...another thing I still think about a lot, even ten years after my sainted wife died of an extended cancer illness. To be a hospice patient, you have to abandon medical treatment (which we hung onto 'til the end, a false hope as it turned out). Yet hospice has many advantages for a dying patient. I had a hard time getting oxygen for her (through my medical plan) at the end...hospice would've obtained immediately, perhaps allowed her to hang on another day or two (for my oldest to return from college to say his goodbyes). The other thing (and this still makes me bitter), she died at about 3 am and I waited until 6 am to call 911. The idiot firemen arrived (yes, they've inserted themselves into the dying business, apparently) and started grilling me as though I'd done a Kevorkian or something. Fortunately, a police officer came and said "don't worry, just give us the name of your wife's doctor and we'll take care of it" (apparently the police are too busy to screw w bereaved spouses), the funeral home people arrived (and they were good at what they did, though pricey...and you're not in a position to bargain). Apparently if there's any time lag between death and 911 call, there's suspicion (3 hrs? Why all this I don't know but it still infuriates me). Hospice knows this stuff, I've been involved w them in other "end of life" situations (my brother, father-in-law), there can be somewhat woo-woo and annoying but they can also cut through red tape, make dying patient (and family) more comfortable. Bottom line, people have turned dying into a profitable business, and you have to be ready!