The Republican War Against Mammograms--WE WON!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 1:33pm

This makes me so angry I can hardly speak.

Write your senators and tell them to vote NO on S.1955, which would end insurance coverage for the following cancer screenings and treatments:

-Mammograms
-Pap smear
-Colonoscopies
-Clinical trials
-Off-label drug use
-Prostate cancer screenings



Save Our Mammograms Campaign Page

Updated On: 5/11/06 at 01:33 PM

[staticradar]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 1:44pm

WOAH!! why would they even do that? Are they insane? My god!

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 1:44pm

Where's the compassion? Ending insurance coverage for PREVENTITIVE medicine? It costs less to prevent than it does to treat in the long run. Unless someone's in the pocket of medicine for profit...

[staticradar]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 1:47pm

I'm hoping this is just there way to get people to the polls, unless it's going up for senate and not public vote. I'm a little unclear on that. Hopefully it won't pass, I don't see why it would though. I work for an insurance company and we always push preventative, so why would they try to cut that? It costs insurance companies way more money to treat cancer than it does to detect it early.

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 1:49pm

Ok- things are getting way too crazy.

*looks for flight to Canada*

anyone joining me?

[Calvin]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 1:56pm

I remember the hillbilly-heroin-popping dirigible spouting off some nonsense -- on one of the rare occasions I had the displeasure of hearing his radio program -- about how he didn't understand why ANYONE had insurance. It's a waste of money, he said. Why not just save up your money for medical treatments you need instead of creating this insurance paradigm that jacks up the price of medical care for the rest of us? Put it on the free market, like everything else. Disconnect your cable if you don't have enough money.

This is how far out of touch these people are with anyone who earns less than $200,000 a year.

[peach]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 1:58pm

Whoa! WTF? I don't understand the reasoning here. These are screenings that save lives!

[DBillyP]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 2:00pm

Because they have to find money to fund the military budget somewhere ...

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 2:01pm

From the American Cancer Society site. WRITE YOUR SENATORS NOW!

===

It's time to help Save Our Mammograms! Legislation is moving in the U.S. Senate that will affect your insurance coverage for mammograms - and we need your help to stop it.

This legislation (S.1955) is similar to the Association Health Plan (AHP) legislation that passed the House last year, and which was opposed by the American Cancer Society. If enacted, this legislation would undermine important patient protections and hamper our efforts to prevent, detect and treat cancer. State laws that ensure cancer screenings protections will be threatened. We can't let this happen.

What Cancer Screenings Are At Risk?

This bill would eliminate all of ACS' work in the states to guarantee access to mammograms, colon cancer screening, pap smears, clinical trial participation, off-label drug use and other cancer screenings and treatments.

Join other Americans in standing up to protect these vital cancer screenings. Please take a moment to contact your U.S. Senators and tell them you oppose any bill that would fail to protect mammograms and other cancer screenings.

Save Our Mammograms and Cancer Screenings

Updated On: 5/4/06 at 02:01 PM

[peach]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 2:06pm

Ah - but they should ask themselves who of the population will be serving in that military if the population has...

-cervical cancer
-breast cancer
-prostate cancer
or
-colon cancer

...due to lack of insurance coverage for preventative screenings?

This issue infurates me! I am sending the letter to my senator. Thank you PalJoey, for bringing this to our attention.


Updated On: 5/4/06 at 02:06 PM

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 2:07pm

Done. Somehow I think both my senators think as I do regarding this issue.

[Calvin]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 2:10pm

Yeah, Chuckie and Hillary probably don't need much of a push.

Now -- if you want to write to my former senators, Kay Bushbot Hutchison and Box Turtle Cornyn, they might need some prodding.

[peach]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 2:12pm

Yeah, good point - I hope my senators don't need much of a push on this one. Makes me glad I live where I do.

Updated On: 5/4/06 at 02:12 PM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 2:13pm

The bill is sponsored by

Republican Senator Michael B. Enzi [R, WY]

and co-sponsored by:

Republican Senator Wayne Allard [R, CO]
Republican Senator Conrad R. Burns [R, MT]
Republican Senator Richard Burr [R, NC]
Republican Senator John Cornyn [R, TX]
Republican Senator Larry E. Craig [R, ID]
Democratic Senator E. Benjamin Nelson [D, NE]
Republican Senator Pat Roberts [R, KS]

Write them now; vote them out of office in November.

Updated On: 5/4/06 at 02:13 PM

[Calvin]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 2:14pm

Ah, I should have known old Box Turtle was behind this. But Ben Nelson? I thought he was one of the more reasonable ones.

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 2:16pm

I'd like to know what the female Republican senators think of this.
Insanity.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 2:17pm

It's not just cancer patients who will suffer. It's also diabetes patients.

===

This legislation would destroy more than a decade of work to help people with diabetes. Almost 6 million people with diabetes in 46 states and the District of Columbia are guaranteed diabetes health coverage because of state regulations of insurance coverage. If it passes, insurers will be able to circumvent state regulations and offer a low-cost health plan to employers that could exclude diabetes coverage.

States would no longer be able to govern health plans and determine what health care coverage their residents should be able to receive. It allows health insurance premiums for many small employers to increase substantially simply because the business employs someone with diabetes or another serious illness.

In short, yet another piece of junk disguised as a reform.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 2:19pm

I'm sure the female Republican senators would echo Magdalene's notion that she just "ignores" when the Republicans start "blowing hot air."

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 2:22pm

From the bill:

"Requires the Secretary to establish the Commission on Health Insurance Standards Harmonization to develop recommendations that harmonize inconsistent state health insurance laws in accordance with the laws adopted in a plurality of the states. Provides that any harmonized standards adopted by the Secretary will supersede state laws related to the areas covered by the harmonized standards."

The OLD Republican party used to stand up for "states'" rights.

Yo, Papa! Want to defend this glorious piece of Republican legislation?

Updated On: 5/4/06 at 02:22 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 2:24pm

Remember, "states rights" means not letting Black people have the vote. And proceed from there.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 2:36pm

wait, ben's a republican now? when did he switch over to our side?

[Calvin]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 2:38pm

Perhaps Box Turtle has incriminating photos of him with a silverfish.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 2:40pm

nah, this is enzi & ben's baby. cornyn hopped on after the nfib showed up with 450,000 signatures on a petition pleading for passage of s.1955.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 2:47pm

Looks like Hillary is not totally against it, since she only offered an amendment to it, and is not denouncing the whole thing.

"Senator Clinton also recently offered an amendment to S. 1955, the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act, as the bill was considered in the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, that would help preserve access to state-mandated women’s health services, including mammograms."

Link

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 2:52pm

Yes, Goth. Read what you've written: Hillary's amendment would CHANGE the bill to RESTORE access to mammograms. Her amendment will undoubtedly be voted down by the Republican majority.

Thanks for the fix about Nelson. This isn't the first time he was confused for a Republican.