Compassion in healthcare v rationing

Listening to a physician this morning on a talk radio station, I felt this battle over government run healthcare was summed up faily well with one word "compassion". Our present healthcare system, flawed as it is, for the most part, allows physicians to have compassion, and the citizens freedom of choice. If the government is allowed to run healthcare, we will not only lose that compassion & freedom, we will be handcuffed by the government. Do you feel the government or their "panel of experts" can decide what is best for you? What about your loved ones, the elderly ? These are the people that have run Medicare, Medicade, USPS, and SSI into the toilet.
I see nothing good coming from this mass takeover of our healthcare system. We need less government , not more.

A real sickness.....

Is alive & well at huffington post.
To any conservative minded Americans, this site is beyond reality.
I read a few blogs & articles this morning, and couldn't believe how bad it is.
From organizing campaigns agains Glenn Beck, to mindless rants about PETA & the evils of meat eating.
An incredible wealth of misinformation & far, far left propaganda.

Swine flu, another scare ? More deaths?

Prevention: Is the swine flu jab safe?

A warning that the new swine flu jab is linked to a deadly nerve disease has been sent by the Government to senior neurologists in a confidential letter.

The letter from the Health Protection Agency, the official body that oversees public health, has been leaked to The Mail on Sunday, leading to demands to know why the information has not been given to the public before the vaccination of millions of people, including children, begins.

It tells the neurologists that they must be alert for an increase in a brain disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), which could be triggered by the vaccine.

GBS attacks the lining of the nerves, causing paralysis and inability to breathe, and can be fatal.

The letter, sent to about 600 neurologists on July 29, is the first sign that there is concern at the highest levels that the vaccine itself could cause serious complications.

It refers to the use of a similar swine flu vaccine in the United States in 1976 when:

• More people died from the vaccination than from swine flu.
• 500 cases of GBS were detected.
• The vaccine may have increased the risk of contracting GBS by eight times.
• The vaccine was withdrawn after just ten weeks when the link with GBS became clear.
• The US Government was forced to pay out millions of dollars to those affected.

Concerns have already been raised that the new vaccine has not been sufficiently tested and that the effects, especially on children, are unknown.

It is being developed by pharmaceutical companies and will be given to about 13million people during the first wave of immunisation, expected to start in October.

Top priority will be given to everyone aged six months to 65 with an underlying health problem, pregnant women and health professionals.

The British Neurological Surveillance Unit (BNSU), part of the British Association of Neurologists, has been asked to monitor closely any cases of GBS as the vaccine is rolled out.

One senior neurologist said last night: ‘I would not have the swine
flu jab because of the GBS risk.’

There are concerns that there could be a repeat of what became known as the ‘1976 debacle’ in the US, where a swine flu vaccine killed 25 people – more than the virus itself.

A mass vaccination was given the go-ahead by President Gerald Ford because scientists believed that the swine flu strain was similar to the one responsible for the 1918-19 pandemic, which killed half a million Americans and 20million people worldwide.

The swine flu vaccine being offered to children has not been tested on infants

Within days, symptoms of GBS were reported among those who had been immunised and 25 people died from respiratory failure after severe paralysis. One in 80,000 people came down with the condition. In contrast, just one person died of swine flu.

More than 40million Americans had received the vaccine by the time the programme was stopped after ten weeks. The US Government paid out millions of dollars in compensation to those affected.

The swine flu virus in the new vaccine is a slightly different strain from the 1976 virus, but the possibility of an increased incidence of GBS remains a concern.

Shadow health spokesman Mike Penning said last night: ‘The last thing we want is secret letters handed around experts within the NHS. We need a vaccine but we also need to know about potential risks.

‘Our job is to make sure that the public knows what’s going on. Why
is the Government not being open about this? It’s also very worrying if GPs, who will be administering the vaccine, aren’t being warned.’

Two letters were posted together to neurologists advising them of the concerns. The first, dated July 29, was written by Professor Elizabeth Miller, head of the HPA’s Immunisation Department.

