Greg Roach's Berkshires Blog
Friday, October 24, 2008
  Cover Your Butt
With all the hoopla surrounding taxation and spending in regards to the absolutely screwed up American healthcare system during the election season, I present you this:
Dr. Jianjun Li and colleagues from Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn offered free colonoscopies to uninsured patients who were over 50 but too young for Medicare. The average age of the 248 patients screened was 55.

Forty-five percent of patients had polyps, mostly small. However, 5 patients had early stage I or II cancer and 22 had large polyps, bigger than 1 centimeter. Large polyps have the greatest risk of turning into cancer.

Without the free screening, most of the uninsured patients would have had to wait until they were 65 when Medicare would cover the costs. Over ten years, the cancers would have progressed to costly advanced stages and large polyps might have developed into cancer.

The researchers estimate that if the cancers found during early screening and cancers that grew from large polyps had gone undetected until patients were 65, treatment would have cost Medicare $1,295,000. Based on current Medicare reimbursements, the estimated cost of the screening program and surgical treatment for the five early cancers was $390,000. Early screening saved two dollars for every one dollar spent.
Draw your own conclusions how data like this is transferable to the debate over healthcare for all. Personally, I think the results should be pretty damn obvious.

Source
 
Comments:
thank you :-)
 
Post a Comment



<< Home
A blog of random thoughts and reactions emanating from the bank of a mountain stream in the farthest reaches of the bluest of blue states.

ARCHIVES
May 2006 / June 2006 / August 2006 / September 2006 / October 2006 / November 2006 / December 2006 / January 2007 / February 2007 / March 2007 / April 2007 / May 2007 / June 2007 / July 2007 / August 2007 / September 2007 / October 2007 / November 2007 / December 2007 / January 2008 / February 2008 / March 2008 / April 2008 / May 2008 / June 2008 / July 2008 / August 2008 / September 2008 / October 2008 / November 2008 / December 2008 / January 2009 / February 2009 / March 2009 / April 2009 / May 2009 / June 2009 / July 2009 / August 2009 / September 2009 / October 2009 / November 2009 / December 2009 / January 2010 / February 2010 / March 2010 / April 2010 / May 2010 / January 2011 / May 2011 / June 2011 / July 2011 / October 2011 /



CONTACT:
greg at gregoryroach dot com

"Livability, not just affordability." - Dick Alcombright




My ongoing campaign for North Adams City Council

iBerkshires' Online Event Calendar



Because a Chart is Worth 1000 Words


Source:
Congressional Budget Office data

Powered by Blogger