Breast Cancer Controversy: Will Reform Impose Guidelines?

The republicans use numbers that are meaningless. Signing up 5000 new to insurance is a sin. The 3.5% turndown of service by major ins co’s, of course they have successfully with these same republicans weeded out most risk patients. I want these republicans to get rid of the awful, failed Medicare and see what their constituents do to them. Lets have a controlled sign uo of all uninsred and see what happens to the republican claimed 3.5%.

It appeared George’s guest on “This Week” had read and understood the health care bill except for Debbie Wasserman Shultz. George did a great job correcting Shultz’s distortion of the truth and then she looked foolish back peddling to cover up her prevarications. Representative Schultz may not have been a breast cancer survivor had the health care plan she is touting had been in effect.

I watch your show every week but I found this part of the show today almost unwatchable with those two women constantly talking over each other. Can’t you turn off mics when that happens?
Ladies speak in turn!
Also if EVERYONE agrees that we need Health Care Reform how come we never get it! We have needed Health Care Reform for YEARS! Take away all the health care options the lawmakers enjoy today and I bet we would get reform tomorrow!

On the video above you cut out the most important part where Marsha Blackburn reads and details the specific wording in the bill… and George agrees with her that it is what it says… that these guidelines WILL become law.

First, matt, you make a very good point. What is that all about? 60 votes in the Senate last night. Where are the folks who support health care reform and moving this country forward?
Second, I wish more people would read health care related journals and blogs. The news about mammograms is not brand new information based on one study that just came out. The World Health Organization, and many European countries where the government pays for routine mammography screening, already follow these guidelines.PLUS, the mission of the Preventative Services task force is to provide evidence-based recommendations and treatment guidelines for clinicians—they are not charged with rationing care. Appointed by HHS, they are an independent group.

Did you not watch the program this morning these recomendations will become law if the bill is passed even George had to read that part of the bill to prove the point. Why would anyone post a comment like republicans dont care about women, cant believe anything you say.

It was certainly apparent by this discussion who was relying on facts and knowledge of the legislation as opposed to those who play on peoples emotions.

1. The fearmongering has already begun. I’m all for intelligent debates, but those who are trying to control you with fear should be ignored.
2. Attacking the new recommendations is worthwhile inasmuch as it may bring new thoughts to the table. However, there is a cutoff where it doesn’t make sense to do routine mammography. Seriously, should we have routine scans of girls beginning in their teenage years? Obviously not. Recommendations like this, however, generally have a lot of loopholes (i.e. those at higher risk should be screened). The analysis made by the recommendations was that there was just as likely to be harm from overtesting as from missed cancers.

Obama had nothing to do with this. He was in China.

In order to save $100M for ‘Obamacare’, women under 50 shouldn’t get mammograms,
and the frequency for Pap smears was recommended to be reduced.
Women will be nudged to get less preventive medicine, is this OK? Not a bit.
Why does the Surgeon General allow such nonsense, this unnecessary contribution of women?
Perhaps, in the working group of ‘health care socialists’, you need every possible idea to scratch the money
together needed for this ‘historic enterprise’!
On the other hand, they are going to spend $100M extra in efforts to secure this NYC terrorist trial.
If you compare both issues and numbers, the women’s health is more important than the fuzz and feeblemindedness of this civilian trial.
American women – stand up for your preventive medical care. Please write to your representative or senator in order to give them a
wake-up call.

I thought the timing of the releases of the two women’s studies was questionable. Now I can see that these were times by the Republican machine to be used as propaganda for this healthcare battle. Most Americans want healthcare reform, so let’s not fall for the propaganda this time.

travelertraveler–You are so right!! I just don’t get the objection to changes to our healthcare. Republicans keep fearing the government restricting doctors and not covering so many tests and procedures–oh, wait, that’s what we have now, only it’s the insurance companies doing it to us!!!! They just don’t want to have every working person have access to affordable insurance…Christians, I ask-WWJD????

Does anyone question the timing of this (completely non-binding) guideline? The independent panel (USPSTF) that published this smack dab during the heated healthcare debate in the Senate is made up of 16 private healthcare professionals (no ties to the govt). Four of the 16 are also advisors or executives for the health insurance industry–the group lobbying hardest to stop reform. Not one of the members was an oncologist or radiologist. Kathleen Sebelius immediately disavowed the report–the USPSTF has no authority to create govt policy. Shortly after that, a private professional group that has nothing whatsoever to do with the govt, but is on record as being opposed to reform, issues questionable guidelines for Pap smears. The right immediately screams ‘rationing’ without taking the time to look at who is issuing these reports, question the extremely coincidental timing or do any basic research on the conflict of interest inherent in these private group recommendations. This is plain ol’ corporate manipulation of the legislative process. They sucker you every time and get you to go on forums predicting the “beginning of the end” and other childish apocalyptic nonsense. The world did not end with Medicare or Medicaid, as you well know, and no one is more guilty of egregious rationing of care than the private health insurance industry. You are being used as willing dupes.