It says: ‘The vaccines used to combat an expected swine influenza pandemic in 1976 were shown to be associated with GBS and were withdrawn from use.

‘GBS has been identified as a condition needing enhanced surveillance when the swine flu vaccines are rolled out.

‘Reporting every case of GBS irrespective of vaccination or disease history is essential for conducting robust epidemiological analyses capable of identifying whether there is an increased risk of GBS in defined time periods after vaccination, or after influenza itself, compared with the background risk.’

The second letter, dated July 27, is from the Association of British Neurologists and is written by Dr Rustam Al-Shahi Salman, chair of its surveillance unit, and Professor Patrick Chinnery, chair of its clinical research committee.

Halted: The 1976 US swine flu campaign

It says: ‘Traditionally, the BNSU has monitored rare diseases for long periods of time. However, the swine influenza (H1N1) pandemic has overtaken us and we need every member’s involvement with a new BNSU survey of Guillain-Barre Syndrome that will start on August 1 and run for approximately nine months.

‘Following the 1976 programme of vaccination against swine influenza in the US, a retrospective study found a possible eight-fold increase in the incidence of GBS.

‘Active prospective ascertainment of every case of GBS in the UK is required. Please tell BNSU about every case.

‘You will have seen Press coverage describing the Government’s concern about releasing a vaccine of unknown safety.’

If there are signs of a rise in GBS after the vaccination programme begins, the Government could decide to halt it.

GBS attacks the lining of the nerves, leaving them unable to transmit signals to muscles effectively.

It can cause partial paralysis and mostly affects the hands and feet. In serious cases, patients need to be kept on a ventilator, but it can be fatal.

Death is caused by paralysis of the respiratory system, causing the victim to suffocate.
It is not known exactly what causes GBS and research on the subject has been inconclusive.

However, it is thought that one in a million people who have a seasonal flu vaccination could be at risk and it has also been linked to people recovering from a bout of flu of any sort.

The HPA said it was part of the Government’s pandemic plan to monitor GBS cases in the event of a mass vaccination campaign, regardless of the strain of flu involved.
But vaccine experts warned that the letters proved the programme was a ‘guinea-pig trial’.

Dr Tom Jefferson, co-ordinator of the vaccines section of the influential Cochrane Collaboration, an independent group that reviews research, said: ‘New vaccines never behave in the way you expect them to. It may be that there is a link to GBS, which is certainly not something I would wish on anybody.

‘But it could end up being anything because one of the additives in one of the vaccines is a substance called squalene, and none of the studies we’ve extracted have any research on it at all.’

He said squalene, a naturally occurring enzyme, could potentially cause so-far-undiscovered side effects.

Jackie Fletcher, founder of vaccine support group Jabs, said: ‘The Government would not be anticipating this if they didn’t think there was a connection. What we’ve got is a massive guinea-pig trial.’

Professor Chinnery said: ‘During the last swine flu pandemic, it was observed that there was an increased frequency of cases of GBS. No one knows whether it was the virus or the vaccine that caused this.

‘The purpose of the survey is for us to assess rapidly whether there is an increase in the frequency of GBS when the vaccine is released in the UK. It also increases consultants’ awareness of the condition.

Panic over? The number of swine flu cases has fallen sharply in the past few weeks

‘This is a belt-and-braces approach to safety and is not something people should be substantially worried about as it’s a rare condition.’

If neurologists do identify a case of GBS, it will be logged on a central database.

Details about patients, including blood samples, will be collected and monitored by the HPA.

It is hoped this will help scientists establish why some people develop the condition and whether it is directly related to the vaccine.

But some question why there needs to be a vaccine, given the risks. Dr Richard Halvorsen, author of The Truth About Vaccines, said: ‘For people with serious underlying health problems, the risk of dying from swine flu is probably greater than the risk of side effects from the vaccine.

‘But it would be tragic if we repeated the US example and ended up with more casualties from the jabs.

‘I applaud the Government for recognising the risk but in most cases this is a mild virus which needs a few days in bed. I’d question why we need a vaccine at all.’

