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It seems to me that a fundamental tenant of Real Conservative Principals is everything has a price and if you cannot pay the price you should not receive the product or service. Some TRUE BELIEVERS would apply this to health care and restrict these services to only those that had the funds or sufficient insurance to pay for care. The corollary is to not serve those without the means to pay. This is the "pay of die" policy.
These TB's rarely discuss the obvious results of having a huge number of sick and dying around. Things like sources of infectious disease, tenements littered with dead bodies and a uneconomically unhealthy workforce. These are the results of a "pay of die" health care policy. Just look at most third world dumps for living and dying examples.
Apparently the European countries have found that relieving the individual from the "pay of die" policy is cheaper for the investor classes than the opposite. We should pay attention. Universal health care would be good for the economy as well as our karma.
In the U.S., or at least Minnesota, cancer patients without insurance and without the ability to pay most likely will be asked to go on Medical Assistance (Medicaid). They also have the ability to get charity care (commonly called "Community Care") to pay 100% of their medical expenses if they make below a certain income threshold (which is actually quite high - $60k for a family of 4, if I remember correctly.)
In the U.S., or at least Minnesota, cancer patients without insurance and without the ability to pay most likely will be asked to go on Medical Assistance (Medicaid). They also have the ability to get charity care (commonly called "Community Care") to pay 100% of their medical expenses if they make below a certain income threshold (which is actually quite high - $60k for a family of 4, if I remember correctly.)
Wow really? That must just be in Minnesota because I believe I believe a family of four has to make less than like $24,000 a year to qualify for Medicaid.
Wow really? That must just be in Minnesota because I believe I believe a family of four has to make less than like $24,000 a year to qualify for Medicaid.
I was referring to hospital charity care, not Medicaid. You are correct in asserting that maximum income limits for Medicaid (known as "Medical Assistance") are very strict; however, the state has another program, MinnesotaCare, designed for people with "modest" incomes whose employer does not offer health insurance, and its income limits are relatively soft (275% of FPG, I believe).
I was referring to hospital charity care, not Medicaid. You are correct in asserting that maximum income limits for Medicaid (known as "Medical Assistance") are very strict; however, the state has another program, MinnesotaCare, designed for people with "modest" incomes whose employer does not offer health insurance, and its income limits are relatively soft (275% of FPG, I believe).
Hm, I wonder why more states don't do things like Minnesota?
What about other "treatments" other than chemo? (I mean pain management, nausea meds, appetite stimulants, etc..) Not everyone that gets cancer wants or agrees to chemo/radiation.
I know people who have died from chemo, which is why if I am ever in that position, I will refuse it.
You are talking hypothetical situations. Believe me, if you had cancer, your tune could change. Especially if chemo vastly improved your outcome. I speak from experience looking at chemo a second time in my life after my diagnosis 15 years ago with my first cancer. I said that I would never go thru that again. Guess what... I'm going through it again (unrelated cancer and highly treatable with chemo/radiation). Too much to live for. My kids are still young. Not taking the recommended treatment would be unwise.
If I had advanced cancer though and chemo would just give me a few more months, I would have to ponder that decision pretty hard.
Chemo isn't a death sentence and the therapies vary quite drastically. My first chemo wasn't a walk in the park but I managed to work pretty much full time. Fortunately this next round is more mild. Hopefully I can nip this in the bud and go on to live a long productive life. Of course you are free to make your own medical decisions and decide the course of your treatments. I have too much to live for to throw in the towel.
To the people making gas chamber comments. I don't know if you are being sarcastic. If you are serious, there is a special place in hell waiting for you. Karma.
Cancer seems to be affecting more and more people these days. Although there have been a lot of advances in the different drugs used to treat cancer, I truly wonder how people afford them. I read somewhere that the chemotherapy for one year will cost over $100,000. Even if they have insurance, how do cancer patients manage to pay the remaining costs?
If a cancer patient does not have insurance or enough money to pay for treatments, should we just let him die? I know that everyone is now eligible for health insurance, but that doesn't mean it's affordable. A lot of people are opting out and paying the fine because they can't afford the premiums. So what should a person do if he finds out he has cancer? Should he quit his job and see if he can at least qualify for Medicaid?
I've never personally known anyone in this situation, but I am very curious about all of this. Do you believe there should be more options for cancer patients without insurance? Have you personally known anyone who has got cancer with no insurance?
This is such an obnoxious question, I can't believe you are serious.
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