Women Become First Targets Of Obama Care Rationing

Let's assume for a minute it was your job to get America ready for some health care rationing. It is your job to figure out where some costs could be cut, and how to do it. Given the choice, would you (a) tell men they can wait until 50 for their prostate check or (b) tell women to wait until they are 50 for a breast cancer screening. I'm sure you see where I am going here. Spare men the old probe up the anal canal, or rob women of a massage. Granted, that's a bit of over-simplification, but I'm sure you get the point. I just wanted to start out by making it clear that this announcement is stupid on every level.

Men hate doctors. I could cut my arm off and I'll give it a couple of days to see if it will grow back before I will go to an emergency room. Women tend to be health nazis. All the way back to Mom nagging you to put your coat and scarf on in the winter time, to your significant other nagging you today, there is a phrase no man has trouble re-creating in a female voice in his mind. "You need to get that checked out". Jam a screwdriver into your hand and "You need to get that checked out before it gets infected". Cut your knuckles open wrestling with a rusted bolt and "You need to go get a tetanus shot". And then, of course, on that rare occasion that she is right and a week later you pack your now severed hand into a cooler of ice and take it to the doctor you will hear "maybe next time you will listen to me". But of course, we won't. Why? Because she was wrong 50 times in between, and because we hate doctors. Especially doctors wearing gloves with one lubed finger! I'm not even old enough yet to qualify for the prod, and to be honest, my initial reaction was "Hey! What about me?!?!?" Why do women get all the breaks?

Yes, this story could have gone the other way and it would have gathered no more attention than a few women at the beauty salon saying "Idiots" to each other as they watched their husbands high five each other over our new found rectal relief. But it didn't. So, let's look at this from either perspective. Conservative says "See, it's rationing". Liberal says "No, it's just a suggestion". Who's right? From a sheer logistical standpoint, who cares? Rationing or not, when you have been accused of creating death panels to deny seniors their health care needs, why in the heck do you let a story like this come out in the first place?

A medical debate over breast-cancer screening that has turned political may set the tone for a battle over President Barack Obama’s health-care overhaul that will resonate for years.

The furor over a federal panel’s recommendation against mammograms for most women in their 40s shows the obstacles the U.S. may face trimming costs in a $2.5 trillion health system, even when research suggests the cuts may be appropriate, said Uwe Reinhardt, a Princeton University economist.

With a health-care overhaul nearing a Senate vote, Republicans said the recommendations by the panel, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, for fewer mammograms proved Obama’s agenda will lead to rationed care. Democrats, fearful of antagonizing a key voting group in women, said the U.S. won’t change federal reimbursements to support guidelines that most women shouldn’t get regular mammograms until age 50.

The panel’s suggestions provided “the perfect place to throw a bomb into the health-care debate,” said Representative Lynn Woolsey, a Democrat of California and co-leader of the 82- member Congressional Progressive Caucus, in an interview. “We’re not going to ration anything. We’re going to give people choices based on science.”

Then, for good measure, throw in this story which in fairness, has nothing to do with the Obama Administration.

It's been a confusing week for women.

On Monday, it started with breast cancer.

A federal advisory board made a controversial recommendation that women begin routine mammograms at age 50, rather than at 40. The United States Preventive Services Task Force came under heavy criticism for its position and triggered confusion and political accusations of health care rationing.

Then, the week ended with cervical cancer.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued guidelines advising that women should receive their first cervical cancer screening, or Pap test, at the age of 21.

The group, a nonprofit organization of women's health care physicians, also recommended that patients younger than 30 be screened every two years, instead of annually, and that healthy women 30 or older be given a Pap test once every three years.

 But since this has nothing to do with the Government, why bring it up? Because, simply put, the release of the first story amplifies the second. This is the mess these liberals have made for themselves. Even HuffPo called it "highly unfortunate timing". I would say that the Government acted stupidly. Is it rationing? Story one looks like it to me. Story two, not so much. But does it matter? No. Because what matters here is what it is perceived to be, and people by and large are looking at it with a raised eyebrow.

The problem that these leftists have to get around is a very basic one. They need to convince us that they are actually going to be able to provide the same level of service to a larger group of people for less money. You can throw all the numbers you want, but if I eat at Denny's for lunch every day, and it costs me ten bucks, I know that if I take a buddy I either need twice the money or I will get half the food. Solution number two is to settle for McDonalds. Either way, I'm sacrificing. So how do I get more people their breast cancer screenings for less money? Exactly. Make them wait an extra ten years then give them half as often.

In defense of the idea,  we actually heard Government officials tell us we would have to learn to live with cancers we won't die from. And then there was this comforting notion from our Health Czar.

Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius last week said she too expects insurers will continue to cover mammography beginning at 40.

She expects. Well, I don't expect much from Obama Care, so I have created the official Obama Care Breast Cancer Survivor T Shirt. Of course, it won't replace the breast you lose to Obama Care, but it will make it a little less noticeable.

Click The Image To Buy