Professor Miller at the HPA said: ‘This monitoring system activates pandemic plans that have been in place for a number of years. We’ll be able to get information on whether a patient has had a prior influenza illness and will look at whether influenza itself is linked to GBS.

‘We are not expecting a link to the vaccine but a link to disease, which would make having the vaccine even more important.’

The UK’s medicines watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, is already monitoring reported side effects from Tamiflu and Relenza and it is set to extend that surveillance to the vaccine.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: ‘The European Medicines Agency has strict processes in place for licensing pandemic vaccines.

‘In preparing for a pandemic, appropriate trials to assess safety and the immune responses have been carried out on vaccines very similar to the swine flu vaccine. The vaccines have been shown to have a good safety profile.

‘It is extremely irresponsible to suggest that the UK would use a vaccine without careful consideration of safety issues. The UK has one of the most successful immunisation programmes in the world.’

I COULDN''T EAT OR SPEAK... IT WAS HORRENDOUS

Victim: Hilary Wilkinson spent three months in hospital after she was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome
When Hilary Wilkinson woke up with muscle weakness in her left arm and difficulty breathing, doctors initially put it down to a stroke.

But within hours, she was on a ventilator in intensive care after being diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

She spent three months in hospital and had to learn how to talk and walk again. But at times, when she was being fed through a drip and needed a tracheotomy just to breathe, she doubted whether she would survive.

The mother of two, 57, from Maryport, Cumbria, had been in good health until she developed a chest infection in March 2006. She gradually became so weak she could not walk downstairs.

Doctors did not diagnose Guillain-Barre until her condition worsened in hospital and tests showed her reflexes slowing down. It is impossible for doctors to know how she contracted the disorder, although it is thought to be linked to some infections.

Mrs Wilkinson said: ‘It was very scary. I couldn’t eat and I couldn’t speak. My arms and feet had no strength and breathing was hard.

I was treated with immunoglobulin, which are proteins found in blood, to stop damage to my nerves. After ten days, I still couldn’t speak and had to mime to nurses or my family.

‘It was absolutely horrendous and I had no idea whether I would get through it. You reach very dark moments at such times and wonder how long it can last.

But I’m a very determined person and I had lots of support.’

After three weeks, she was transferred to a neurological ward, where she had an MRI scan and nerve tests to assess the extent of the damage.

Still unable to speak and in a wheelchair, Mrs Wilkinson eventually began gruelling physiotherapy to improve her muscle strength and movement but it was exhausting and painful.

Three years later, she is almost fully recovered. She can now walk for several miles at a time, has been abroad and carries out voluntary work for a GBS Support Group helpline.

She said: ‘It makes me feel wary that the Government is rolling out this vaccine without any clear idea of the GBS risk, if any. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone and it certainly changed my life.

‘I’m frightened to have the swine flu vaccine if this might happen again – it’s a frightening illness and I think more research needs to be done on the effect of the vaccine.’

Hotline staff given access to confidential records

Confidential NHS staff records and disciplinary complaints could be accessed by hundreds of workers manning the Government’s special swine flu hotline.

They were able to browse through a database of emails containing doctors’ and nurses’ National Insurance numbers, home addresses, dates of birth, mobile phone numbers and scanned passport pages – all details that could be used fraudulently.

And private and confidential complaints sent by hospitals about temporary medical staff – some of whom were named – were also made available to the call-centre workers, who were given a special password to log in to an internal NHS website.

It could be a breach of the Data Protection Act.

The hotline staff work for NHS Professionals, which was set up using taxpayers’ money to employ temporary medical and administrative staff for the health service.

The not-for-profit company runs two of the Government’s swine flu call centres – with 300 staff in Farnborough, Hampshire, and 900 in Watford, Hertfordshire.

Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley described the revelations as ‘disturbing’.

Anne Mitchell, a spokeswoman for Unison, said: ‘There’s no excuse for such a fundamental breach of personal security. Action needs to be taken as soon as possible to make sure this does not happen again.’

A spokeswoman for NHS Professionals would not confirm whether access to the confidential files had been granted.

The White House not telling the whole truth?

