CNN's Blitzer Suggests New Cancer Guidelines Are Gov't Rationing

I am not a conservative. I am a Democrat who voted for Obama and Kerry before him. I am just against cost-cutting fascism, whatever party or "independent" panel may propose it.

CBS-TV's affiliate in Washington, D.C. did the obvious in its Nov. 18th coverage of the USPSTF taskforce's murderous cost-cutting recommendation that women under 50 not have routine mammogram screening—they followed the money. Not surprising, their researches showed that, in addition to the fact that there was not one oncologist or radiologist on the panel of 16, at least six of the members were linked to HMOs or what is called the "health care industry."

They are: Dr. George Isham, Chief Health Office for Health Partners; Dr. David Grossman, investigator in the research division of Group Health Cooperative; Dr. J. Sanford Schwartz, past executive director of the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, and on the Blue Shield Medical Advisory Board; Task Force chairman Bruce Nedrow Calonge, chairman of the Colorado Foundation for Medical Care, which advises health care organization on "quality improvement;" Dr. Diane Pettiti, a health policy and medical advisor for Kaiser Permanente; and Joy Melnikow, associate medical adviser for Healthwise, a medical knowledgebase company serving insurance companies and others.

The American College of Radiology said the decision will lead to "countless deaths." They continue:

"The USPSTF recommendations are a step backward and represent a significant harm to women's health. To tell women they should not get regular mammograms starting at 40 when this approach has overwhelmingly been shown to save lives is shocking. At least 40% of the patient years of life saved by mammographic screening are of women aged 40-49. These recommendations are inconsistent with current science and apparently have been developed in an attempt to reduce costs. Unfortunately, many women may pay for this unsound approach with their lives," said the president of the Society of Breast Imaging.

"... The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) gave HHS the authority to consider USPSTF recommendations in Medicare coverage determinations for additional preventive services. Recently, Congress has expressed their desire to broaden this authority and enhance the role of USPSTF in terms of its impact on coverage for existing services."

The ACR is joined by the American Cancer Society, many women survivors of breast cancer, and leading doctors such as Dr. Daniel B. Kopans, head of radiology at Harvard Medical School, who said "Tens of thousands of lives are being saved by mammography screening, and these idiots want to do away with it. It's crazy—unethical, really."

When this entitlement runs into funding woes, like every other government endeavor, there will be rationing and it won't be up to the patient as to what treatment they get.