"According to the law, euthanasia can only be granted if both physician and patient have come to the conclusion that there is no reasonable alternative left that will relieve the patient's suffering. In practice, the guidelines provided by the NVvP are then followed in order to qualify untreatable suffering. For example, any therapeutic option for a particular condition must meet the following three requirements. There must be: (a) a real prospect of improvement, (b) the possibility to administer adequate treatment within a reasonable period of time, and (c) a reasonable balance between the expected treatment results and the burden of treatment consequences for the patient must be reached.23 Our data suggest that a wider political and societal debate may be needed to find ways to reduce the medical costs and/or improve the financial situation of certain individuals in order to reduce the desire to request euthanasia."