Wow, is this possible? The "transparent" new obama administration not exactly being transparent..
During obama's campaign, he spoke of his support for the single payer (government run) healthcare debacle. Apparently since the uprising & outspoken Americans who have enough of big government spending like a drunken sailor (no offense to sailors), Ms. Sibilis first said yesterday , the WH was not going to push the single payer system, but then today, we are told she "misspoke" and there is no change in their agenda.
Trojan horses and cookies are suspect in the administrations email fiasco, and then they try to blame a "third party"
It seems there has been little, if any truth in this "new" administration.
So, who do we believe?
Obama,Sibilis, the House or Senate?
I submit.. None of the above.
Present administration aside, how many people feel the government has been truthful?
How many feel the government has your best interests in mind?
Do you ever feel you are getting screwed with every paycheck?
Isn't it time the citizens of this once great country regain our standing in the world?
We all need to educate ourselves. Read, read, read. Not the liberal left brainwashing garbage.
Start with our Constitution & Bill of Rights.
Read about our founders and what they stood for, learn what a real American should be.
Vote, vote & vote! Vote for the best candidate for our country & freedoms.
If they choose to not uphold their platform, vote them out !
Go to the town hall meetings.. Ask questions, with civility.
Don't get crazy or you will only feed the left .
Civic duty, duty to God & Country.
Was it that bad 30 or 40 years ago?
I think not.

Hypocrites, lies, and scare tactics.

Congress just today decided to abandon their plans for about 500 million dollars of new aircraft.
This was due to pressure & outrage from American citizens, like you & me.
These are the same hypocrites that bashed the big three automakers just recently for flying into DC for bailout meetings. Why do these people feel we are so stupid as to not notice this?

Obama today told people at a town hall meeting that because of special interest groups, every healthcare reform has been turned down... Is it possible that the intelligent Americans have instead chosen to read, get educated, and speak out against a proposed bill that will damage existing coverage, hurt Medicare coverage, cover illegal aliens at our expense, and put this country into a debt we may never recover from?

Scaring people into thinking we have an "emergency" and we must reform healthcare now? Why?
This administration seems to have on blinders and ear plugs when it comes to listening to the American people ! This administration feels it knows what is best for you & your loved ones, better than you !
Read the proposal. See the lies, the government control and the truth.
We cannot let our country be taken over by this government.
By the people, for the people ?
What's going on?
The government is supposed to work FOR us, not AGAINST us.

Angry Americans !

If you listen to any of the mainstream media spin, the American citizens that are protesting against government run healthcare are: Republican funded, too well dressed, right wing extremists that carry Nazi insignias, and are dangerous to the president.
When G.W.Bush was president, there were far worse demonstrations against him, both as a president and as a person.
Why are Americans being attacked by the left , the media and the administration?
Is it any wonder, that with our countries debt and proposed spending that Americans are angry?
the bailouts that started with Bush have transgressed into a free fall spending spree that will indeed decimate our countries economy for many , many years to come.
Of the787 billion dollars allocated for the "stimulus" bill, only about 1% has actually been given out. The economy shows small signs of recovery, but is still erratic at best.
Given the natural ebb & flow of the financial markets, a recovery would occur if the stimulus wasn't applied. This has been argued by world economists.
Why not then, stop the spending?
It seems it's because of one thing.
Control.
A democratically controlled house, senate, and white house.
If the proposed healthcare bill passes, it will be a coup for the democrats who want control.
Control over your lives. Control over your healthcare, your money, and your children.
Proposed mandatory "civil service", proposed mandatory "end of life counseling", proposed lowering of Medicare funding, proposed additional taxes, both upfront & hidden.
Yes, we are "angry Americans".
And yes, we have the right to be.
Our Constitution & Bill of Rights guarantees us the right to peaceful protest, yet when we do so, we are attacked.
In media, over the internet & in person.
Yes, physical attacks: http://www.dakotavoice.com/2009/08/interview-with-kenneth-gladney-man-assaulted-by-union-thugs-at-town-hall/
Kenneth Gladney was attacked by members of the SEIU with racial slurs & physical assault.
We can't voice our opposition ?
We must voice our opposition!

