Are These People Smart Entrepreneurs Or Sick Scum Of The Earth

After hearing stories from home owners who were scammed after the Binghamton flood of 2011, I thought I have seen the worst of humanity.  Until I read this story from The New York Times:

Habersham Funding of Georgia (along with several competitors) have found an interesting new way to make money. They find terminally ill patients with life insurance who need cash now, then pay them lump sums for their policies. The company then continues to pay the policies' premiums until the client dies and they collect as beneficiaries. Obviously the business model here depends on those clients dying quickly, therefore the companies run extensive background checks on the illnesses and lifestyles of potential clients and employ sophisticated computer algorithms that predict, better than doctors can, how long a client will live. What a way to make a buck. (New York Times)

I would love to know your thoughts on this article.