Wealth transfer through voluntary death.

Abstract

Today, the hopelessly ill who are insured must choose between futile treatment and prolonged morbidity. Legalizing physician-assisted death for the hopelessly ill would broaden patient choice and conserve scarce resources. To ensure that the saved resources will not be re-channeled to more futile treatments for other hopelessly ill patients, those who choose dignified passage should be allowed to determine how the saving from their refusal to a prolonged death is to be re-deployed. Converting projected entitlements into death benefits at a discount would not only reduce health-care and retirements costs but improve allocation of scarce resources.