The Anti-Government Health Care Arguement: "Around the world, socialized medicine has resulted in a rationing of care. Governments have found themselves limiting access to services and establishing waiting lists. In Canada, patients wait an average of 27.9 weeks just to see an ophthamologist after referral by their GP ( http://www.fraserinstitute.org/researchandpublications/publications/2548.aspx )
Americans will end up with higher costs and less care as it is rationed."
Real? Or just fear-mongering? Those in favor of government-provided insurance and care say this is nonsense, and point to anecdotal incidences of friends receiving care in Canada and finding it just fine.
So let's stop talking "what ifs...," and look at Current Reality:
The H1N1 vaccine *is* a socialized, government program. The shot is free.
It is also in short supply everywhere, and doses are restricted to only the most at-risk patients. Conversely, the usual vaccinations, provided by the market, are readily available.
The Federal Government recently funded a study released by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which recommended that women of average breast cancer risk start mammograms at age 50, not 40, and have them every two years rather than annually. Breast Cancer is currently the leading form of cancer in women. Many of us know women who are alive today because they caught a vigorous form of breast cancer early (including my own mother).
But now, the feds are recommending that women reduce their preventative mammograms. Meanwhile, page 1,190 of the House health care bill specifically states that Government Insurance shall not pay for preventative care that exceeds the Task Force's guidelines - even though NOT ONE member of the Task Force specialized in cancer or women's health!
There is the reality of Socialized Medicine. Rationing. Less Care. But we can all feel 'good' because Government is Caring for us, right?
Health Care needs reform - but this bill must be defeated.
And if it is passed, it needs to be repealed.
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4 comments:
Always so averse to facts, Thom.
The real facts about the composition of the Task Force, and its work.
ONCOLOGISTS:
"While the task force does not have any oncologist members, the panel chose a team of cancer experts who reviewed an array of evidence. This team consisted of four oncologists, a cancer surgeon and a cancer researcher. They then put together a report and presented the evidence to the 16-person panel."
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/11/19/breast.cancer.task.force.uspstf/index.html
WOMEN"S HEALTH EXPERTS:
Among the 16 members of the Task Force—almost all professors and public health experts—two are OB-GYNs and women's health experts (Drs. Gregory and Nicholson), and another two have specific expertise in cancer prevention among women (Drs. Melnikow & Petitti):
http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstbio.htm
And the Frasier Institute, the source for your "fact" about Canadian wait times?
Notoriously biased right-wing think tank.
Also, pretty shameless of you to try and compare the H1N1 vaccine to normal everyday vaccinations. As I'm sure you know, since H1N1 reared its head last spring, researchers have worked their asses off to get a vaccine developed and produced in a much shorter time period than for the normal yearly flu vaccine. And they discovered that this particular virus takes longer than usual to grow in eggs, thus lengthening the production time.
It's extremely intellectually dishonest of you to take an emergency vaccine effort and extrapolate it to "the usual vaccinations."
1) As you yourself pointed out, "Anonymous:" "....While the task force does not have any oncologist members..." My statement stands.
2) The members of the Task Force who claim nexus with women's health are administrators, not pratitioners.
3) The Fraser Institute is the *premier* think tank on Canadian halth issues. The fact that you don't like their findings is inconsequential.
4) The vaccine debacle is typical of a government-requested, government distributed program. If the market were permitted to work, many companies would have raced each other to hit the market, the same way that anthrax vaccines exploded after the anthrax scare.
When the tsunami hit India, it took MONTHS for gob=vernment to move water to the area. It took black market profiteers two days...
To get avoid on the bad effects of the vaccine, be sure that you have test first using elisa kits to get away in many unfavorable effects in even death.
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