Too many times lately, the loud and rude are being allowed to dominate discussions on this show… Take a little control George… WW

Seriously, I am glad the right is desperate enough to latch on to anything they can. The guidelines were three years in the making, are reasonable and are consistent with standards of care in other countries. They are soooo consistent: big boogeyman government is out to get you.
Responsible care is better than for profit care. Its time we started to make the distinction between purchasing whatever we want (while premiums go up) and providing care you actually NEED and is beneficial.

We need HealthCare Reform but this Bill Surley Is Not it! A Good Quality Reform would Also Include Congress Themselves. And You Know They Would Not Buy Into This One. Should Why Should The American People Settle For Third Class? This Is Not Change For The Better. Change Just For The Sake Of Change Is A Gross Error.

Fact is Lovebugs, we have a great survival rate because we do these screenings more often than Europeans…the UK is particularly late to jump on the bandwagon and urge women to get screening AND make the accessible to the general population. The study cited proves my point – we do it better here doing exactly what we are doing. By the way, all politicians on both sides of the aisle are backing away from this study…it is toxic. Women fought hard to get the medical and political world to focus on the fact that one in eight American and European women will have breast cancer in their lifetime. I hardly think we are going to follow this study and retrogress.

Republicans say what?
It was Republican GW Bush who Appointed the task force Pannel.
It was the Past Republican Administrations who funded that Pannel, from Regan to both Bush (father and son.)
Not the Democrat Administrations.
So it stands to reason that the Republican party are in co-hoots with the Task force who are the ones changing the Guidelines.
It is not the democrat administration at all.
My my, what a tangled web the Republicans weave when first they practice to deceive.

The Republicans appointed and funded that committee,
Not the Democrats.
Regan and both Bush(es) funded that medical study task force.
And GW appointed the pannel on that committee.
Of course their new findings are Politically motivated to stop Health Care Reform.
Of course their new findings were an instrument for the republicans to use against Health Care Reform.
But of course the Republicans forget that in todays technology, the truth always comes out.
The Republicans want to continue with the insurance practices of Denying health care coverage to those with Pre-Existing conditions, and Dropping patients who suddenly come down with serious illnesses, and continue charging a lot more for Pre-existing conditions with limited coverage (less coverage)at all then their healthy conterparts.

Angie, the present and last Presidents are/were way behind on important judicial appointments, you honestly believe that the POTUS is involved in this USPSTF panel? (Panel has one “N” not BTW.) I doubt it, this is a remote academic research group which has been in continuous existence since the Reagan Administration. If you have proof that either party appointed this present panel, prove it…show me the source of that data. I am a political independent – I have been searching, I can’t find it. But, intellectually, I am pretty sure that the White House had nothing to do with it, whether they were appointed during the Clinton, Bush or Obama administrations…the President has more on his plate than this obscure group.

Marsha Blackburn is another example of the lying and fraud that characterizes the GOP. She does not deserve the attention she is getting.
Posted by: William Joseph Miller | Nov 22, 2009 12:53:19 PM
Very interesting information about Blackburn. I also agree with those that question the timing of this information being released. It’s about as coincidental as the timing of the hacking of the climate change scientists’ emails.

I think a lot of the “controversy” is media-driven. What’s the problem? The results of a study are released. You talk to your doctor. You make a decision. No problem.

Another day, another Republican lie. As people have said a thousand times, this was a non-partisan committee of people selected during the Bush era who began this study during the Bush era to update guidelines from 2002 that ALREADY suggested biannual screenings for the over fifties might be enough. There is clearly NO value for the Democrats in releasing it before the vote if there is a conspiracy, although I can see plenty for the Republicans. The only problem is it backfires, because the people most likely to use it to ration health care are the insurance companies.

This segment of the program did a great disservice to women in particular and the American public in general. With Rep. Wasserman Shultz too distracted, perhaps forgiveably, by her outrage at the task force findings, she failed entirely to defend the health care bill. With Stephanopoulos so mesmerized by Rep. Blackburn’s ability to rattle off page and section numbers (likely on the notes in front of her), he failed entirely to recognize and call out her complete misrepresentation of the legislative effect of those references. The truth? Women in America should not fear that health care reform, as proposed, will limit their access to breast cancer screenings. This law only prescribes the minimum level of care that must be covered by health plans. In short, adds requirements where none exist today. In doing so, it does nothing to set limits on services that will be available or even those which may be insured by health plan providers – including a public option provider.

