Interesting thing I found on the internet yesterday. It’s an article about a study that came out in August regarding the efficacy of prostate cancer screening and the hypothesis that screening too frequently is causing over-treatment. If this is all sounding a little bit familiar, there’s a reason. A few weeks ago the U.S. Preventive Services Taskforce came out with new recommendations regarding breast cancer screening. You would’ve thought that someone had just suggested mass transit in Seattle.
It seems that Republican members of congress didn’t miss a beat, whipping up fury in the feminist community by suggesting that these new recommendations could lead to the rationing of health care under the proposed Democratic health care reform.
You know what else could happen? Space aliens could invade planet earth and take over all medical practices, mandating skin pigment alteration for all Americans. At what point are we going to stop talking about what “might” happen and look at what is actually being proposed?
"To have a task force make the recommendation that has been made, and to have in this bill the authority that's given to various unelected bureaucrats to make health-care decisions, including coverage frequency, in my opinion, is wrong," said Representative Joe Barton (R-Tex).
I ask you this Rep Barton: What’s the difference between an insurance company making decisions regarding what is covered and how often, and an unelected bureaucrat making those decisions? And now I will answer that question: The people on the advisory board have medical credentials and are backed up by scientific data. That’s more than we can say for the typical insurance company executive. And let’s not forget the bottom line in this whole debate; insurance companies are making their decisions based on profits.
There are many things at play here, not the least of which is the fact that the new recommendations actually make scientific sense. Should we think twice about the fact that our society is more likely to call out over-treatment of women than of men? Perhaps there’s something to that. But let’s be clear: These members of congress who want you to think that the potential rationing of women’s health care is their top concern are full of #*$@. They’re exactly the same jerks who want to cut reproductive health care out of the reform bill. They’re simply swinging at anything that might bring health care reform crashing to the ground. Don’t let them get away with it.
If you live in Washington State, come out and join your fellow citizens for a state-wide rally for Health Care Reform. And call, call, call those representatives in Congress!
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