Obama: Terminal Patients May Be Denied Some Treatment Under Health Plan

Patriot Room ^ | April 30, 2009 | Bill Dupray

[Bill Dupray]

“I don’t know how much that hip replacement cost,” Mr. Obama said in the interview with David Leonhardt of The Times. “I would have paid out of pocket for that hip replacement, just because she’s my grandmother. Whether, sort of in the aggregate, society making those decisions to give my grandmother, or everybody else’s aging grandparents or parents, a hip replacement when they’re terminally ill is a sustainable model is a very difficult question.”

[Kickass Conservative]

Ah yes, the slippery slope.

Abortion on demand, Euthanasia, Selective Medical Treatment and Soylent Green. Obama’s America, coming to a Hospital near you.

[Freedom56v2]

Hope everyone realizes this is a trial balloon that the occupant is launching—better not let it fly!!!!

[Brad’s Gramma]

I would recommend that you share your story about your Dad with elected representatives.

Feinstein and Boxer? Dang it, I can't stand this crud.....there will be NO MORE MEDICAL advances with this. We all used to be SO PROUD of the medical care we could get in America.

I could cry thinking of all the people I know who NEED medication to live and I'm NOT talking old people...

All the pictures of the children I've seen in chemo. ....

And still, Freepers sit here not able to see the big picture. NO WONDER this country is going to "there" in a handbasket...

[SIDENET]

"Terminal"

As defined by our friends, The Government^TM.

What a WONDERFUL idea!

[Kickass Conservative]

At age 82, my Father was given three years with Stage Four Lymphoma, exactly three years ago. He is disease free at the moment.

At age 52, I was given 10 to 15 years three years ago for Stage Three Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. So far, so good.

Life is full of surprises.

I love Big Pharma. I hate Big Government.

[MediaMole]

Who determines what is terminally ill? The same people who sent Terri Schaivo to her end?

My grandmother had two hip replacements in 18 months when she was 85 and 86. She had just survived major cancer surgery.

Many people would have said she was terminally ill, but she recovered from the three surgeries, regained her independence and lived on her own until she was 92 and survived with family care until she was 97.

[stop_fascism]

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/2006-10-18-end-of-life-costs_x.htm

The numbers in the survey in the article OH4life included, indicate a national average of about $17k for the last year. That doesn’t sound outrageous to me. Skilled nursing in Ca costs around $4k and $8k per month. So the lingering death of an Alzheimer’s patient is going to cost the system a lot more (say 4K x 12m x 5y = $240k for nursing alone).

My father refused all treatment for the cancer that killed him. But, still, by the time he saw specialists to determine what was wrong, and had home hospice care for 6 months, I’d imagine his bill would be around the national average.

At the same time, my father-in-law in his late 80s developed the same disease, had aggressive treatment and was cured. The cost for that would be around $60k I’d guess. He has since developed other non-life threatening diseases which keep adding to his tab. That is a big strain on the system, but what can be done? I don’t want to live in a society that denies medical care to anyone past a certain age.

[babble-on]

The person paying for it gets a say under the current system, don’t kid yourself.

[Pete]

FYI. The CDC released H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) Infections Alert for Institutions of Higher Education. It included this paragraph that was bold in the original release.

Monitor the postings on the CDC web site and that of your local and state health departments and follow local health department advice about possible closure of colleges and universities

So, we shouldn't be surprised if colleges and universities start closing in the coming days. I find that if I know what to expect, things make a lot more sense.

[Pete]

Ping. See my #89 above (I meant to include you on the ping)

[DvdMom]

important flu virus ping

[babble-on]

I don’t see numbers anything like that in that article, for starters. For one thing all the numbers are “last six months” not last year in that article, and they appear to average in the mid 20’s, not counting medicine!, for six months.

It also says: When asked if it is better to keep a terminally ill person alive as long as possible, regardless of the expense, or to make a judgment as to whether it’s worth the expense, 48% said it’s better to weigh the costs, compared with 40% who said to keep the person alive as long as possible, regardless of the cost.

Among those 65 and older, 60% said expense should be considered, compared with 28% who said cost should not enter the decision.

Remember, its the elderly who have had the experience of watching an 85 year old friend with heart failure and diabetes suffer through aggressive chemotherapy, and then die anyway of some other geriatric problem. Its insanity the way it’s done today.

[DvdMom]

thanks for the ping :)

[Raebie]

Thanks for the ping, Pete.

Fortunately, alot of colleges are already out or getting ready to dismiss for the summer. At least that’s true here in NC.

[Pete]

This update came out this morning at 6:30am.

Update on School (K – 12) Dismissal and Childcare Facilities: Interim CDC Guidance in Response to Human Infections with the 2009 Influenza A H1N1 Virus

We may see an acceleration in school closings as the state labs catch up on their backlog of sample testings as the new kits reach their hands.

This is a good article from last night that discusses the issues in the State labs.

State labs: US swine flu cases likely higher

I would expect a spike in confirmed cases as backlogs get cleaned up and as that happens, we should expect more closings. This is from the guidance:

CDC recommends that affected communities with laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza A (H1N1) virus infection consider activating school dismissal and childcare closure interventions according to the guidelines below.

Again, knowing that very widespread school closings could occur as early as next week will allow us not to be surprised if it happens and can help us prepare.

[DvdMom]

Hong Kong reports 1st confirmed swine flu in Asia

17 minutes ago
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gnKz6JKf1o0Bic6UrduEAAlxyQ1wD97TF4O81

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong leader says territory has detected swine flu, in Asia’s first confirmed case

[DvdMom]

Thanks for the head’s up !

I appreciate your pings :)

[Freedom56v2]

Life is full of surprises.

I love Big Pharma. I hate Big Government.

---

So glad your family has beaten the odds/diagnosis!
Very catchy—I may steal it? Or you could use it as a tag line.

[DvdMom]

flu virus school closings ping :)

[Freedom56v2]

Oh my condolences of Boxer & Feinstein :( Do you have any conservative Reps near your district that you could talk to. That is what I plan to do as I have Durbin & what’s his name...oh yeah Burris. Actually Durbin got a smackdown yesterday when that mortgage shovedown bill was defeated. Once in a while, we get some good news out of Washington.

I sure hope people soon wake up around here and see how dangerous governmental healthcare control is. Geez it is one-fifth of the economy; and really the only profitable sector and the only one that has not been taken over...yet.

It does amaze me that people don’t care & I don’t have chronically sick relatives & am not in need of health care myself, yet I am constantly calling, posting, and trying to vangelize friends and neighbors on this issue. I think people believe that this actually won’t affect them; maybe not at first, but in a decade EVERYONE will be in the government system and their will be rationing because the numbers don’t add up any other way!