X-Message-Number: 4694 Date: 31 Jul 1995 07:11:27 U From: "Norton, Brook" <> Subject: Patient long term survival Here is perhaps a little different angle on long term survival of cryonics companies. First, the real goal is not for the co to survive but rather, for the patient to survive. When a private art gallery goes bankrupt, the masterpieces are not destroyed with the co. They are sold to another art gallery that is more efficient, and the masterpiece "lives on" in a new home. When a family goes bankrupt, the mother's diamond ring isn't crushed, its sold and "lives on" with another family. So isn't there a way to treat the patients like masterpieces or diamond rings.... to make the patient a commodity that other companies would be willing to pay for should the first cryonics co go under? In this way the patient "lives on" regardless of whether the co lasts a year or a century. I believe the basic idea would be to somehow legally tie a lot of funds to the patients. Enough funds so that the interest not only pays for upkeep, but provides a healthy profit for the overseer. When a co goes under, the funds tied to the patient(s) are untouchable. The next co would take over the patients to get access to the profit generated by the "excess interest". If my cryonics provider goes under, I want to be viewed by the rest of the world as an opportunity for profit rather than a burden to be delt with. Perhaps another variation on this theme is an industry insurance fund that all cos contribute to. Should one co go under, the insurance pays the next co enough money to make it worth their while to take over the patients. I know that implementing the above is financially and legally very difficult and so I'm not criticizing existing cos for their survival strategies at this time... but in the long run, passing patients from co to co sounds the most secure to me. Brook Norton Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=4694