Cancer clinics are turning away thousands of Medicare patients. Blame the sequester

PBulldog2 wrote:Why is every single person on this forum being arbitrarily classified by some forum members as either a liberal or a conservative?

It's as if those doing the classifying aren't aware that most people's opinions fall squarely in the gray area. Also, there are those like me who hold positions that clearly fall under both categories along with moderate positions that would be considered fence-riding by the official forum point-of-view classification committee.

I'm a comrade when it comes to health care and gay rights and a patriot when it comes to gun rights, taxation and issues of eminent domain.

From now on, I wish to be referred to as a patriocom, if you please.

Ghost_Rider1 wrote:If blame is to be placed, how about pharmaceuticals and the providers themselves.

In the US, Avastin (Bevacizumab), a common cancer drug averages around $15,000.00 to $20,000.00 per treatment and does not cure cancer, only prolongs life by about 4.7 months.

It costs a hell of a lot less than that to produce Avastin, so why the high cost of treatment? It is simply because the doctors and pharmaceuticals want to get rich at our expense. They could charge half that much and still make a hefty profit.

Dreamsglore wrote:

newswatcher wrote:

PACEDOG#1 wrote:

Dreamsglore wrote:

Chrissy wrote:Cancer clinics across the country have begun turning away thousands of Medicare patients, blaming the sequester budget cuts.

Oncologists say the reduced funding, which took effect for Medicare on April 1, makes it impossible to administer expensive chemotherapy drugs while staying afloat financially.

Patients at these clinics would need to seek treatment elsewhere, such as at hospitals that might not have the capacity to accommodate them.

“If we treated the patients receiving the most expensive drugs, we’d be out of business in six months to a year,” said Jeff Vacirca, chief executive of North Shore Hematology Oncology Associates in New York. “The drugs we’re going to lose money on we’re not going to administer right now.”

After an emergency meeting Tuesday, Vacirca’s clinics decided that they would no longer see one-third of their 16,000 Medicare patients
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/04/03/cancer-clinics-are-turning-away-thousands-of-medicare-patients-blame-the-sequester/

In other words, they can't overcharge the medicare patients anymore and will only keep the one's they can become rich on.

No broomrider, hospitals are a business just like any other. They have salaries and overhead to pay just like the local hamburger joint. They can't use drugs that cannot be fully paid for and that is unfortunate, but you can thank the SEQUESTER.

Geez...was there anyone that predicted healthcare problems especially with the government running things?...Maybe they should merge with the Post Office...

The Govt. runs the military you so proudly espouse and get a check from. No problems there,huh?

newswatcher wrote:

Dreamsglore wrote:

newswatcher wrote:

PACEDOG#1 wrote:

Dreamsglore wrote:

Chrissy wrote:Cancer clinics across the country have begun turning away thousands of Medicare patients, blaming the sequester budget cuts.

Oncologists say the reduced funding, which took effect for Medicare on April 1, makes it impossible to administer expensive chemotherapy drugs while staying afloat financially.

Patients at these clinics would need to seek treatment elsewhere, such as at hospitals that might not have the capacity to accommodate them.

“If we treated the patients receiving the most expensive drugs, we’d be out of business in six months to a year,” said Jeff Vacirca, chief executive of North Shore Hematology Oncology Associates in New York. “The drugs we’re going to lose money on we’re not going to administer right now.”

After an emergency meeting Tuesday, Vacirca’s clinics decided that they would no longer see one-third of their 16,000 Medicare patients
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/04/03/cancer-clinics-are-turning-away-thousands-of-medicare-patients-blame-the-sequester/

In other words, they can't overcharge the medicare patients anymore and will only keep the one's they can become rich on.

No broomrider, hospitals are a business just like any other. They have salaries and overhead to pay just like the local hamburger joint. They can't use drugs that cannot be fully paid for and that is unfortunate, but you can thank the SEQUESTER.

Geez...was there anyone that predicted healthcare problems especially with the government running things?...Maybe they should merge with the Post Office...

The Govt. runs the military you so proudly espouse and get a check from. No problems there,huh?

Nightmare....the only problems that has harmed the military is when the politicans get involved...

PBulldog2 wrote:Why is every single person on this forum being arbitrarily classified by some forum members as either a liberal or a conservative?

It's as if those doing the classifying aren't aware that most people's opinions fall squarely in the gray area. Also, there are those like me who hold positions that clearly fall under both categories along with moderate positions that would be considered fence-riding by the official forum point-of-view classification committee.

I'm a comrade when it comes to health care and gay rights and a patriot when it comes to gun rights, taxation and issues of eminent domain.

From now on, I wish to be referred to as a patriocom, if you please.

