some things never change.

[Doug]

I think the whole Reds Under the Beds thing faded out in the sixties here in Europe and most contries settled down into a comfortable shade of Pink! I guess that is still considered to be a bad thing in most of the US.

Just in the Heartland, the Central Abyss. Oh, and maybe the Deep South.

[Doug]

mccarthy will never die i guess.
john

Not as long as there is one ignorant person alive.

[Jack]

Thought I would resurect this thread with an example of the level of drug rationing we have here in the UK.

The refusal of the NHS to supply the drug Nexavar is causing a good deal of outrage amongs some groups. It is a drug that can extend the life of a patient in the terminal stages of cancer by around 3 months, but costs £3000 per month. Other even more expensive drugs are supplied to patients with other illnesses, but generally the outcome is expected to be better than this.
There are lots of "how can you put a price on life?" headlines, but the fact is that resources are always finite and must be used to best effect.
See - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/6...necessary.html

Personally, when my time comes, I don't think I'll be fighting for an extra month or two. Realist or defeatist?

[Sangye]

Some people could be trying to stay alive for a wedding, a graduation, etc.... I couldn't say which option 'd choose at this point.

I do think it's a slippery slope if we start deciding who's worth a drug or not. This drug buys someone another 3 months. What if another drug buys them 6 months? A year? Where's the cut-off? What about drugs that only improve the quality of a terminally ill person's life but don't prolong it? Worth it? These are tough questions for any society.

[Jack]

We have a committee called National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) who decide these things. They seldom go into the details of their decisions, but it is generally accepted that they start at a basic cost per year for any particular drug of £35,000. More than that and questions are definitely asked! But they also take into account the things you mention - quality of life, prognosis etc.
Considering their thankless task, I think they do a pretty good job. After all, for every patient that benefits from an expensive drug, somewhere others must have to do without.

[germaine]

After watching my mothers slow death from cancer, I don't have much appetite for extending the end of life. I don't know what the answer is for others, but I'd prefer something quick, rather than prolonging the dregs of life.

You can color me a nice rosy pink in the political spectrum, unfortunately the 34 % of the population in Canada which has control of things is a very deep royal blue, which is the color of the ultra conservative/republican types here. Where does the red association come from? I noticed that in the last US election, it's the opposite here. Has it always been that way?

[Doug]

I'm with you, Jack. Quality of life is one thing. Extending life just because it can be done is, in my mind, morbid. I think realist is the correct designation. Perhaps it comes of experiencing something of death and understanding it is a process we needn't fear. It's natural.

[jola57]

This issue is too personal to be mandated by government. While working in the cancer clinic and watching my Dad pass away of multiple myeloma, I would think that in the end a quick and painless way is the way to go. However if the quality of life doesn't deteriorate, prolonging it to let say see you children grow up, wow that would be wonderful.

[Jack]

So the vote went through. How will it affect you?
This is the report from the BBC - BBC News - US House passes key healthcare reform
I found the three charts at the bottom of the page very interesting. How can America spend so much on medical care with such a poor result?

[pberggren1]

Medical care is now, and has been for quite a few decades, big business in the world. There is no money in curing a disease but there sure is in treating it. And this new Obamacare bill will certainly give Big Brother a wider scope and line the pockets of many politicians and Obama's friends in the Medical industry, primarily drug companies.

So in short this is just one step further to the communistic society in which Marx had envisioned.