Attack of the Dems !!!!

Do we have such short memories that we forget how the rampant attacks on GW Bush were?
Called more names than we can recall, from baby killer, to war criminal..
All by a "grassroots" movement, which was in actuality conceived by & orchestrated by the Democratic party & their minions.
Ask yourself...... Why..?
Why , when the dems & liberals protest, call names, and attack the president, is it simply a "peaceful protest"?
Yet, when concerned, everyday American citizens do the same, it's an attack on the president (as per Pelosi), An orchestrated movement setup & paid for by the Republicans? (as per: the speaker of the house the dems & the coalition of "progressives").
Does anyone see a problem here?
Is it the governments place to intimidate American citizens? Or to protect our Freedoms as guaranteed by the Constitution & Bill of Rights?
Call out the dems & the representatives. Demand the truth.
It's your right!

American Citizens being attacked by the White House & the DMC !

When the White House asks for everyday citizens to turn in others if the see "fishy' emails or the like, what does this say about the current administration? Does this reek of the scenario in the book 1984? Big Brother, but much worse..Gone wild !
This is not an opinion, it is a fact ! See the following :
From the White House:
"There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there,
spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These
rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through
casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the
White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see
something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send
it to flag@whitehouse.gov."
Now, anyone who actually reads the obama proposed healthcare bill will see these items talked about in the White House article are real. See this link :http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/AAHCA-BillText-071409.pdf.
Since the concerned Americans have started voicing their opinions & complaints to congressional members & representatives about the proposed healthcare debacle, the White House, Pelosi, Reid, and others have gone a an attack to discredit these normal, everyday American citizens who are expressing themselves using their First Amendment right to freedom of speech. See:http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/08/the_book_on_town-hall_conservatives.php.
The left wing loons have an actual book on methods used to disrupt & discredit these Americans asking important questions. Why ? Are they that scared that the people may actually have some brains and push?
They should be. It's well past time the American public wakes up to the fact that this administration is doing nothing but spend our money like it's water, driving the economy to the point that our grandchildren will be in debt until they die. The Congressional Budget Office has already told the president that this program is not sustainable , and yet obama keeps stating that this bill will be passed, no matter what!! See the Wall St. Journal chart :

If anything is true, it's that Americans need to speak up now! Loud & clear! Question your representatives, demand answers.
Don't let our country become a third world mess.

Healthcare Reform..Why the Rush ?

We are being deluged everyday with the pros and cons of our current healthcare system vs the impending obama healthcare overhaul.
There are between 70-80 % of Americans who are satisfied with their current healthcare .
If so many Americans are satisfied, Why the rush to dismantle it?
Government run programs,such as: Medicaid, Medicare, SSI, etc, are all historically dismal failures. Virtually bankrupt at any given time. To support these programs our taxes are increased, and increased, and increased. Where does this end? With our entire country going bankrupt?
If you read the Congressional Budget Office report, this proposal by obama will indeed push this country right to the brink of bankruptcy, if not over the edge.
If this is such a great plan, why won't the Congress or the President use it?
Maybe because it's not so great.
Ask anyone who lives in Canada, England or any country with socialized healthcare about their waiting for doctors, hospitals, or cancer treatments. How many Canadians come to the United States for treatment and pay out of their pockets rather than wait for months or years.
How would you tell your Mother or Father they have to have mandatory counseling every five years to discuss their "end of life" plans? Would you be comfortable having the government ration their healthcare? Their medications? What about your own healthcare? Feel you can trust anyone in the government to decide what YOU need?
We Americans have freedoms in this country because we are Americans.
Not Canadians, Spaniards, English, or other countries.
We need reform & oversight in certain areas, but NOT more government. LESS government.
Are you willing to give up your freedoms to support non-Americans? Illegals?
If this bill gets passed, rest assured this will happen.
If you accept these changes, you give up your freedoms & rights as an American.
Do your homework, read the bill, this is more than obama will do !
Then decide for yourself. What is right, and what is wrong.
We think you will make the right choice.
Be Americans.