On the front page above the fold in today's Houston Chronicle, the results of a recent federally sponsored study "concluded" that breast cancer screening need not be initiated until a woman's 50th birthday. Talk about foreboding.
Not only have physicians voiced their opposition to the study's conclusion; a layman's, such as myself, reading would have to agree that the very statistics relied upon in said study are not sufficiently compelling to draw the conclusion reached. It sure would reduce health care costs for the government's plan though. I guess prostate screening will start at 70 years of age for gender balancing?
As you should recall, his "O-ness" said that "studies" would be used to guide doctors in more efficient ways to administer medical care to their patients under his plan.
For those of you who believe that the Public Option is going to provide all levels of health care for all Americans and "visitors" for less dollars it's time to open your eyes....there is no Tooth Fairy just the American taxpayer.
Although the Politically Correct so called "progressives" on the Left would have us believe this hype; the reality is that health care rationing is a necessary component of all socialized medical delivery systems.
If the American public does not appreciate the consequences associated with this sham study they will have little right to complain when the subsequent care they need is denied.
The choice should be responsible health care not rationed health care for America.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I think your comparing apples and oranges. This study was unrelated to the health care bills bouncing around in Congress. I watched several news shows yesterday where the authors of the study answered questions about their findings. In each they expressed doubts about the ability of memography to diagnose breast cancer, and yet they all said that if you have a family history of breast cancer then by all means get one annually. If there is no history, the ability of the test between 40-50 is so negligible and fraught with false positives as to lose it's value. The problem is with the test and the need to find a more accurate way to screen.
One can be against socialized medicine, but still see that a medical study has some value. The media has again, as with swine flu, created a hurricane out of a simple rain shower or the sake of making news.
Jigmeister,
Medical studies have undeniable value. However, the validity and interpretation of the data on which application of treatment protocols are determined must be scrutinized carefully.
The relationship of the mammogram study to the health care plan/public option was in reference to Obama's statement that medical studies would be used to determine what levels of care would be most appropriate for a specific patient. It was a subtle transfer of decision making from the physician to the government's interpretation of a medical study.
I do not have information on the false positive or false negative percentages of the various forms of mammography or other diagnostics tools to screen for breast cancer but that begs the question. Until there is a better option let's not arbitrarily trash mammograms based exclusively on the opinion of government funded researchers. Until the private medical sector has had their input I am skeptical.
The Pig Flu I agree with you on. If anyone at our firm starts to sniffle or cough it's off work immediately and to HR for a mandatory screen. Politically correct insanity.
Mandatory Government funded implants for all American women by age 40....problem solved.
Post a Comment