Gov’t-Run Health Care Death Sentence in AZ: No More Liver Transplants for Hep-C Patients

www.cnsnews.com...

Arizona's Medicaid agency will no longer cover some non-experimental organ transplants for its adult members, including liver transplants for patients with Hepatitis C, a move blasted as "a death sentence" by one patient advocacy group.

In a memo announcing a number of benefits changes for adults 21 and older, the state's Medicaid agency said it was responding to "significant fiscal challenges facing the State and substantial growth in the Medicaid population."

As of October 1, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System will no longer pay for liver transplants for patients with Hepatitis C; certain heart and bone marrow transplants; or lung and pancreas transplants.

This is the fear of government run health care, they will begin to dictate who can and will recieve treatments or other medicale procedures which could save a persons life because they have budget cuts. This is very scary, rationing healthcare is terrible and who are they to make that decision which life is necessary?

This is horrifying! We live in a world where money matters more than human lives. Something is wrong here. Something must be done.

Originally posted by Misoir

This is the fear of government run health care, they will begin to dictate who can and will recieve treatments or other medicale procedures which could save a persons life because they have budget cuts. This is very scary, rationing healthcare is terrible and who are they to make that decision which life is necessary?

I'll S & F this.

During the obamacare debate, opponents brought up this issue over and over again.

And those in favor of obamacare ridiculed the idea of so-called "death panels".

Take a good look, all of those who supported obamacare. You have just seen a death panel in action.

My FIL just died of liver cancer from Hep C.

I agree with this. Hep C is a death sentence in itself, usually from tattoos and/or needles. Your chances of survival are slim. Its a long and horrible death. No need to prolong it. A transplant doesn't gaurentee a cure. And then you remove that liver from someone who would survive with it.

reply to post by centurion1211


Nice attempt at doing the typical GOP spam but AZ is the republican flag state. And Obamacare isn't in effect yet. How do you explain it now without your copy and paste rhetoric?

Originally posted by nixie_nox
reply to post by centurion1211

 

Nice attempt at doing the typical GOP spam but AZ is the republican flag state. And Obamacare isn't in effect yet. How do you explain it now without your copy and paste rhetoric?

Some of it absolutely is in effect and it is already causing repercussions throughout the healthcare industry. Like the recent decision by one provider to not offer any more child-only policies due to the new law.

Nice attempt (once again) to deflect any criticism off of obama and his policies. On your last question, try doing your own research ...

S&F my friend........yes this was discussed and we were assured the republicans were over reacting.........
Not just liver transplants but alot of other things as well........sounds like a death panel to me, but I'm just a right leaning individual who didn't vote for Obama.................

reply to post by Misoir


once in my life i am going to agree with you sir. and im going to agree with the majority of posters in this thread.

this is a sign of things to come the power of life and death all boiled down the dollar.


obamacare aka the care act needs to die a horrible detestable death itself.

It's disgusting any way you slice it that a government will spend 600 billion a year on war, give a bunch of God da$n bankers trillions in bailout money but won't spring to save people's lives! How far will you let it go America? How big a separation between the rich elite and us serfs will you allow before you get off your couch? Disgusting.

Question: Is medicaid the only provider of health insurance in Arizona?

Nixie is right Centurion, this law is a state decision made by the republicans in Az. This is the republicans not Obama.

Originally posted by damwel


Nixie is right Centurion, this law is a state decision made by the republicans in Az. This is the republicans not Obama.

edit on Wed October 6th, 2010 by damwel because: correct bad reply message

Turns out the both of you are "damwel" wrong. The feds are deeply involved in Medicaid.

From the OP article:

Medicaid is a federally subsidized, state-administered health-care program for low-income people. Some Medicaid benefits are mandated by the federal government, with states choosing to cover additional benefits.

reply to post by centurion1211


They are correct centurion1211, the decisions are not made by the feds on this instance but instead by the state legislature.

Regardless of political party this is government showing its head where it doesn't belong and people will die as a result. Republican/Democrat the whole party affiliation doesn't matter in this case, it's government bureaucrats dictating what Medicaid will cover and in this instance they have decided that those with Hep-C don't have the right to live, that is government bureaucrats making the decision upon a human life.