PACEDOG#1 wrote:

Dreamsglore wrote:

Chrissy wrote:Cancer clinics across the country have begun turning away thousands of Medicare patients, blaming the sequester budget cuts.

Oncologists say the reduced funding, which took effect for Medicare on April 1, makes it impossible to administer expensive chemotherapy drugs while staying afloat financially.

Patients at these clinics would need to seek treatment elsewhere, such as at hospitals that might not have the capacity to accommodate them.

“If we treated the patients receiving the most expensive drugs, we’d be out of business in six months to a year,” said Jeff Vacirca, chief executive of North Shore Hematology Oncology Associates in New York. “The drugs we’re going to lose money on we’re not going to administer right now.”

After an emergency meeting Tuesday, Vacirca’s clinics decided that they would no longer see one-third of their 16,000 Medicare patients
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/04/03/cancer-clinics-are-turning-away-thousands-of-medicare-patients-blame-the-sequester/

In other words, they can't overcharge the medicare patients anymore and will only keep the one's they can become rich on.

No broomrider, hospitals are a business just like any other. They have salaries and overhead to pay just like the local hamburger joint. They can't use drugs that cannot be fully paid for and that is unfortunate, but you can thank the SEQUESTER.

othershoe1030 wrote:

Here is a great quiz some of us have taken before. I think they've changed the questions lately. I've taken it twice and come out in about the same quadrant, same area each time. The position it put me in on the graph you end up with seemed to accurately reflect my attitudes & philosophy. You might, and others might have some fun taking it just to see where you fall.

http://politicalcompass.org

PBulldog2 wrote:

Thanks, OS. I'll take it now and see where I end up. Usually, I am classified as a left leaning libertarian.

Chrissy wrote:im beginning to see ya'll logic.

you just want all health care professionals to get a pay deduction. YOu want healthcare professionals to pay for obamacare out of their pocket twice. I see how it is.

medicare don't pay that well, you know. chemo therapy cost a lot.

Lurch wrote:

Chrissy wrote:Ive realized something. should have seen it ay back.

The left uses "GROUP THINK" and everyone else is "INDIVIDUALALITY". Hence multiple ideas or opinions coming from everyone else but the left.

The left is boring and predictable and other opinions outside of the left are beat down by the "GROUP THINK".

Its a great strategy for taking over countries and minds. Its been in place a long time and it appears to be working very well.

I wonder what the final result will be when everyone is forced by way of manipulation and grooming into thinking all alike. I can see it now, anyone who dares to think out side of "group think" will be labeled some derogatory member of society and most likely imprisoned. They should make a movie about this theory.

Yella wrote:

Chrissy wrote:im beginning to see ya'll logic.

you just want all health care professionals to get a pay deduction. YOu want healthcare professionals to pay for obamacare out of their pocket twice. I see how it is.

medicare don't pay that well, you know. chemo therapy cost a lot.

Chrissy,you might know, how much do the hospitals pay for the chemo and how much do they charge for it?

ZVUGKTUBM wrote:

Lurch wrote:

Mine was right two squares, up one square from you.

We are just communists Lurch, and may as well admit it.....

Dreamsglore wrote:

Chrissy wrote:Ive realized something. should have seen it ay back.

The left uses "GROUP THINK" and everyone else is "INDIVIDUALALITY". Hence multiple ideas or opinions coming from everyone else but the left.

The left is boring and predictable and other opinions outside of the left are beat down by the "GROUP THINK".

Its a great strategy for taking over countries and minds. Its been in place a long time and it appears to be working very well.

I wonder what the final result will be when everyone is forced by way of manipulation and grooming into thinking all alike. I can see it now, anyone who dares to think out side of "group think" will be labeled some derogatory member of society and most likely imprisoned. They should make a movie about this theory.

Isn't that the same as your Christianity? You know the the "group think" thing? You know "the only man you ever loved" but never met? LOL!

othershoe1030 wrote:Here's my latests, slightly more left and a bit more toward the Libertarian area than the first time I took it a year or so ago.

Chrissy wrote:Ive realized something. should have seen it ay back.

The left uses "GROUP THINK" and everyone else is "INDIVIDUALALITY". Hence multiple ideas or opinions coming from everyone else but the left.

The left is boring and predictable and other opinions outside of the left are beat down by the "GROUP THINK".

Its a great strategy for taking over countries and minds. Its been in place a long time and it appears to be working very well.

I wonder what the final result will be when everyone is forced by way of manipulation and grooming into thinking all alike. I can see it now, anyone who dares to think out side of "group think" will be labeled some derogatory member of society and most likely imprisoned. They should make a movie about this theory.