Suicide is painless . . .

[somarco]

State officials have offered a lung cancer patient the option of having the Oregon Health Plan, set up in 1994 to ration health care, pay for an assisted suicide but not for the chemotherapy prescribed by her physician.

State denies cancer treatment, offers suicide instead

 

[Guest]

And that's what we've become, insane.

 

[Mr. Bill]

Well, I guess that just about sums up the crystal clear difference between the left wing wackos and the right wing wackos!

 

[xrac]

How tragic! What an indictment of us as a people. What are we becoming?

 

[xrac]

Here is where national healthcare leads:

Free Market Cure - A Short Course in Brain Surgery

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Because this is what it's all about - companies and people

 

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

I'll try to sneak this in here since I don't want to start a new thread.

I'm not convinced it was a suicide. Was he gunning for Olmert? Possibly. We may here more about this some day.

 

[Bob_The_Insurance_Guy]

Were you bleeding-heart liberals reading the same article I was?



Top priorities: Child wellness, pregnancy, and way down the list is the treatment this person needs. Everything can't be top priority. This woman lives on Medicaid - the money you and I pump into the system for her - which is a finite amount of money.

They have to say no to someone. At some point.

Every election year, they churn out these, "emotionally distressing" stories. They tug at our heartstrings, as they should, and raise awareness of the holes in our system.

Do I feel for this woman. ABSOLUTELY.

Do I feel she has the right to get treatment. ABSOLUTELY.

What do we know about her. Did she contract Cancer, due to no fault of her own, or was she a three-pack a day chimney?

What type of savings does she have?

Is there a Whole Life or Cancer Policy in her drawers at home? In other words, did she plan for the future? Is Cancer something that runs in her family, and if so, did she get a Cancer Policy (my wife did, because her mother and grandmother both have survived breast cancer - and it's not that expensive)?

Has she contacted a church in her area, who have resources she can tap into?

Ah, see. We don't know any of that, BUT, she is the "victim" in this story.

I'm fat. I pay a bit more for my shirts, slacks, and belts. You know who's fault that is? Not McDonalds. Not the government.

MINE! ME! MYSELF! THE MAN IN THE MIRROR!

Can I go to Old Navy, or JC Penney, and get someone to write a story, bemoaning the fact that it costs me more than someone else to buy clothing - a necessity in today's society.

How much sympathy would I get?

Can someone quote me where, in the Constitution or The Bill of Rights, where health care is a right?

Is this a tragic story? From what we've read, from one point of view, yes. Are there options, probably.

Our systm is far from perfect. But, where do they fly Baby Knorr, when she needed an operation? HERE.

Guess who paid for Baby Knorr's surgery.

We did.

Who wants to bet that, in 20 years, Baby Knorr has a rapid fire machine gun, or is the driver of a suicide bombing, somewhere in Israel or at an American Embassy?



If it comes down to paying money to treat a child, or an adult, the child will win EVERYTIME in my book. My father and uncle spent an exorbitant (sp?) amount of money to keep my grandmother alive for 9 years after her stroke.

My father is now 78, and works part time. When my uncle died four years ago, he only had $5,000 in life insurance left - the rest he secretly cashed out to pay for Nana's treatment. My aunt, his widow, is still working, she is also 78 years old.

Which would you rather have? Your grandmother live 9 more years, or your father be able to live a nice life he has worked hard and saved for?

 

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

And several butcher's aprons.

 

[djs]

Can someone quote me where, in the Constitution or The Bill of Rights, where health care is a right?

Actually, with a stretch, it's there. You are guaranteed life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. How can you be guaranteed life if you don't have health care?

Okay, nobody said it would be free.... but I do believe access to health care is a right, for those who can afford it.

Dan