongs.
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