Why is our populace not up in freaking arms about this?

[busterbrown]

Everyone must know someone who has gone or is going through this type of horror....
One would think that even republicans would be concerned about these type of stories. Especially since Insurance is no sure thing for financial protection...

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/05/16/2022881/cancer-americans-bankruptcy/

[Half-Century Man]

1. That which doesn't kill me, takes all my shit.

Nietzsche got it mostly right. He just didn't anticipate the US version of privatized medicine.

Try the side effects of chemo and radiation, fatigue, lose of income, housing bubble crash, pitying glances, etc; surf that tsunami..
Wait 10 years and watch the sequester bomb sloooooowly, inevitably fall.

[SheilaT]

2. In reality, lots of us do not personally know

people who've actually been through this.

So for those who are inclined to blame the victim, it's easy to ignore or minimize, or even think "If you'd only been more careful/done something different/not smoked" and think it could never happen to them.

I happen to be a happy participant in the Republican Health Care Plan, meaning I never get sick. Really. I'm an amazingly fortunate person who is annoyingly healthy. But, but, but, I understand that I'm not quite like everyone else. I do have friends and relatives with assorted health issues, and it angers me mightily that we don't have universal health care in this country.

I can get quite pissy about things like smoking or being overweight, but no matter how much I can be righteous about those things, I don't for one instant think that one's personal habits should keep one from complete health care, no matter what. And even though I use almost no health care resources (I broke an arm four years ago, does that count?) I do not think that my fabulous health should exempt me from having to help out others.

In a similar vein, I got to be a stay-at-home mom, which I (understandably I hope) think that's the best way to be. But, but, but, I recognize that other women are in different financial situations, or they have careers they truly love. Then there's those who don't have children at all. And even for those of us who have kids, we only spend a small portion of our lives with little kids at home or in the school system. Meanwhile, every single one of us benefits from having good schools and we'd benefit even more from systems that cut slack for the parents. Oh, and those of you who never had kids? You'd benefit also from a system that cut you slack for your personal needs, whatever they might be.

Hmmm, I think I might have the beginnings of an essay: "Why I am a Democrat."

[area51]

3. I think a lot of people are woefully ignorant

about people in first-world countries having access to health care/a right to health care and who don't go bankrupt when there's a severe illness.

There are so many ignored opportunities that our news organizations could be doing, by pointing out in each story like this that the U.S. is unique in causing bankruptcies for this, and that other people in 1st world countries don't have to go through this.

It's my understanding that Canada's tax rates are close to ours, so there's no excuse for this country not having their type of health care system.

[pnwmom]

4. Because the people blame themselves instead of the health system. n/t

[jamiea99]

5. The take-away is not helpful either

(The study's lead author, Dr. Scott Ramsey,) says cancer centers need to do a better job of assessing each patient’s financial status, offering credit counseling, and managing patient care.

The proposal then is that cancer centers should do more to turn away people without exhorbitant savings, encourage patients to sell their homes and empty retirement accounts, and deprive them of necessary care if they can't afford it? All to avoid bankruptcy? Because I can't figure another way to interpret the real-world outcomes of such suggestions (as summarized). You simply can't get blood from a stone no matter how many times you "counsel" it.

I would prefer the author be outraged about the cost of cancer care, the massive profiteering and exploitation of the seriously ill, and employers discriminating against patients and against survivors who've filed bankruptcy. Instead, reading the study, they are encouraging additional types of employer-linked insurance policies, even after noting patients are likely to lose their jobs after diagnosis.

[cui bono]

6. It is horrific. Especially when you consider the food being shoved at us is being shown

to be a huge cause, if the not the major cause, of cancer. All that processed shit and sugar is being linked to cancer.

I'm glad I've changed my eating habits, I was consuming a lot of sugar for a while. It would be good for people to be more informed of steps they can take in their diets and lifestyles that would be preventative to lessen the possibilities of health tragedies. But as whole our society isn't geared toward preventative health care which again is a shame.

So there's corporations making money creating our problems and corporations making money selling us a "solution".