After her oncologist prescribed a cancer drug that would cost $4,000 a month, the newspaper reported, "Wagner was notified that the Oregon Health Plan wouldn't cover the treatment, but that it would cover palliative, or comfort, care, including, if she chose, doctor-assisted suicide."
Monday, August 4, 2008
Oregon Today = USA Tomorrow?
Oregon is, according to an editorial in the Oregonian newspaper, "the only state that both allows assisted suicide and tries to ration health care." This embarrassed the state when 64-year-old Barbara Wagner got sick with lung cancer and the state essentially said to her, Have you considered suicide, lady?:
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2 comments:
Would you feel any better about assisted suicide if Oregon had a no-cost-limit policy for cancer drugs? Otherwise, what's your point?
The drug denial sounded pretty reasonable to me.
'[Oregon] stopped short, however, of paying for a cancer drug that failed to meet the state's long-standing "five-year, 5 percent rule." It won't approve payment for treatment that doesn't provide at least a 5 percent chance of survival after five years.'
I think the drug rejection was reasonable. The assisted suicide is a separate matter.
I am 'argent' btw just changed my openid over.
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