Andrea Clarke and Futile Care Theory in NRO

The latest twist in the Andrea Clarke futile care case is the hospital’s pressure. From my article today on NRO:

“Illustrating the level of hardball some hospitals play against patients and families, the Clarke family’s lawyer Jerri Ward told me that St. Luke’s agreed to pay the $14,806 transportation costs to transfer Clarke to a hospital in Illinois — more than 1,000 miles away — if the decision to transfer is made on Thursday (4/27). If the family doesn’t decide until Friday, the hospital will pay only one-half of the cost of transportation. Thereafter, it would pay nothing.”

We need to start paying much more attention to the threat of Futile Care Theory, which undermines patient autonomy and the equal moral worth of all human lives.