After budget cuts, Indiana baby denied life-saving treatment

reply to post by thewholepicture


Once its no longer 'experimental' it will be covered by the Medicaid program.
But how long until that happens.
I cant imagine this type of surgery is needed all too often, might be years before there are enough cases for this to become more common and no longer experiemntal.

Originally posted by youdidntseeme
reply to post by thewholepicture

 

Once its no longer 'experimental' it will be covered by the Medicaid program.
But how long until that happens.
I cant imagine this type of surgery is needed all too often, might be years before there are enough cases for this to become more common and no longer experiemntal.

you make a valid point.

By then there could be a whole new Medicaid system that limits the amount allowed for a procedure.

reply to post by thewholepicture


To me though, the issue isnt the cost, or the experimental status of the procedure.
The issue is the blatant disregard for human life and the refusal to provide medical treatment where it obviously was needed.

reply to post by youdidntseeme


Actually, the problem with so-called "socialized" treatment is not that it's "socialized", it's because state governments see de-funding state sponsored health care systems as OK because the right in this country thinks that any state sponsored health care is for people who don't deserve it. At least the child doesn't live in Arizona, where the lunatic right wing fringe has decided that transplants are "elective" procedures, and are now letting people die because they don't want to pay for the transplants. Apparently, transplants are now on the same level as ED drugs. It's pretty stunning to me that people like that are just willing to sit by and watch others die while we spending billions each year to fight unjustified foreign wars and build new fighter jets. Of course, if we cut defense spending, you'd hear so much bleating from the right wing it would be disgusting.

But hey, you can't expect better from the only first world country on the planet to not have state sponsored healthcare. Apparently the great thing about "capitalism" is that if you don't have the cash, you should just die already. Pretty convienent way for Republicans to get rid of the two things they don't like: single mothers and minorities, who are the most affected by these changes.

the parents should be the ones to pay not the government. everybody wants a hand out but no one wants to pay taxes. we shoul;dnt even have welfare. if you cant support yourself die or live in the streets. ive been broke ass poor and homeless before and ive built myself back up. welfare is a burden on everyone except the people leaching off it.

reply to post by thewholepicture


there is nothing in that operation that costs $500,000...NOTHING and it should be a crime for anyone to charge that kind of money for services rendered for an individual.

the reason they're wanting abortions made illegal is so they can continue milking the fresh victims they can pull out of these mothers.....and thats all

Originally posted by bismos
the parents should be the ones to pay not the government. everybody wants a hand out but no one wants to pay taxes. we shoul;dnt even have welfare. if you cant support yourself die or live in the streets. ive been broke ass poor and homeless before and ive built myself back up. welfare is a burden on everyone except the people leaching off it.

First, who can afford 500,000 dollars?

Second, you are probably the most heartless person I have seen on these threads in some time. I hope you have everything in order because what goes around always comes around.

Originally posted by thewholepicture

First, who can afford 500,000 dollars?

Second, you are probably the most heartless person I have seen on these threads in some time. I hope you have everything in order because what goes around always comes around.

Star for you here.

Nevertheless, why should a procedure even cost half a mil.
That would be close to 21 years of a $2000 mortgage payment.
I guess if parents are expected to pay for it themsleves, perhaps they can get a 21 year extention on their home loan.

I think it's a bit naive that so many people (specifically, aliengenes) are putting the blame for the cost solely on the surgeon. Transplants, even the most common, are never cheap or easy. They are usually covered by insurance, though, which is why you never hear about how much they cost. Just to put it in perspective, a liver transplant, one of the easier and most common transplants (less common than skin, though) costs about $314,000.

What most people aren't considering is that the cost (both in the experimental surgery in the OP and in all transplant costs) isn't just for the surgical procedure. The cost includes a required pre- and post-surgical hospital stay for preparation and recovery, anesthesia, peri-operative care, harvesting and transportation of the ogan to be transplanted (often including air transport), post-operative immunosuppressants to avoid organ rejection, and then the cost of having an operating team (doctor included), anesthesiologist, and hospitalist care for the patient.

Another major cost, ESPECIALLY in experimental treatments, is malpractice insurancec. In my position, a relatively non-risky primary care physician, I pay about $12,000/year in malpratice. For surgeons, especially transplant surgeons, you can multiply this by about 5 or 6 times. Additionally, the hospital has to carry malpractice insurance, retain attorneys, and all nursing staff has to carry malpratice insurance.

