From:

http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/hea...le+Feedfetcher

The vote by a 14-member panel of outside experts amounts to a recommendation that Medicare pay for Provenge, which costs $93,000 per patient and extends life an average of four months

Do you think a private insurance company would cover this?

Do you think Medicare should cover this?

Would you trade paying for glasses for a thousand people so one person could get four more months of life (and consider the quality of those four months)?

I mean, if this drug CURED prostate cancer, I think you'd have a decent argument for it.

I guess it would depend on who's 4 months were talking about. Not to worry, Obama's death panels will probably solve the dilemma.

Medicare has announced that this will be covered.

Originally Posted by Ajack

I guess it would depend on who's 4 months were talking about. Not to worry, Obama's death panels will probably solve the dilemma.

I guess if you repeat a lie enough times someone will believe you!!! Its the Republican way.

There never were nor are there now DEATH PANELS.

With your response you put a spotlight on the real issue....Don't pay for things unless its for me.

Originally Posted by cologal

I guess if you repeat a lie enough times someone will believe you!!! Its the Republican way.

There never were nor are there now DEATH PANELS.

With your response you put a spotlight on the real issue....Don't pay for things unless its for me.

Right. You have past tense and present tense. I notice you make no mention of future tense. Interesting.

My contention is that there has ALWAYS been a SERIES of "death panels". They're the private insurance companies that kick you off when you are no longer a profit center.

It boggles my mind that people say "we don't want the government coming between a doctor and a patient" when RIGHT NOW there are insurance company clerks who's job is to do EXACTLY THAT.

Originally Posted by cologal

With your response you put a spotlight on the real issue....Don't pay for things unless its for me.

Cologal, can I get in on this? How about just paying for you and me, also. <we won't tell anyone else>

Originally Posted by djplong

My contention is that there has ALWAYS been a SERIES of "death panels". They're the private insurance companies that kick you off when you are no longer a profit center.

djp, I fully agree with your original contention that $93,000 for drugs that will result in a four month extension of life is a waste that cannot be afforded. I do not like the term 'death panel', but realize that medical care MUST be rationed. There simply is not enough money to provide everything for everybody.

Government already rations care in the Medicare program. Certain procedures are restricted based upon the patients age and medical conditions - eg no heart transplants after 70. The VA is even more restrictive, but does deliver quality care.

While I constantly read about private insurance companies refusing to continue to insure people after they get sick, I have never found an example of it that I could verify. It would seem that if this were widespread, the trial lawyers would be advertising for cases every day just as they do for asbestos, hip replacements, breast implants, etc. The absence of such TV spots would seem to indicate that this rarely occurs.

Originally Posted by Ajack

Right. You have past tense and present tense. I notice you make no mention of future tense. Interesting.

Oh and that must be a sinister thing I take it some kind of coded message. Alas not I don't believe in psychics, tarot cards, predictions and the like.

But you didn't respond about the main point....don't pay for it unless it is me.

Why should Medicare or any other treatment when the known outcome is still DEATH.

If you want to pay for the treatment yourself then go right ahead.

Originally Posted by RichieLion

Cologal, can I get in on this? How about just paying for you and me, also. <we won't tell anyone else>

Please don't make me laugh... I just had surgery and it still hurts to laugh.

That was a good one.

and you all seem to think that is OK to the tune of millions of $$$ being spent.

How much boner medication would pay for something as mundane as hearing aids?

The system is an unfair joke being played on the sheeple who go merrily along.

btk

Originally Posted by cologal

Please don't make me laugh... I just had surgery and it still hurts to laugh.

That was a good one.

I hope you recover quickly and whatever was supposed to be fixed is fixed. Other than my wife the only woman I can count on to disagree with me and debate me and hopefully still like me afterwards, is you.

Take care of yourself.

Originally Posted by djplong

From:

http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/hea...le+Feedfetcher



Do you think a private insurance company would cover this?

Do you think Medicare should cover this?

Would you trade paying for glasses for a thousand people so one person could get four more months of life (and consider the quality of those four months)?

I mean, if this drug CURED prostate cancer, I think you'd have a decent argument for it.

There is more to this quote and what is covered in this story.

Provenge was used in a clinical trial that enrolled men who had ADVANCED prostate cancer and had failed all previous treatments and medications. The participants were split into two groups, one group receiving Provenge and one group receiving a placebo. If the disease continued to progress for men in the placebo group, they were allowed to cross over into the treatment group. Therefore, the actual efficacy of Provenge on ADVANCED prostate cancer patients could well be more than four months.

What is really needed is trial of Provenge for recently diagnosed prostate cancer patients who do not have ADVANCED disease to determine what Provenge would do for these type of patients. INSTEAD of being treated by surgery, radiation, seed implants, hormonal therapies, etc. which can easily exceed $93,000 in treatment costs. It may well turn out that this drug can indeed CURE prostate cancer or eliminate the current treatments and their terrible side effects (impotence, incontinence, etc.).

If you would like to hear what a leading prostate cancer oncologist has to say about Provenge, click on this link and watch the video at the bottom of the page dated May 18, 2010.

http://askdrmyers.wordpress.com/category/provenge/

Originally Posted by billethkid

and you all seem to think that is OK to the tune of millions of $$$ being spent.

How much boner medication would pay for something as mundane as hearing aids?

The system is an unfair joke being played on the sheeple who go merrily along.

btk

Very crude remark about "boner" medication. If you are one of the unlucky ones who was treated for prostate cancer and suffers from impotence as a side effect, how would YOU feel then? What about the cost of breast reconstruction and implants for women who had breast cancer? Should that be covered? The psychological impact and its treatment costs, if the procedures and "boner" medications were not covered, could well exceed what is being paid currently

Originally Posted by billethkid

and you all seem to think that is OK to the tune of millions of $$$ being spent.

How much boner medication would pay for something as mundane as hearing aids?

The system is an unfair joke being played on the sheeple who go merrily along.

btk

LOL