Re: Coming changes in healthcare in the US?

[Guest guest]

So, what do we do now? We elected a full blown government-paid for everything...

What's left? To sell vacant seats in the Congress for a huge profit? Sorry for

injecting politics here, on this site.

Alec

@...: scott_fs@...: Sun, 21 Dec 2008

03:56:52 +0000Subject: Coming changes in healthcare in the US?

Probably the area of greatest interest/concern to CLL patients in theUnited

States is the issue of health care. Sweeping changes haveapparently been in

development, ranging from changes in insurance tofull-blown government-paid

health care.I suspect that the latter will be proposed.I urge all of you who are

tempted by the siren song of 'free' healthcare study the CLL drugs that are

available in Canada, the UK, andother countries. My concern is that it will make

drugs that are nowavailable, just not available. Rituximab, for example, isn't

paid forby some countries for CLL, because it's too expensive.My biggest problem

with socialized medicine is that with thegovernment paying for it, suddenly

health care will have to competewith defense, schools, welfare, highway

construction etc. for thefederal dollar. If drugs that are currently available

and covered by some insurance istaken away, CLL patients will die for lack of

access to these drugs. My solution is that we steer people away from emergency

rooms, openurgent care clinics that accept cash and Medicade.Remember, we don't

have a health care problem. We have an healthinsurance problem.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

As an Australian, I am certainly pleased that our country was able to pay

for my Rituxan treatment, as well as my Campath and then, when it became

necessary, they also paid for my BMT. The major expense in my treatment thus

far has been the cost of parking at the hospital. Not only am I not aware of

any drugs which are in use in the States which are not available over here

but also, from what I hear, the amount paid for treatments by the government

over here is way below the sums charged to US insurance companies. I don't

know of Canada, but I do know of many people who have received Rituxan in

the UK. , perhaps you are confused by the fact that Rituximab is named

Mabthera outside the US.

I've spent a bit of time in the States and I don't reckon the quality of

roads and schools is any better over there than here. Certainly the public

welfare is inferior to many countries that offer publicly funded health

care.

I take your point that the US problem is actually a health insurance

problem; in fact there appear to be a number of insurance problems. Firstly,

a lot of people aren't insured. Secondly, an enormous proportion of claims

seem to be denied; and thirdly, a large portion of the money which goes to

health care goes to insurance companies and their shareholders rather than

to the funding of the health care itself, making insurance very expensive.

I suspect that this fear mongering of yours will not have any effect in

preventing Americans from finally achieving this terrific change to their

system. If a country like Australia can afford free health care then why

can't the US? Hopefully in future I will hear of less people in the US

complaining and dying because they are unable to afford a required

treatment. A stem cell transplant for CLL is no longer an experimental

treatment yet it is so often used by US insurance companies to justify a

denial of claim. It's just heartbreaking.

I hope no one takes this as a criticism of the US in any way; if so it is

certainly not my intention. Rather I am merely trying to give credit to a

system over here that has saved my life and for which I am very grateful.

This is no " siren song " .

Best wishes to all my CLL brothers and sisters.

Cheers .

_____

From: [mailto: ] On

Behalf Of S.

Sent: Sunday, 21 December 2008 2:57 PM

Subject: Coming changes in healthcare in the US?

Probably the area of greatest interest/concern to CLL patients in the

United States is the issue of health care. Sweeping changes have

apparently been in development, ranging from changes in insurance to

full-blown government-paid health care.

I suspect that the latter will be proposed.

I urge all of you who are tempted by the siren song of 'free' health

care study the CLL drugs that are available in Canada, the UK, and

other countries. My concern is that it will make drugs that are now

available, just not available. Rituximab, for example, isn't paid for

by some countries for CLL, because it's too expensive.

My biggest problem with socialized medicine is that with the

government paying for it, suddenly health care will have to compete

with defense, schools, welfare, highway construction etc. for the

federal dollar.

If drugs that are currently available and covered by some insurance is

taken away, CLL patients will die for lack of access to these drugs.

My solution is that we steer people away from emergency rooms, open

urgent care clinics that accept cash and Medicade.

Remember, we don't have a health care problem. We have an health

insurance problem.

__________ NOD32 3709 (20081220) Information __________

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[Guest guest]

The iniquity of the American health care system has always appalled

me, even more so now that I see the difficulties of my fellow CLL

victims in the States.

If I were able to, I would have voted for the most radical reform, and

I hope the new presidency brings it.

best wishes

Andy

[Guest guest]

I looked up iniquity when I saw your message Karl, and I got the

following -

" Definitions of iniquity on the Web:

* absence of moral or spiritual values; " the powers of darkness "

* evil: morally objectionable behavior

* injustice: an unjust act

wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

* Iniquity was a Danish death metal group. Established in 1989,

the band released three full-length albums before parting ways in 2004.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iniquity

* Gross immorality or injustice, wickedness. Often interchangeable

with the noun, " sin " (eg, Exod 34:9; Rom 6:19).

www.philosophy-religion.org/bible/glossary_new-interpreters-bible.htm "

-

I didn't look it up when I first wrote it, but I was certainly getting

at the first and third definition above. Inequality is almost what I

meant, but I like the more forceful " absence of moral or spiritual

values " that iniquity implies.

Have a great Christmas holiday all

Andy

>

> Did you mean inequality or iniquity : )

>

>

>