They know there is nowhere else for these people to go, they are sick and they are poor, they rely on government sponsored health coverage to keep themselves alive because due to the government health insurance is unaffordable and paying the doctor yourself is off the table.

reply to post by centurion1211

According to that quote, the Fed's involvement in medicaid is that it funds the program, and it requires certain services to be provided. Everything else is up to the state's discretion. So, when Arizona decides not to provide a scarce resource to people who would not make good use of it, how is this the Fed's fault?

The estimated # of Hep C patients in AZ is about 1.8% of the population. Of course people can live with Hep C. Drinking and drugs will only exacerbate the condition. As to how you can contract Hep C, that is through blood transferal. Unprotected sex, needle sharing, whether for tattoos or drug use. It's preventable.

S&F.
Have to agree with centurion1211, this certainly appears to be a "death panel".
What I was trying to figure out from the article, was,

Are the budget shortfalls within the state medicaid program, or due to overall state budget issues?

From article:

Medicaid agency said it was responding to "significant fiscal challenges facing the State and substantial growth in the Medicaid population."

"Facing the state"
Now that is the scariest thing about this.

state's Medicaid agency said
it was responding to "significant fiscal challenges facing the State and substantial growth in the Medicaid population." As of October 1, the
Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System
will no longer pay for liver transplants for patients with Hepatitis C; certain heart and bone marrow transplants; or lung and pancreas transplants.

The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System is:
iThe name of the Medicaid program in the state of Arizona. As with all Medicaid programs,
it is a joint program between the state and the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Wiki Link

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is:
A federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) that administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with state governments to administer Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and health insurance portability standards.
Wiki link

It would appear both state and federal are involved in this decision, no?

reply to post by Oaktree


They Fed and State may both be involved in the administration of the program, but it appears that the state is unable to support Medicaid without additional federal funding. Perhaps now is the time for the Fed to bail out Medicaid? A massive investment in public health programs (including preventive medicine, nutrition programs, and breakfast clubs at public schools) could be in the works already, let's hope Obama announces one soon!

If that is the case, then it's more than a little bit ironic. The baby boomers are the massive aging population that is increasingly drawing on the medical system, and the succeeding generations have been too small to make up for the loss of productivity that results from the boomers' retirements and chronic health issues. The irony here is that the boomers, who are most vocal and angry about subsidies, taxes, and bailouts, would be burdening their own grandchildren to extend their own lives, which they have ruined with decades of uncontrolled self-indulgence!

Originally posted by intrepid
Drinking and drugs will only exacerbate the condition. As to how you can contract Hep C, that is through blood transferal. Unprotected sex, needle sharing, whether for tattoos or drug use. It's preventable.

The list on how Hep C was contacted by military personal.
Your list makes it look like its the victims fault.
hcvets.com...
many Vietnam vets were infected by jet gun Injectors
hcvets.com...
Dental work can also pass Hep C

4.2.7 Hepatitis C virus and dentistry It is a commonly believed that there are ‘large numbers of hepatitis C carriers in whom no route of infection can be identified’ (Tibbs 1995). Given the findings of HCV RNA in saliva and higher than expected prevalences of HBV in dentists, some of these cases (if this is indeed the case) may be explained by transmission in the dental setting.

hcvets.com...

I was a EMT in a town with 30% of the population(150 people 52 pos Hep C) positive for Hep C.
cause was unknown but believed to be from the local water plant.
the state installed a state of the art water treatment plant and new cases stopped.

On top of that, thousands of cases of hepatitis "C" cross over U.S. borders annually in the bodies of illegal aliens. Where do they work? They work in hotels, restaurants, fast food, construction and schools.
www.sodahead.com...


i wonder how the government will take this when it comes to veterans that are service connected because of mistakes made by the military.

Originally posted by ANNED
Your list makes it look like its the victims fault.

By and large that is the case. Of course there are anomalies but in most cases Hep C can be prevented.