Socialized Medicine: What’s The Cost In Saving A Life?
Posted on May 20, 2009
Apparently, it is too much $$$, as we seen in this preview of how the whole socialized medicine/treatment/insurance system can look, rather then just this bit prior to it coming full bore (h/t Van Helsing)
Last week the Medicare trustees reported that the program has an “unfunded liability” of nearly $38 trillion — which is the amount of benefits promised but not covered by taxes over the next 75 years. So Democrats have decided that the way to close this gap is to create a new “universal” health insurance entitlement for the middle class.
Such thinking may be a non sequitur, but it will have drastic effects on the health care of all Americans — and as it happens, this future is playing out in miniature in Medicare right now. Desperate to prevent medical costs from engulfing the federal budget, the program’s central planners decided last week to deny payment for a new version of one of life’s most unpleasant routine procedures, the colonoscopy. This is a preview of how health care will be rationed when Democrats get their way.
At issue are “virtual colonoscopies,” or CT scans of the abdomen. Colon cancer is the second leading cause of U.S. cancer death but one of the most preventable. Found early, the cure rate is 93%, but only 8% at later stages. Virtual colonoscopies are likely to boost screenings because they are quicker, more comfortable and significantly cheaper than the standard “optical” procedure, which involves anesthesia and threading an endoscope through the lower intestine.
Second leading cause of US cancer death, yet, as Van points out, Los Federales can save $$$ by making sure people are diagnosed to be in the 8% group, rather then the one that will survive. And, as we have seen in countries that have socialized health care systems in place, those who are dying will not get much in the way of service. In governments mind, why waste money on terminally ill subjects who are no longer productive members of the proletariat?
Doesn’t it sound great to have government bean counters in charge of your health?
» Filed Under Culture of Death, Democrats, Dems In Charge: Now What?, Healthcare, Nanny State, News
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8 Responses to “Socialized Medicine: What’s The Cost In Saving A Life?”
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Who cares? The current system of personal choice insurance (that is, insuring people’s reckless choices such as eating whatever they want or riding motorcycles without a helmet) is too expensive.
Ah, the voice of the left. “My insurance is too high, so to hell with everyone else. Let them die.”
When push comes to shove, the real compassion of the left shines through.
The left has compassion? Maybe 50 million aborted babies ago! (ò¿ó)
Conservatives are literally a menace to Society.
Commentor: blah blah blah!
“Hope and Change” your diaper! It’s stinkin up the place! (ò¿ó)
“Conservatives are literally a menace to Society.”
Well, Commentor, we ARE a menace to YOUR type of society!
Deal with it, because we’re not going away.
Here is an Israeli view on your situation:
From Health Coverage to Serfdom
Yes, the liberal mentality: they don’t want everyone to improve, but they also don’t want some people to be better off than others. They just want everyone to be at the same crappy level.
For things like long term health problems, nationalized healthcare does not work. And if you need short term help, like if you break an arm, by law hospitals in this country have to help you out. We have free healthcare. It’s called MEDICAID.