Posted on 10/18/2017 8:34:14 AM PDT by rktman
The British National Health Service (NHS) has provoked a firestorm by temporarily banning surgeries on people who smoke, and those who are obese. Patients who smoke must quit for at least 8 weeks before non-urgent surgery and obese people must lose weight before the NHS gives the go ahead.
The Telegraph:
In recent years, a number of areas have introduced delays for such patients - with some told operations will be put back for months, during which time they are expected to try to lose weight or stop smoking.
But the new rules, drawn up by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in Hertfordshire, say that obese patients will not get non-urgent surgery until they reduce their weight at all, unless the circumstances are exceptional.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Would they give urgent treatment to, say, a Muslim hater..?
how about a simple critic of unchecked immigration..?
would such a person get emergency surgery..?
I don’t think so.
A quaint name for DEATH PANELS.....................
No surgery for climate change deniers, either.
“non-urgent”
So, smokers and obese folks are being forced to take responsibility for their own “non urgent” poor health - instead of having the suckers in the “insurance” pool pay for it?
The Horror!
I knew a boxing instructor at Fort Huachuca that was always considered obese by the weight height chart, but I couldn't see any fat on him at all.
Nope, even now there are parts of “settled science” that are being updated or completely changed.
Bump
When my wife was a nurse, a woman came in with knee pain. She was 5’0” tall & weighted 300 lbs. My wife overheard the doctors discussing knee replacement surgery - the only question being, “Will Medicaid pay the bill?”
My wife thought knee replacement surgery for a 5’ tall woman who weighs 300+ lbs was like pissing the in the ocean. But she was a nurse and not an MD, so what did she know?
In many cases, I approve of the idea of telling the grossly obese or heavy smokers that no taxpayer money will be spent on treatments that cannot be effective as long as the patient continues to smoke or overload his body.
I doubt these new rules are intended for “overweight” powerlifters. However, if a powerlifter has a bad back, he MIGHT consider changing sports rather than back surgery.
Most people I know that have quit
smoking, gain weight. Some to the
point of being obese. Really a catch
22.
Big socialist government.
The same ones who demand peon citizens accept others as they are, and make it criminal not to.
Howver you want to rationalize it, big govt can, but you cannot. They will make you accomodate and take extreme ridiculous measures, but they wont.
...The Horror!
**********************
LOL An unexpected post from someone whose user name includes Phat.
Really doing a lot to control costs. NOT.
http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2013/06/27/outrageous-er-hospital-charges-what-to-do.html
The "healthcare" professionals gaming the system with $30 aspirin will do so regardless of whether the teats are on a private or goverment cow.
GimeDat! GimeDat! GimeDat!
At every level, the character (or lack thereof) is symptomatic of the systemic subversion and demoralization of American culture.
And if you own a firearm, you must first melt the entire thing into a worthless ingot...
The chart was successfully used to hound many military officers and enlisted over the years.
A powerlifter was the first thought that came to my mind, so that others might be able to make the connection.
IIRC, even Herschel Walker was considered mildly obese - according to the HW chart - since his muscular build was off the charts for “normal” people.
Powerlifters do get bad backs, both from lifting and from their normal daily activities. The sport is hard on joints, to be sure, but why would a medical doctor deny them “non-essential” surgery due to a generic chart?
It is the use of the chart, you will agree, that determines the abuse of the rules.
This rule comes from the NHS admins, is for England, and should have no effect in the US.
But what if some admin up in the bowels of the VA Admin decided to make up a rule that affects veterans, but allows the VA to improve its health stats?
Is it true that over there it is illegal to pay for treatment denied by the NHS?
...” I approve of the idea of telling the grossly obese or heavy smokers that no taxpayer money will be spent on treatments that cannot be effective as long as the patient continues to smoke or overload his body”.....
Will you say the same for those having sexual encounters of deviant behavior....or alcoholics....how about those who jump from one sexual ‘meet up” to another passing their diseases around married and unmarried.
This is all about “control” of revenue and profits...not at all about health issues...or peoples behaviors.
No it is not a catch 22.
Surgery is risky and it is more risky for patients who are smokers and who are obese.
If you want non-urgent surgery in this country, it is likely your surgeon will require you to stop smoking and possibly lose weight.
Own a firearm? We’re talking UK here. Do prison inmates get treated at NHS?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.