Community Chat

[lulu1]

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@Evie2004 wrote:

@Mz iMac Cancer Centers of America do not accept Medicare insurance coverage, not sure about Medicaid, but pretty sure not.

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If Medicare does not pay, then secondary insurance will not pay either.

Last year I had surgery that had it been my primary, my secondary would have paid.  Because Medicare did not pay, my secondary paid nothing.

[trenet]

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@on the bay wrote:

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@suzyQ3 wrote:

I got so sick of the commercials that I did a little research and found very negative results about the company. One was that the numbers they tout are more from their not accepting the most difficult cases.

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@suzyQ3-

I did the same as you because I thought they sounded so hopeful!

And maybe they are, if you have the right insurance and the money, and a possibility to survive. Somehow this is just wrong.

I think any beneficial treatment should be available to everyone. Yes, everyone.

Other countries can do it. I wish we would too.

Other countries also have many restrictions on what care is given, as well as to whom.  (Especially when provided by their socialized medical system where the tab is being picked up by the taxpayers.)

And, I won’t even get into long wait lists and bureaucratic

decisions. (Often worse than here!)  

[When I was first diagnosed 25 years ago with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, I was able to get in for my biopsy in 7-10 days.  At that time, NHS had a wait time of 4- 12 months for biopsy surgeries!  

(Yes, I had a great internist. After a few days wait to check bacterial cultures “just in case”, he called the surgeon while I was in the office and asked him to see me that afternoon, which he did and was scheduled for biopsy surgery two days later!)]

Other countries and, indeed, the EU, have restrictions, guidelines and formularies. 

In the UK, the NHS has restrictions and, when it comes to drug treatments available, they have their formularies too.

NICE (National Institute for Health and  Clinical Excellence)  determines many things regarding what care is given.  Often, it is based on cost-effectiveness, not outcome of result and certainly not based on result for any individual patient.  

I will give you an example.

I am currently taking a drug for metastatic breast cancer that NICE ruled is not cost-effective. UK Women involved in the test study can continue but, no new women will get the drug.

(It’s interesting that they allowed the women in the study to continue if it is so cost-ineffective and so ineffective compared to other treatments in “delaying disease progression”!)  

Interestingly, France has come to a different conclusion than the UK. 

Edited to update with correct information:

I need to correct.  I had not followed up on changes since the initial decision.  

Late last year, after additional trials, re-evaluation, and negotiating a lower price, NICE has approved use of palbociclib (Ibrance) and ribociclib (Kisqali).  

One of the determinations was the quality of life benefits to the patient of delaying disease progression, as well as delaying or eliminating or delaying other chemotherapy with harsher side effects.   Here’s hoping that my UK metastatic breast cancer

sisters are as fortunate as I have been thus far with Ibrance in surpassing the projections of slowing progression and staying alive.  

[maestra]

I'm a cancer survivor and I dont view those commercials like that at all.

They offer very comprehensive alternatives to oncologists who may tell you your expiration date is up.

I know other survivors who have been there; these centers often have cutting edge tech ahead of regional hospitals and treatment centers.

Do you honestly believe that MD Anderson and Sloan Kettering are cheap? Good luck w/that.

[ValuSkr]

Sometimes I think "cancer" has become such big business that researchers will be less motivated to find a cure.  Or that potential cures will be undermined or buried by parties (big business) that have the most to lose.

[suzyQ3]

From the Guardian, July 2, 2018:

Nothing inspires national pride quite like the National Health Service. More than two-thirds of respondents in a recent poll said they considered the establishment of the institution, which turns 70 this week, to be Britain’s greatest achievement.

[cherry]

There are good and bad things about the UK health care, according to my Irish neighbor, who still has heaps of family there

It is wonderful for emergencies. If you need elective surgery your could be waiting till the cows come home for it.  She has a relative that can barely walk their knees are so bad, and they are in agony

However, everyone does get  the basic health care, and you can't say the same thing about us

Many in the UK have opted for private insurance  if they can afford it, to insure better  quality  of care

I have read horrendous things about the treatment of patients there. One man died because he wasn't given any water, and Prince Charles even commented about this in print. It was scandalous

However ,I have read about people dying on the hospital floor ,while waiting to be seen ,at inner city hospitals here

It is all down to money ,and  health care dollars being spent elsewhere. We all need to do better.. Will we?  I doubt it

[on the bay]

It is disappointing and sad to hear about so long wait lists and negative things from other countries healthcare too.

That doesn't mean that health care for all is a bad thing. I'm sure every country can improve.

I just cringe when I hear how much is spent on so many things that could be put to so much better use.

In the perfect world I guess.

[blackhole99]

Cancer is a terrible scary disease and people go into over drive when they are diagnosed. My best friend was married to a very wealthy man, he would fly her to NY for her cancer treatment. My friend had the best of care and still died, leaving 2 small children. Just think about the single working mother with no insurance or lousy insurance and what she must be going through.

[suzyQ3]

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@on the bay wrote:

It is disappointing and sad to hear about so long wait lists and negative things from other countries healthcare too.

That doesn't mean that health care for all is a bad thing. I'm sure every country can improve.

I just cringe when I hear how much is spent on so many things that could be put to so much better use.

In the perfect world I guess.

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@on the bay, sad to say that we have our own horror stories.

[hsawaknow]

When those commercials first came out I always got the impression they offered 'hope' but at a high price. To this day I think the same thing. Does that even make sense?