Too Expensive to Treat?: Finitude, tragedy, and the Neonatal ICU - Softcover

A substantial contribution to the literature on controlling health-care costs. . . . Camosy has written a provocative book, marrying the ordinary/extraordinary means tradition to Catholic social teaching and arguing that it is morally necessary to take costs into account in making decisions about who should receive high-tech neonatal intensive care. Since the magnitude of the problems Camosy addresses will only increase, this is a book that should be read for years to come. Daniel Sulmasy University of Chicago This book is a must-read for neonatologists and bioethicists, for religious leaders of all Christian traditions, and for policy makers. While Camosy focuses on the imperiled newborn and Medicaid, his argument could easily be expanded to imperiled cases of any age. Steven R. Leuthner Medical College of Wisconsin Camosy not only shows us how to solve a pressing social and bioethical problem. He also shows us how principles regarding human dignity, ordinary and extraordinary means, and social justice unite to form a coherent bioethical approach to health care justice that resonates far beyond the Catholic tradition. Camosy's proposal will delight some and disturb others, but it deserves the closest attention of neonatologists, bioethicists, health policy experts, and anyone who hopes for a more just health care system in the United States. Gerald McKenny University of Notre Dame" Catholic Press Association, Second Place, Social Concerns (2011)Daniel Sulmasy -- University of Chicago -A substantial contribution to the literature on controlling health-care costs. . . Camosy has written a provocative book, marrying the ordinary/extraordinary means tradition to Catholic social teaching and arguing that it is morally necessary to take costs into account in making decisions about who should receive high-tech neonatal intensive care. Since the magnitude of the problems Camosy addresses will only increase, this is a book that should be read for years to come.-Steven R. Leuthner -- Medical College of Wisconsin -This book is a must-read for neonatologists and bioethicists, for religious leaders of all Christian traditions, and for policy makers. While Camosy focuses on the imperiled newborn and Medicaid, his argument could easily be expanded to imperiled cases of any age.-Gerald McKenny -- University of Notre Dame -Camosy not only shows us how to solve a pressing social and bioethical problem. He also shows us how principles regarding human dignity, ordinary and extraordinary means, and social justice unite to form a coherent bioethical approach to health care justice that resonates far beyond the Catholic tradition. Camosy's proposal will delight some and disturb others, but it deserves the closest attention of neonatologists, bioethicists, health policy experts, and anyone who hopes for a more just health care system in the United States.-Lisa Sowle Cahill -- Boston College -This unusual book bridges the unhappy divide between pro-life and social-justice approaches to the U.S. health care system. Camosy's provocative conclusions should stimulate all to think hard about the real, practical effects of their moral positions. At a deeper level, Camosy proposes a radical and needed defense of the sociality of the person and the interdependence of individual interests and the common good.-Brian Brock -- University of Aberdeen -In this crisply argued and tightly focused book, Charles Camosy strips away contemporary evasions of the rationing that is already taking place in American medicine. By asking what Christians owe to imperiled' rather than 'disabled' newborns, he is able to make powerful links between ancient Christian views and today's debates about health-care rationing for fragile newborns. Perhaps most importantly, Camosy goes far beyond most medical ethics in insisting that these questions be faced as part of a larger moral analysis of the amazing inequalities that characterize contemporary health care in the United States.-James C. Peterson -- McMaster University -Camosy's bracing argument is honest, clear, informed, and pervasively Catholic in its sources, yet it will be persuasive to many outside that tradition as well.-Stephen E. Lammers -- Lafayette College -This book is an excellent example of how Roman Catholic theology can boldly engage society at large. Camosy discusses neonatal intensive care in great detail and shows how we unjustly ration this form of care in the United States. He goes on to propose how our society might do this more justly and also suggests how Christians might practice hospitality toward those who have been denied care.