Assisted Suicide, But Not Cancer Treatment, Paid for by Oregon Health Plan

This is kind of a freaky article, from the Oregonian, about how Oregon Health Plan patients with recurring cancer can't get treatment paid for, but are offered the option of state paid assisted suicide. Click post title to go to article. Now that's just probably unethical and the use of assisted suicide might be going way off track.

I figured it might become the state's quiet eugenics plan.

I can close my eyes and see and hear a patronistic/fake compassionate state health care representative, patting an angry cancer patient on the shoulder.

She says, "I'm so sorry we can't pay for treatment of your recurring cancer, but we will pay to help you kill yourself. (slight reassuring squeeze of patient's shoulder, in support). And, I hope this doesn't sound crude, but, we'd like you to sign this form, so after you are dead, we can sell your body parts and organs for a nice profit. (giggle) Our job is so stressful, we need frequent vacations and we all know how expensive those are! (self-conscious laugh) We have to pay for them somehow.

You know we're just trying to help you the best we can. It's not the state's fault you never felt it necessary to get a decent job with good insurance--like my state job, with the PERS thing, man what a goldmine my state job has been for me--free everything for life! Whewee, am I ever glad I had a friend working in the department who got me hired!

But I deserve it. I work hard. 9:00 to 5:00, every single week day, unless I take a sick day, or vacation, or personal leave or family leave. Oh you betcha I deserve my extensive benefit package, including excellent health insurance. I work hard and have to deal with.....well, really difficult situations and people. I'm not saying you're necessarily difficult, (sigh and roll of eyes behind patients back), now where did you work? Oh yes, it's right here (riffling through papers), two jobs I see, pumping gas and retail. What does that mean? "Retail" Were you a clerk at a convenience store? (said flirtatiously in baby talk).

You know, dear, I bet you're just really grateful you even have the opportunity to kill yourself, assisted with the drugs we provide you, and not die in your little hovel house, with the electric and water shut off from all the unpaid bills, writhing in pain. (big confident smile now, showing off perfectly straight too often whitened teeth).


Well, I'm just going to leave you to think about things, the suicide drugs, and we pay for that remember, but not the treatment drugs.

Oh, and don't you think about getting our suicide drugs and selling them off, to make a little money for yourself on the streets or to your little friends with issues. That's illegal and we frown on that. And you're meeting up with God, remember, real soon, so we don't want you in God trouble at this point, do we?" (more snorfling giggles. Health plan caseworker so pleased with herself she reminds herself to tell this as joke to coworkers later).

Except, angry cancer patient pulls 9mm out of wheelchair side bag and says, "I won't be needing your suicide drugs, lady, and you won't be needing them either. Hope you don't have any 'god troubles'" He giggles, snarfling, then shoots her, then himself.

Above story is parody, of course, exageration, farce--in case anybody out there reading is too serious to see it.

John Edwards wife is lucky not to be on the Oregon Health Plan. Anyhow, health care is still one of the great discriminators. There are lots of great doctors and dentists out there, however, giving care at cost or below and manning free clinics.

Costs in the health care system for the simplests of things are extreme, but costs could be lowered drastically. There is no excuse for not taking steps to lower costs.

To see a doctor, for ten minutes, can cost over $200. For that kind of money, you should get some results, in one visit. The older people I talk to list this as their great frustration, that they spend so much money on a visit about a problem, only to be brushed off and told to come back in a week to set up tests, which means they have to pay for yet another doctor visit etc. For the price of an office visit, seems whatever prompted it should get investigated or resolved, rather than extending the diagnoses to a series of visits primarily because the doctor is rushed. But would the doctor be so rushed if the office was more efficient, not just rushing patients through and not resolving patient health complaints due to the rush of the visit and doctor unpreparedness for the visit of a particular patient. This is one complaint I hear often from seniors, when I'm out trapping cats and bullshitting with the caregiver at a table. Health care is a topic that sure comes up often. I don't know much about the whole thing. I do see people post all sorts of possible tips on making the system better. Some I think are really good.

I'm waiting on a phone call from someone who wants to pick up a trap. So, I am returning to post more on this subject while I wait. Anyhow, I have great respect for those attempting to improve the system, from within and without.

I really don't think it's a good idea to have health insurance employer based. This makes American businesses less able to compete, for one thing. For another, this makes companies look for ways to keep employees from qualifying, like keeping employees under the hours that would require employers to provide insurance, or by paying low wages and charging very high employee copays, effectively making purchase of health insurance through employment impossible for the employee.

Single payer makes sense in that costs should be reduced dramatically if the middle man is removed. HMO's, insurance companies, they're turning profits and paying lots of employees and overhead. That money comes out of what could be used to pay for healthcare.

But, with single payer, the paperwork needs to be simple, to reduce overhead costs. Simple. Simple. Simple. Payment needs to be fair and quick. If the government ran the system, the money used would need to be protected from pilferage by the government for other government expenditures. Medicare has been pilfered and borrowed from forever, endangering it.

Also, there need to be degrees of coverage, reflecting a client's own contribution to healthy living. If one wants to smoke, one could, but they would need to pay extra into the system, or, per copay, for the privilege of sucking away their own health. Same with obesity, rated in danger by the extra pound. You pay per extra pound you carry. Other factors could be included, like drug and alcohol use. I suppose it's all a slippery slope, with Americans so defensive of personal freedom, even if personal freedom means others pay for your indulgences. Just thoughts.

From within, the system also needs revamped, in my opinion. Lab tests, X-rays, MRI's, should be in rooms surrounding the central doctors offices. Patients go from their doctor to get the needed test and then right back to the doctor for results and a plan of action, if required. Not this round about lengthy multi visit marathon that goes on now, if a person becomes ill or injured.

Yearly physicals, Pap smears, mammograms, blood work, cholostrol screening etc, flu shots, could be done in one huge FCCO type clinic, with stations, like in a huge auditorium or something. That'd be fine with me and I bet others would be fine with such an event also. Well anyhow, my cat trap wantee is calling... Got to go.