Our New Healthcare Future....

[Loco179]

Basically this is it. .Gov will be running your healthcare now

Sebelius: I Can’t Step Into Girl’s Transplant Case « CBS Philly

http://washingtonexaminer.com/sebel...omeone-lives-and-someone-dies/article/2531097

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/05/u...ompanies-to-support-health-care-law.html?_r=0

“Please, suspend the rules until we look at this policy,” Barletta, a Pennsylvania Republican, asked Sebelius during a House hearing Tuesday on behalf of Sarah Murnaghan, a 10-year-old girl who needs a lung transplant. She can’t qualify for an adult lung transplant until the age of 12, according to federal regulations, but Sebelius has the authority to waive that rule on her behalf. The pediatric lungs for which she currently qualifies aren’t available.

“I would suggest, sir, that, again, this is an incredibly agonizing situation where someone lives and someone dies,” Sebelius replied

Here we go.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Maybe I missed it but I don't get the point of the OP. Sebilius stated she was not going to get involved. To me, that's what we want.

As sad, sad situation for Sarah. I pray she does get her transplant.

 

[No2rdame]

I think the point is that government officials may begin to decide who lives and who dies. Any health care plan enforced by the IRS cannot be a good thing.

 

[mrjarrell]

I'm with GF on this one. This is a case of the government NOT getting involved. Transplants aren't run by the government, they're a private issue. There's a waiting list for organs and it's done as fairly as the docs can do it. Sucks not to be in the #1 slot, but that's just life. I hope this little girl gets the lung transplant she desperately needs and lives a long and fruitful life.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

I think the point is that government officials may begin to decide who lives and who dies. Any health care plan enforced by the IRS cannot be a good thing.

Agreed. Sarah Palin was lambasted for stating this would happen early on. I firmly believe she (and Paul Krugman) is right; it will happen--it has too...but I don't see it in the case of this article.

 

[No2rdame]

Okay, I have a confession. I skimmed the article VERY quickly and based my comments on that rather than reading it carefully. So, while I stand by my comments they may not have accurately reflected this particular situation.

 

[Double T]

If the government steps in, I'm sure the age will go from 12 to 14 or 16. It sucks that there kid needs a lung, but if she plugged one up at ten, I hardly think a lung transplant is going to give her "a long and full life".

 

[Loco179]

Would they waive that for a congressman or their kid?

 

[indykid]

My question was: who set the age restriction? Was it the government that says you have to be 12? Was it the hospital? The state she lives in? The insurance company?

I must have missed it because I read it as they were asking the government to remove their age restriction, and by saying no, the government is playing God instead of letting doctors decide.

 

[mrjarrell]

Would they waive that for a congressman or their kid?

Not likely, but there are states that move somewhat quicker than others. It's better to need a transplant in Tennessee than California. They move a lot quicker in that region and it's easier to get a transplant. Costs differ from region to region, too.

 

[Double T]

My question was: who set the age restriction? Was it the government that says you have to be 12? Was it the hospital? The state she lives in? The insurance company?

I must have missed it because I read it as they were asking the government to remove their age restriction, and by saying no, the government is playing God instead of letting doctors decide.

Not really. Anatomically a 24 year old male motorcycle crash victims lungs may be too large for a 12 year old girl. Odds are that there are variables other than just age that play into it like gross anatomy.

 

[Loco179]

Proof that Doctors do not control anything.

Sarah Murnaghan lung transplant case: Sebelius ordered to make exception on transplant - Brett Norman - POLITICO.com

Interesting eh?

 

[mrjarrell]

The judge needs to be told to mind his own damned business. This move essentially sentences someone else on the list to death to satisfy these parents. Sorry. The world's a cruel place and we don't always get what we want. I wish the system were better, but it's what the ethicists have managed to come up with over the years and it works as well as it can.

 

[LP1]

I think the point is that government officials may begin to decide who lives and who dies. Any health care plan enforced by the IRS cannot be a good thing.

As opposed to the current situation where a for-profit corporation makes the decision regarding what kind of treatment you qualify for? This assumes, of course, that you're not part of the 40 million or so who don't have any health insurance.

I'm not suggesting that the gov't can always be trusted to handle this kind of thing properly, but neither can private insurers. And the large number of people in this country who lack access to health care is a national embarassment.

 

[uberpeck]

As opposed to the current situation where a for-profit corporation makes the decision regarding what kind of treatment you qualify for? This assumes, of course, that you're not part of the 40 million or so who don't have any health insurance.

I'm not suggesting that the gov't can always be trusted to handle this kind of thing properly, but neither can private insurers. And the large number of people in this country who lack access to health care is a national embarassment.

So you would rather have our for-profit government that discriminates for values/beliefs/political associations/skin color (affirmative action)/insert many other human attributes, regulate your healthcare rather than private enterprise were competition yields the bests results possible under market conditions according to customer demands and technology?

And I wish I could be a fly on the wall when you find out that it will take a year to see a doctor, because those 40million moochers you vouched for have flooded the government hospitals just because they can- or because they overdosed on drugs for the fifth time in a month.

 

[actaeon277]

Many of those "who lack access to healthcare" choose tvs, cars, etc. over healthcare payments. In know, not all.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

The judge needs to be told to mind his own damned business. This move essentially sentences someone else on the list to death to satisfy these parents. Sorry. The world's a cruel place and we don't always get what we want. I wish the system were better, but it's what the ethicists have managed to come up with over the years and it works as well as it can.

This was my thought upon hearing of this too. I hope that it turns out that this young lady receives a transplant that would have otherwise gone unused and doesn't lead to the death of another whose family didn't attempt to sway public sentiment to cut in the front of the line.

 

[BigMatt]

The only problem I have with this is the way the new list is handled. It used to be that it was a waiting list and the longer you waited, the closer to the front of the list you were. The system has been updated to say that people in more need get the transplants first.

In a perfect world, I would say that is a great thing. The problem is, "need" is very subjective and could be used for political or personal purposes.

 

[RockofStrength]

As opposed to the current situation where a for-profit corporation makes the decision regarding what kind of treatment you qualify for? This assumes, of course, that you're not part of the 40 million or so who don't have any health insurance.

I'm not suggesting that the gov't can always be trusted to handle this kind of thing properly, but neither can private insurers. And the large number of people in this country who lack access to health care is a national embarassment.

I'm intrigued to hear your solution. Healthcare is expensive: it's expensive to provide, it's expensive to research, it's expensive to care for you before and after treatment...the list goes on. Prices are indeed inflated currently owing to a variety of circumstances, but healthcare still costs money regardless. What can you do to fix that?

 

[BigMatt]

I'm intrigued to hear your solution. Healthcare is expensive: it's expensive to provide, it's expensive to research, it's expensive to care for you before and after treatment...the list goes on. Prices are indeed inflated currently owing to a variety of circumstances, but healthcare still costs money regardless. What can you do to fix that?

Make people responsible for the costs on their own medical expenses. HSA's are THE way to get people to price shop their own medical services.

I worked for a company that went from a PPO style plan to a high deductible/HSA plan. The company saved money on premiums, our premiums disappeared completely and we saved $29/week pre-tax in our own HSA account. It was our money. I know that I personally started bargaining with my doctor for certain medical expenses and prescriptions.

There is a reason the cost of certain "elective" procedures have gone down over the years. When people pay out of their own pockets, they look for lower prices.