WWJD?
I’m not Jesus. I can’t take some fishes and 2 loaves of bread and feed the masses…..and my paycheck can’t pay for everyone to have everything they think they deserve for free.
Get a job folks. Lets make the Gov’t create jobs so we can work and get our own healthcare. Stop paying slackers to lie around (literally) and have one baby after another so they officially retire before working one single day.
If I lose my job, I’m gonna file bankruptcy (after borrowing a significant amount of money and putting it away) and then work on collecting SSI. I’m pretty sure I can work hard enough to get it. 1600.00 or more a month to do absolutely NOTHING!
LOVE IT!

May I suggest to all of you folks who think that the idea of Obama care is so great take a trip to Canada or England or Ireland the people there HATE their all so wonderful health care! It does not work! Yes we need to work on what we have but we do not need to destroy it to correct it’s problems.

Mammograms after 50 save more lives than mammograms after 40. It’s just a better policy with fewer false positives and fewer unnecessary surgeries. Let’s be honest about the pain and suffering caused by too many tests that simply don’t make us healthier. Those that think this is some sinister plot to reduce the population of women should take off their tin foil helmets. The same sort of cost/benefit analysis is going on for prostate and other cancers. If you think early screening is so great, why not give X-rays to every American 25 year old girl? You might catch a tumor and save a life.

The timing of this ‘report’ is very shady. This ‘group’ that put this out has very interesting timing. Read in between the lines. It’s a different scare tactic but that same old culprits.

That is why the Stupak Amendment was allowed to be put into the Bill when it was in the House. They knew they could do any kind of changes once it got out of the House into the Senate. They will reap what they sow.

‘‘SEC. 399Z–1. SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH CLINICS.****In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give preference to SBHCs that have a demonstrated record of service to the following:‘(1) A high percentage of medically under served children and adolescents. ‘(2) Communities or populations in which children and adolescents have difficulty accessing health and mental health services.
‘(3) Communities with high percentages of children and adolescents who are uninsured, underinsured, or eligible for medical assistance under Federal or State health benefits programs (including titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act). WHY does this need to be in our schools if the Health Care Reform Bill is going to cover all anyway? Distractions?!

David: Last I checked, a couple of malcontents that the conservative press throw on the TV don’t prove that Canadians, Brits or Irish don’t like their healthcare. Canadians still like their system and still wouldn’t trade it for what we have. They do see the possibility to improve their system which isn’t the same thing as they hate it and want to rid themselves of it.
NDMOM: Your post makes no sense! First, you complain that Europeans survive breast cancer at lower rates, then I point out that this is because women don’t get screened and then you say that’s because the screenings aren’t accessible. British women cite embarrassment as the number one reason they don’t seek cervical cancer screenings. Sorry. It has nothing to do with accessibility.

I am backing the passing of the health care bill if it is going to benefit all Americans. I am living with 4th stage breast cancer and no insurance. I have been fortunate to have some wonderful doctors and a hospital that has charity programs for people like myself that needs help and good medical care. I would like to have this insurance. I have applied for a policy but was turned down because of my health. I am 52 years old and dying. There are many many Americans in the same shape as I am and would like to have this bill to pass, providing it is going to help us. I do not know much of what is in it, but I pray it will help me and others who are in need of treatments. I had medicaid, but lost it when I started drawing my regular disability. They said I made to much money. Well, would everyone like to know why I draw what I do. Because I worked and worked for years to have a good social security and then I have to face this. Thank goodness I did get one of my meds thru a drug company. Out of pocket, it would have cost me 370 dollars a month. There is no way I could have bought it and have money left over to pay my other bills. The lawmakers in Washington needs to help us. Speaking for myself, I am desperate. It takes 2 years for a person approved for disability to get on medicare. What we supposed to do? Sit and wait and hope. I guess so. I hope and pray I get medicaid reinstated or be able to buy a cheap health insurance policy until I can get medicare. Providing I live that long.

