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

To: Brumar89 who wrote (12227)	12/10/2009 8:09:52 AM
From: Lane3	Respond to of 42652

The task force's mission seems clearly to have been to give cover to those who will change policy. Perhaps but unlikely, seems to me. I acknowledge that it can be and is used to give cover for reductions in offerings. But, given that its output is at least as likely to suggest increasing rather than reducing screenings, it's hard to justify that assessment. (I noticed that this round produced an increase in screenings for depression. Not much publicity on that.) It's pretty unusual to find a reduction proposed. Mostly new discoveries are added. That's much of why health care costs are going up.

To: Brumar89 who wrote (12227)	12/10/2009 6:00:51 PM
From: Peter Dierks	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42652

Britain's NICE is all about "clinical excellence" too. Who could be against that?, he says tongue in cheek. Britain is considering changing the acronym to reflect what they actual do. The New acronym will be Medical Expense Abatement Network. At least people can object to a MEAN government agency.

To: Brumar89 who wrote (12227)	12/11/2009 10:25:57 AM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42652

I got an email from Medicare today identifying all the screenings for which I would be "eligible" over the next year. The only thing on the list is the mammogram I already have scheduled. That short list illustrated so clearly how little screening Medicare authorizes. You'd think that a woman old enough to be under Medicare would be authorized more annual screening than that, at least some basic blood work. Which demonstrates, I think, that any cut-back in forty-something mammograms that might ensue would not be any different from what already goes on. Business as usual.