The recent health care debate has sparked a lot rhetoric from both sides. In the interest of full disclosure, I am vehemently against the proposed government take over of our health care system for a number of reasons. Primarily due to overwhelming, documented reduction in the quality of care patients receive under such a system. The state of Oregon has the type of system that Congress is proposing for the entire country. Barbara Wagner, a resident of Salem in the state of Oregon, and lung cancer survivor, was prescribed Tarceva by her oncologist. Tarceva is a drug that has shown excellent results in slowing the progression of lung cancer, but comes with a large price tag, about $4000.00 a month. Unfortunately for Mrs. Wagner, she received a denial letter from Oregon Health services commission that read,

"Treatment of advanced cancer that is meant to prolong life, or change the course of this disease, is not a covered benefit of the Oregon Health Plan."

What was also outlined in the denial letter was that physician assisted termination of life is a benefit that the state would pay for, should she opt to go that route. Did you get that?!? The state health care would not pay for the doctor prescribed medication that would extend her life, but would pay a doctor to kill her.

Barbara appealed this decision twice with the board, and they stood firm on their decision, supported by this statement,

Dr. Walter Shaffer, medical director of the state Division of Medical Assistance Programs, which administers the Oregon Health Plan, attempted to defend the health plan's decision. "We can't cover everything for everyone," he said. "We try to come up with polices that provide the most good for the most people." Shaffer then addressed a priority list that had been developed to ration health care. "There's some desire on the part of the framers of this list to not cover treatments that are futile," he said, "or where the potential benefit to the patient is minimal in relation to the expense of providing the care."

One might look at this story and assume that a grim end is inevitable, but alas, an evil, profit driven pharmaceutical company, Genentech, decided to provide the drug to Mrs. Wagner, free of charge, and save her life. Below is the link to the story that I found online reporting this story, and interviewing Mrs. Wagner back in June of 2008.

http://blog.heritage.org/2009/08/21/this-is-what-government-rationed-health-care-looks-like/

If the story above doesn't get you angry enough, here's what Tom Daschle (D), former Senator of South Dakota, a leading adviser to Obama on health care reform, and the original Obama candidate for the Health and Human services secretary had to say, as reported by Bloomberg,

"health care reform will not be pain free. Seniors should be more accepting of the conditions that come with age instead of treating them"

I am not a conservative because I lack compassion, I'm a conservative because I am filled with compassion. The greatest gift one can give another is the direction, skill, and confidence to provide for themselves. Liberalism is a direct contradiction to this theory, and seeks to eliminate any individualism, centralize power, and micromanage the distribution of goods and services to the people. This is the ultimate goal of the Obama administration as evidenced by appointing all of the Czars that report directly to him, and not the head of the agencies that they represent.

Reforms are needed, I agree. There are free market solutions to this issue. For example, currently, individual states and the federal government, in some cases mandate what insurers must provide on their policy. That means, if you are a single man, and your particular state mandates that insurers must cover breast enhancement surgeries, that drives up the cost of your policy for a benefit you'll never use. In addition, insurers are not allowed to offer coverages that cross state lines. Meaning, that if a company decides to pursue business outside of their home state, a they have to buy a company in the state they wish to do business in, or start a new company in that state, instead of being able to centralize management, much like other services do.

I'm sorry to say that Barbara Wagner lost her battle with cancer in November of last year. I hope that her story will serve as an example of what happens we we take the decision making out of our doctor's hands, and put it in a bureaucratic committee's hands.
I do not believe that most of the people that go into medicine do so because they want to live the country club life, or drive a Porche. I believe they answer a calling to help people that requires years of education, sacrifice, and commitment.