It looks like Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn knows the bill better than Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla who is blaiming the Bush Administration for this death panel but our current Democratic controlled Senate just put out this garbage proposed bill.
Joe

Congress should be addressing the economy and jobs instead of a grandiose healthcare plan that overhauls everything instead of addressing those who truly need coverage.
A smaller program could be worked on. But then Obama and the Democrats couldn’t play God to our Country. It’s all about power. I know Canadians personally and you WAIT YOUR TURN to get basic care. They accept the plan because that’s all they have now. Unless you are a government offical or rich. Then you can push to the front of the wait list for surgeries, etc.That’s the reality.
Would you want to wait a year to see a dermatologist for skin cancer that you know you have because you’ve been diagnosed previously on other parts of your body? I have a friend that was forced to take out a loan because she knew she had the same cancer she had already been diagnosed with. Since it was on her face this time, she had to see a Dermatologist because facial issues were considered cosmetic. It was a one year wait. She was afraid to wait because her mother already died of this. Thus the loan. (note that “cosmetic surgery” IS one of the issues on this bill). But the Canadian government has to control costs – right? And there are not so many specialists there. They don’t have the equipment they once had. That’s our future. We will be at the government’s mercy. When the economy tanks, as it does periodically, we will lose care.
This healthcare plan is not well thought out. Your taxes WILL go up. Read the bill. How does our Democratic Congress and our president Obama (in charge for a year now – can’t blame Bush for increased deficits and unemployment that Obama is now in charge of) explain this? Germans pay 50% taxes. Other countries pay that and more. Will you be paid more to make up for this?? Of course not.
Wake up people. President Obama is pressuring Congress to ram this plan through. Why? Reelection next year. Don’t you wonder why it won’t start for a few years? Because you won’t vote for them again when you see the mess this will cause.
They should be working on jobs and the economy. The President is always busy away from his office. We see photo ops and know he and his family get to travel and have dinner in other states. Wow. I really want to be paying for that with my lowered income due to the economic problems that are getting worse. I already have more taxes to look forward to due to the stimulus plans that have not been well thought out. They aren’t even being monitered properly. Do you read the articles about the lack of real oversight with those plans?
Do you have enough income to give away to pay for this government control? These new recommendations were quickly covered up and disputed by Sebelius and the Democrats in charge. AFTER two days of internet articles and news stations showing people who would have died if these theories were in place. This is the future to come. More control and more lies. The majority of the people DO NOT want this government controlled giant healthcare plan. With Obama giving millions to senators to get their votes – just another power play. Start reading more and learn more. It’s not about the Republicans. It’s about what people want. Our Democracy isn’t being protected by our Congress any more. Polls show most Americans want SOME coverage, not a government controlled massive overhaul. Write your congressmen and tell them to get real and stop spending your paycheck.
Let’s focus on the absolutely needed healthcare change, not this quick rush and power play to put this government in charge. When has the government done anything really well, after all? I sure don’t want my health and care in their hands.

What’s wrong with you Americans?
Youve got the worst health care for your people in the world, and youre not willing to fix it?
Thank God I don’t live there!

Why is government always trying to tell women what they can and cannot do about their bodies. Is government in hot debate about men urinal tract, prostate, colonoscopies? No, they are not. They claim that women’s healthcare cost more, well when men start having menstral cycles at 9 years of age and start producing babies out of their bodies, then I am sure that their healthcare will cost just as much as women’s. STOP trying to legislate what women can do about their health; just give them healthcare coverage, no matter what the age, and let the women and their doctors decide what care and procedures and WHEN.

You folks are really stupid. The Dems didn’t do this. Do some research. This panel was put in their positions by Bush, they are his minions. They also only make sugestions from valid data and research, they don’t make policy. Stop believing everything you are told and look it up yourself!!

Jody, Blackburn knew the bill and she also busted phoney al gore on his global warming scam. Why is profit bad for healthcare but okay for Al Gore ? What good is healthcare if earth is no longer habitable. Take profit out of Global warming.

Sloppy work, George. HHS has signoff authority on the guidelines under the Senate bill… and HHS already torpedoed the mammogram recommendation. Tsk, tsk.

PS. Bob, Al Gore has 99% of all scientists around the WORLD on his side. Republicans have 99% of Republican mouthpieces on theirs. BTW, did GWB ever get a Nobel Prize? Everyone makes like it’s sooo easy to get one, Bush should have bought 2, Cheney could afford 5 or 6 after the Haliburton profits in Iraq.

Had I NOT done a self exam I could very easily be on my way out the door two years later. You people who stand behind this wanna-be president and horrendous administration better wake up. I had hope after the election. This guy has done nothing for this country except divide, divide, divide. The current guidelines help save lives, no question. This whole situation, among others, is absolutely ludicrous. Where are they taking OUR country?

“I had a breast cancer last year which made me fall into a huge panic. After several doctor visits, I was almost assured that there was no real remedy for me. I was referred to Sergei D with my last hope to heal my problem and it worked. I am now cancer free and living my life. God Bless Sergei & AN-DI Wellness.”
Please let my message get out there! There is a FIRM SOLUTION to CANCER & TUMOR.
~Mary F.