A national health board is a first step to picking winners and losers among patients, saving money instead of lives
Before Britain's Katie Brickell was diagnosed with cervical cancer at age 23, she tried to get a routine pap test three times, but was refused because the U.K.'s national government rationing board that controls what treatments patients may receive will only pay for screenings for women 25 or older in an effort to cut costs.
Denied this routine test by her government's health care board, Katie's cancer was found at a late stage. Her cancer is terminal. Katie's story is not unique, and mirrors the experiences of many of the United Kingdom's other 61 million citizens trapped in its National Health System.
As our nation goes forward in its own health care reform debate, the failures of the British system should have Americans asking some very important questions such as: "Who should make medical decisions -- me and my doctor -- or a government board?"
(Download the rest of this CPR white paper in PDF format)
Before Britain's Katie Brickell was diagnosed with cervical cancer at age 23, she tried to get a routine pap test three times, but was refused because the U.K.'s national government rationing board that controls what treatments patients may receive will only pay for screenings for women 25 or older in an effort to cut costs.Denied this routine test by her government's health care board, Katie's cancer was found at a late stage. Her cancer is terminal. Katie's story is not unique, and mirrors the experiences of many of the United Kingdom's other 61 million citizens trapped in its National Health System.
As our nation goes forward in its own health care reform debate, the failures of the British system should have Americans asking some very important questions such as: "Who should make medical decisions -- me and my doctor -- or a government board?"
(Download the rest of this CPR white paper in PDF format)
We can't compare anything with Great Britian becaues we don't have a plan in place and only have the arbitrary handlings of various Insurance Companies. So it's the Insurance Companies policies and their phone clerks that you have to fight to get coverage. High overhead and poor results. Who says we would have a bad system, could it be worse that what we have? I think not.
This is a horrible thing to happen to a young woman, and it was something that could have been CAUGHT EARLY! As a Nurse, I am appalled that the "Powers that be" here in America are even thinking about this. We are in serious trouble, folks. We have to be heard.
No one is saying that the existing system does not have its faults. The issue is that whenever a government takes away the individual citizen's right to choose for him or herself, we are marching towards a less free society. We Americans take our freedoms for granted. As those freedoms are slowly taken away, will we wake up and stop it before it is too late?
Me again. Guess you figured out this comment thing was
a bad idea. I hope you get a chance to try to deal with one of these insurance companies.You will remember me when it happens to you or someone you
love. I fought Blue Cross/Blue Shield with arbitration
for my mothers care and won to the tune of about two
million dollars that paid all her bills...that they
owed. Forgot to mention that I was an insurance agent
I feel sorry for the people that don't know what to do.
Signing off for good.
This really is about loosing our freedom to choose our doctor and/or care facility. Yes, we have many limited choice options that come w/ various levels of insurance packages today, but from what I have been reading over the past 3 months, we would kill for these options back, if we are to hand over the rest of our health care freedoms to a panel of Gov't Bureaucrats. I really wish our Media would cover alternative options to mend our system, rather than focus on the problems it has, and that Gov't is our only option. But that is what America has become: when we expect the Katie Couric's to spew all that is bad about America's healthcare system. ADVICE: We must expose Britain and CA's health care system w/ REAL people, EVERY WEEK. The average American voter/news watcher IS NOT CAPABLE of remembering A THING beyond 2 WEEKS.
My husband almost died because a doctor wouldn't provide the proper tests for a diagnosis. The doctor finally admitted that if he ran these tests he would lose his rating with the insurance company. My husband wanted to "deck" this so called doctor that was "in bed" with the insurance company. My husband went to another doctor immediately that had him in surgery the next day. HELLO! The US has been in "health care" rationing for a long time. P.S. My Blue Cross/Blue Shield policy increased 26% this year.
After watching what and how our congress handles day to day events and their abuse of their powers, how can I have a good feeling on their creation of an affective health care program. But most of all, I want to know if they, the privileged, are going on this program also or will they stay on their special health care program. If it's good enough for us then it should also be good enough for them. We, the people,should be the ones to determine if they receive treatment in the future. I wonder if they would be comfortable accepting our decisions on what kind of health care they would qualify for.
All you have to listen to are the comments from those under a national health care plan to see that the logic of who does and doesn't receive care is very flawed. I do not want this!!!!!!!