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Tuesday, November 16, 2009
Unbelievable.
Really, it is - and I'm not a medical professional.
Yet again, it's not surprising, especially for those paying attention to the direction that this nation is headed in.
Anyone that questions why many people are opposed to a government-run health care option only needs to look at Exhibit B.
That's B - for breast cancer.
The recent "recommendation" from a government task force stating that women should wait an additional 10 years before having regular mammograms smacks in the face of the hard work of valiant organizations such as the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the conclusions of the American Cancer Society - ironically, not long after Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
This "recommendation" from the government task force is a dangerous move that reeks of government-mandated cost-savings just as the nation is crowing over the proposed cost of a government-run health care plan.
At a time when professional athletes such as the men of the NFL wore pink throughout October to bring awareness to early detection and continue research in the fight against breast cancer, this government task force attempts to take the wind out of the sails in this much-needed campaign against an unnecessary and preventable killer.
Those that think that it's just about cost - in terms of money and anxiety - may have a point, but it does not support the case of the government in this instance. Not only does this appear to be one of the few times in modern medical history will a group of medical professionals advise people not to take the path of precaution and early detection (as they do from everything from annual checkups to dietary habits), but it also comes as a move that seems to benefit insurance companies that would increasingly become unwilling to financially cover a number of tests designed to catch cancer in its earliest forms, a move that would save these companies billions of dollars annually but would also - and more importantly, we must remember - save thousands of American women's lives annually as well. Isn't that what insurance companies are supposed to do - ensure that we have the avenues and resources to optimize our health as prudently and swiftly as possible? Instead, this move encourages these companies to do the exact opposite, providing an opportunity where bureaucracy via paperwork and policies can prevent women from the life-saving tests and preventive measures that they desperately need while these insurers save billions of blood-tinged dollars.
Just in time for the potential new kid on the insurance block to get into the game and save some bucks with this government task force "recommendation" in the process - the federal government.
And this is a huge example (Exhibit B, if you will) of why government-run health care for the masses is a very bad idea.
Under a government-run option that insures a significant portion of our nation, this "recommendation" from the government task force to push back the annual mammogram age from 40 to 50 would have quickly and effectively become an edict from on high, thus making law (without using the law-making powers of the populace-elected Congress) a statement discouraging health care professionals and women from actively searching for breast cancer for another 10 years. Further, the strength of this de facto edict would have enabled the government-run option to deny women that have concerns about their bodies the opportunity to investigate possible issues before they become fatal problems.
Even still, under this same plan with what we have seen of the wishes of the White House and the government bureaucracy this week, American women would be able to get abortions on demand - and in many cases, taking lives needlessly- with taxpayer funding but could not get the taxpayer funding needed (under this "recommendation") to detect a growing killer in America for another 10 years - thus, in many cases, losing lives needlessly.
The more we hear from the health care arm of the federal government, the more that we should walk away from a health care bill that includes anything that involves the term "government-run." Washington is exhibiting clear signs of what we will have in health care should our resources be directed towards the government-run option for all Americans. We will not buy reform, but a twisted bureaucracy where the select few - not American women or the nation overall - will have ultimate power over the decisions to prevent life and death.
So, simply of the exhibits on health care we have seen so far this week: Buyer Beware.
Unbelievable.
Really, it is - and I'm not a medical professional.
Yet again, it's not surprising, especially for those paying attention to the direction that this nation is headed in.
Anyone that questions why many people are opposed to a government-run health care option only needs to look at Exhibit B.
That's B - for breast cancer.
The recent "recommendation" from a government task force stating that women should wait an additional 10 years before having regular mammograms smacks in the face of the hard work of valiant organizations such as the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the conclusions of the American Cancer Society - ironically, not long after Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
This "recommendation" from the government task force is a dangerous move that reeks of government-mandated cost-savings just as the nation is crowing over the proposed cost of a government-run health care plan.
At a time when professional athletes such as the men of the NFL wore pink throughout October to bring awareness to early detection and continue research in the fight against breast cancer, this government task force attempts to take the wind out of the sails in this much-needed campaign against an unnecessary and preventable killer.
Those that think that it's just about cost - in terms of money and anxiety - may have a point, but it does not support the case of the government in this instance. Not only does this appear to be one of the few times in modern medical history will a group of medical professionals advise people not to take the path of precaution and early detection (as they do from everything from annual checkups to dietary habits), but it also comes as a move that seems to benefit insurance companies that would increasingly become unwilling to financially cover a number of tests designed to catch cancer in its earliest forms, a move that would save these companies billions of dollars annually but would also - and more importantly, we must remember - save thousands of American women's lives annually as well. Isn't that what insurance companies are supposed to do - ensure that we have the avenues and resources to optimize our health as prudently and swiftly as possible? Instead, this move encourages these companies to do the exact opposite, providing an opportunity where bureaucracy via paperwork and policies can prevent women from the life-saving tests and preventive measures that they desperately need while these insurers save billions of blood-tinged dollars.
Just in time for the potential new kid on the insurance block to get into the game and save some bucks with this government task force "recommendation" in the process - the federal government.
And this is a huge example (Exhibit B, if you will) of why government-run health care for the masses is a very bad idea.
Under a government-run option that insures a significant portion of our nation, this "recommendation" from the government task force to push back the annual mammogram age from 40 to 50 would have quickly and effectively become an edict from on high, thus making law (without using the law-making powers of the populace-elected Congress) a statement discouraging health care professionals and women from actively searching for breast cancer for another 10 years. Further, the strength of this de facto edict would have enabled the government-run option to deny women that have concerns about their bodies the opportunity to investigate possible issues before they become fatal problems.
Even still, under this same plan with what we have seen of the wishes of the White House and the government bureaucracy this week, American women would be able to get abortions on demand - and in many cases, taking lives needlessly- with taxpayer funding but could not get the taxpayer funding needed (under this "recommendation") to detect a growing killer in America for another 10 years - thus, in many cases, losing lives needlessly.
The more we hear from the health care arm of the federal government, the more that we should walk away from a health care bill that includes anything that involves the term "government-run." Washington is exhibiting clear signs of what we will have in health care should our resources be directed towards the government-run option for all Americans. We will not buy reform, but a twisted bureaucracy where the select few - not American women or the nation overall - will have ultimate power over the decisions to prevent life and death.
So, simply of the exhibits on health care we have seen so far this week: Buyer Beware.
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