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Post by blackngold on Dec 9, 2009 11:43:51 GMT -5
On a related "Death Panel" note. This is a phrase that really burns me up. People who are trying to stop Healthcare reform throw this out there like it is something new. Death panels already exist as evidenced by this article. www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/20091209_Monica_Yant_Kinney__Insurance_plan_no_longer_sweet.htmlThe aricle hits a soft spot with me since my aunt died from multiple myeloma which is cancer fo the bone marrow. Here is a family that most people would say did the right things in their lives. Worked hard. Didn't live beyond their means. Planned for retirement. And now this woman is just f**ked. In another article written by a woman who has MM, the writer says that her medication costs $70,000 per year. She fortunately has medical coverage.
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Post by blackngold on Dec 9, 2009 11:51:53 GMT -5
Another big issue at the hospital is our Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU). These are the people on ventilators to help them breath. Our internal studies show that once a patient has been on a ventilator for 21 days, the chances of recovering are very slim. In reality, the study also shows that once a patient hits the five day mark, the outcome is bad. She wants our pulmonologist in charge of the MICU to be more proactive in talking to families about the realities of the situation. These beds are in high demand at the hospital. We recently had a patient die due in part to the fact that s/he was in an intermediate care bed because the MICU was full.
So the issue speaks to quality of patient care and patient cost. I think I have pointed this out before but for most people, the bulk of the money spent on their healthcare comes in the last few weeks of their life trying to oppose the inevitable.
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Post by blackngold on Dec 17, 2009 8:42:00 GMT -5
So, here's another one - www.nytimes.com/2009/12/15/health/15surg.html?em. This one gets to all the issues of health care. A risky, expensive surgery for an older man who is going to die without treatment. The surgery and post op care for him probably exceeded $500,000. Should it be covered by insurance? Obviously this was. Would a "government death panel" think it worth it. Just think, $500,000 and he almost died anyway. But in the end, which of us wouldn't want the chance to have a surgery like this? That is the fundamental question.
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