While I certainly think the surgeon should do this work pro bono (and for all we know, he/she is), I do find it a bit silly and ignorant to assume that even 10% of the cost is going to the surgeon in question. Even a basic understanding of the economics of medicine would allow you to see why that simply isn't so.

reply to post by VneZonyDostupa


I dont think anyone here was claiming that the surgeon alone was to make $500,000, and if they were I agree that is tremendously naive. With that being said, half a million for a single procedure is deplorable.

But what is even more deplorable is the original intent of this article, to point out that a life was lost due to a financial decision. No first day of school, no school plays, no high school football games and home coming dances. No graduation or first day of college. No first kiss or little league games. The parents of this poor child will never see these things. No wedding, only a funeral.

Sad.

The only thing this family will ever have is a funeral.

reply to post by youdidntseeme


I agree that the cost is ridiculous, and I think it can (and should) be performed for much less. That being said, the blame can't really be laid at the feet of any one person or organization unless we see the breakdown of the price. If the surgeon was demanding an exorbitant amount for his time, then yes, he is a disgusting representative of my profession and should be maligned. If, however, the experimental nature of the procedure meant it was impossible to get government subsidies for supplies, or perhaps the procedure requires a good deal of specialized equipment and a larger-than-normal operating team, then what can you do? It sucks, it really, really sucks, but new medical procedures are usually expensive until they are refined and streamlined.

Hopefully, this procedure is quickly put through the process of moving from experimental to mainstream so that no other children have to suffer. Of course, much of this could be avoided if our government would realize that access to healthcare is more important than bombing people, but that's for another thread.

UPDATE!
GREAT NEWS!

INDIANAPOLIS - An Indiana infant born with a rare condition that likely would kill him by age 2 will receive a shot at a normal life after an insurance company decided Friday to pay for an experimental procedure that Indiana's Medicaid program refused to cover.

Source

Looks like the people prevailed, maybe there is hope for this country after all!

reply to post by thewholepicture


Wow Thank you for the update.
This is truly wonderful news. It seems that someone had a heart upon hearing the news and has decided to pay for the procedure after all.

I wonder if I can update the title of this thread.

Originally posted by youdidntseeme
reply to post by thewholepicture

 

Wow Thank you for the update.
This is truly wonderful news. It seems that someone had a heart upon hearing the news and has decided to pay for the procedure after all.

I wonder if I can update the title of this thread.

find a moderator and ask.

Originally posted by youdidntseeme
reply to post by thewholepicture

 

This is truly wonderful news. It seems that someone had a heart upon hearing the news and has decided to pay for the procedure after all.

Absolutely wonderful! =)

I think one thing can be said here:

this is what happens when people get into the health care industry SOLELY to make a buck.

I don't blame Doctors, companies, etc, getting paid alot of cash, because this is a hard job. But when life and death comes down to how much you can pay--can anyone really think that is right? Children should die because their mom doesn't make enough money to pay for a nessessary transplant? How disgusting.

Don't worry, now that all of healthcare is slated to be taken over by the government, we will all be safer. What could possibly go wrong? Obamacare is the socialist dream we've all been waiting for. This medicaire model can now be forced on everyone, well except for congress of course, they are exempt.

LIKE SOMETHING LIKE THAT COMES AROUND EVERY OTHER WEEK IN THAT HOSPITAL !
The entire staff of surgeon's, along with the rest of that hospitals doctors (MORE THAN JUST A FEW, I'M SURE.) could have taken care of it without issue, and just kept it quiet !

Poor cusses don't make enough though----> I guess ?

OATH ? WHAT OATH ?

reply to post by SevenThunders


Yea, why don't you go tell that to the face of the parents who are about to lose their children because of the greed of US healthcare companies? Does anyone stop and think for a second why we are the only first world country to not provide free healthcare for all, and ironically, we are at the bottom of the list for first world countries for things like quality of life, length of life, quality of care, et al? But hey, who cares if a few babies die in the name of capitalism, right?

People like you deserve to get sick without insurance, then maybe you can feel a little bit of the pain that those parents and that child have to go through every day because of the greed of US health insurers and the tea party right--who ironically, all love their medicare, but god forbid someone else got to get their lives saved as well.

reply to post by VneZonyDostupa

i put the blame on the entire process, but don't try covering for any of them because the "largest majority" of them are only in it for the mega bucks.
and I'm sure the insurance companies are giving kickbacks to milk the system, they're all in it together.