X-Message-Number: 13643
From: "John de Rivaz" <>
Subject: Going to America to die - economics considerations
Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 11:49:03 +0100

I am sorry if this sounds extremely brutal, but these things need to be
thought about in my view:

Going to America to die looks a good idea as long as the costs of dying
there have been worked into the plan, and suitable investments or insurance
arranged to cover them. As the debate about buying life insurance as opposed
to investing has suggested, the costs of dying in the US could be a quarter
of a million dollars or more.

Even if the patient has pre-paid his cryopreservation, if he were to run out
of money before he perished, could he be forcibly re-patriated to his own
country, or just thrown out of the hospice onto the streets?

Maybe the way to factor in these costs would be to determine the cost of a
suitable impaired life annuity without guarantee and for people considering
this option to have sufficient capital available to buy such an annuity. If
such things exist in the USA, how quickly can they be bought? Will the
insurance companies accept existing medical notes or will they require a
full examination, possibly with further surgical exploration (particularly
if the existing prognosis was arrived at after invasive examinations)?
[without guarantee means if you buy the annuity and die the next day, it is
hard luck. You can get (more expensive) "guaranteed" annuities that if you
die within (say) 5 years some capital is returned to your estate. In the
case of a life as impaired as being considered here, the difference in cost
would be substantial I should think.]

Do US life insurance companies offer hospice plans so that everything is
taken care of for a fixed sum paid at the outset?

--
Sincerely, John de Rivaz
my homepage links to Longevity Report, Fractal Report, my singles club for
people in Cornwall, music, Inventors' report, an autobio and various other
projects:       http://geocities.yahoo.com/longevityrpt

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