2 Types of AIDS Patients, Lamm Says: Dying or Dead

DENVER — Gov. Richard D. Lamm, who has said terminally ill people have “a duty to die,” says giving expensive, heroic medical treatment to AIDS victims is inappropriate because the disease is always fatal.

“There are two types of AIDS patients,” he told doctors and nurses Wednesday during a discussion at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center on rising health-care costs.

“Either you’re ‘dying’ or you’re ‘dead’,” Lamm said. “If there’s no chance of any (successful) outcome, then you can’t order up every possible (medical) service.”

Lamm said he did not begrudge AIDS patients treatment “that is medically indicated. But at some point, treatment may become counterproductive, overtreatment.”

“Given the limited number of health-care dollars we have, money might be better spent on research into finding a cure for the disease, rather than on needlessly cruel and expensive treatment,” he said.