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Politics : A US National Health Care System? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: skinowski who wrote (11963)	11/29/2009 10:20:42 AM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42652

Remember that they are hesitant to recommend routine mammo's under the age of 50 NOT because they "don't work" - but because they do not (yet?) have studies to prove that they would be "cost effective" from a public health point of view. I think that colonoscopies are in the same category. From a patient's perspective, each is a no-brainer. From a public health perspective or from an insurer's perspective the view is different. One of my hobby horses has been the difference between the individual perspective and the public health perspective, which does not operate in the best interests of the individual. When the insurer and the public health official are the same entity, that further impacts the best interests of the individual. Not only are the money and the policy against the individual, there may be a loss of freedom to act independently. Much of the debate is folks not recognizing or, if they do, not dealing openly and directly with the difference in perspectives. Still, if an individual woman has to spend her own money on either a mammogram or a colonoscopy, not such a no-brainer. Her view has to include the view of the insurer, as well. In which case maybe she won't pay for a mammogram at 80. If she doesn't consider it worth the money, why should the insurer or public health official? It seems to me that a reasonable insurer policy in the way of screenings would be to pay for what most individuals would pay for if they had to pay themselves and for what is deemed cost effective.