- Catholic Press Association, "Second Place, Social Concerns"(2011) Daniel Sulmasy University of Chicago "A substantial contribution to the literature on controlling health-care costs. . . Camosy has written a provocative book, marrying the ordinary/extraordinary means tradition to Catholic social teaching and arguing that it is morally necessary to take costs into account in making decisions about who should receive high-tech neonatal intensive care. Since the magnitude of the problems Camosy addresses will only increase, this is a book that should be read for years to come." Steven R. Leuthner Medical College of Wisconsin "This book is a must-read for neonatologists and bioethicists, for religious leaders of all Christian traditions, and for policy makers. While Camosy focuses on the imperiled newborn and Medicaid, his argument could easily be expanded to imperiled cases of any age." Gerald McKenny University of Notre Dame "Camosy not only shows us how to solve a pressing social and bioethical problem. He also shows us how principles regarding human dignity, ordinary and extraordinary means, and social justice unite to form a coherent bioethical approach to health care justice that resonates far beyond the Catholic tradition. Camosy's proposal will delight some and disturb others, but it deserves the closest attention of neonatologists, bioethicists, health policy experts, and anyone who hopes for a more just health care system in the United States." Lisa Sowle Cahill Boston College "This unusual book bridges the unhappy divide between pro-life and social-justice approaches to the U.S. health care system. Camosy's provocative conclusions should stimulate all to think hard about the real, practical effects of their moral positions. At a deeper level, Camosy proposes a radical and needed defense of the sociality of the person and the interdependence of individual interests and the common good." Brian Brock University of Aberdeen "In this crisply argued and tightly focused book, Charles Camosy strips away contemporary evasions of the rationing that is already taking place in American medicine. By asking what Christians owe to imperiled' rather than 'disabled' newborns, he is able to make powerful links between ancient Christian views and today's debates about health-care rationing for fragile newborns. Perhaps most importantly, Camosy goes far beyond most medical ethics in insisting that these questions be faced as part of a larger moral analysis of the amazing inequalities that characterize contemporary health care in the United States." James C. Peterson McMaster University "Camosy's bracing argument is honest, clear, informed, and pervasively Catholic in its sources, yet it will be persuasive to many outside that tradition as well." Stephen E. Lammers Lafayette College "This book is an excellent example of how Roman Catholic theology can boldly engage society at large. Camosy discusses neonatal intensive care in great detail and shows how we unjustly ration this form of care in the United States. He goes on to propose how our society might do this more justly and also suggests how Christians might practice hospitality toward those who have been denied care.""

In Too Expensive to Treat? Charles Camosy takes readers deep into the emotionally charged and expensive world of the neonatal intensive care unit to examine the hard truth about heath care rationing in the United States. While fully affirming the human worth of even the tiniest baby, Camosy maintains that all people have equal dignity and should have an equal right to a proportionate share of community health care resources. Readers may find Camosys arguments provocative, even troubling but the conversation he draws them into is one that cannot be ignored.A substantial contribution to the literature on controlling health-care costs. . . . Camosy has written a provocative book, marrying the ordinary/extraordinary means tradition to Catholic social teaching and arguing that it is morally necessary to take costs into account in making decisions about who should receive high-tech neonatal intensive care. Since the magnitude of the problems Camosy addresses will only increase, this is a book that should be read for years to come. Daniel SulmasyUniversity of ChicagoThis book is a must-read for neonatologists and bioethicists, for religious leaders of all Christian traditions, and for policy makers. While Camosy focuses on the imperiled newborn and Medicaid, his argument could easily be expanded to imperiled cases of any age. Steven R. LeuthnerMedical College of WisconsinCamosy not only shows us how to solve a pressing social and bioethical problem. He also shows us how principles regarding human dignity, ordinary and extraordinary means, and social justice unite to form a coherent bioethical approach to health care justice that resonates far beyond the Catholic tradition. Camosys proposal will delight some and disturb others, but it deserves the closest attention of neonatologists, bioethicists, health policy experts, and anyone who hopes for a more just health care system in the United States. Gerald McKennyUniversity of Notre Dame