Mitch Daniels: We can't afford every last measure of end-of-life care

“We all want to live forever. We want everything done to help us,” he told health care reporters during a discussion of Medicare and its financial pressures. “And we cannot, no one can, do absolutely everything that modern technology makes possible for absolutely everyone ’til absolutely the very last day, the very last resort.”

He added that he understands the urge by families to push for what may be futile care. “It’s the most human thing in the world,” he said. “Your loved one is in desperate shape.” He said “we can try this thing that has almost no chance of working” but questioned whether it is worth it, especially given that “it’s going to cost an incredible amount of money.”…

Gov. Daniels would not say what policies he would endorse, other than to say he would prefer that families make the decisions, rather than the government. He also said he favored means testing Medicare so that wealthier retirees get smaller government subsidies.