I personally don’t believe these mammogram recommendations are a result of political scheming. I think these results would have been released no matter what political winds were blowing. Just like all the buzz recently about the prostate exams (or PBH tests or whatever it was) not being all that effective in detecting prostate cancer. Why no outrage about rationing then? Because of the timing of those findings?

The only thing that really bothers me about the mammogram recommendations is that it opens the door for the insurance companies to refuse to cover them until women are in their 50s. And the fact that so many people are such sheep that they’ll not take charge of their health and demand the screening if their health and history warrant it. They’ll just do what the government tells them to do. That’s the voting public that really grinds me.

Oh well, women ahve lived through the times of insurance not covering birth control pills while they would cover Viagra, wouldn’t cover annual pap smears, etc, so unfairness is nothing new to women vs health care.

Carey, Susan: Delighted.

wxchick: I can’t swallow the one-two of these recommendations and the very real threat of rationing just being a remarkable coincidence. (But golly gee, it says right here the president has nothing to do with this council!) Sheesh. Come on. Let’s see some healthy skepticism toward the government no matter whose ass is in the chair.

What I don’t understand is why you blame the Obama administration for these guidelines. From what I’ve read, this council was started in 1984 and works pretty much independently of whatever party is in power. No matter how much you dislike the President, I find it dishonest to blame these recommendations on him or his adminstration. The President does not officially nominate any of the members of this council. See http://tiny.cc/clickhere347 for how council members are chosen. Personally, if these recommendations are influenced by anything more than what the council members say they are (reviews of study results and their own experiences), it’s more likely that the insurance industry is buying influence rather than any attempt by the President or his administration.

Coffee out the nose on this one, man. That hasn’t happened in a long time.

Carey

Yeah, I’m goin’ straight to Hell…

You know, to me it wasn’t the new guidelines that were so strange, but the immediate backpedaling by Sebelius when pressed. I work with numbers and trends every day, so it makes pretty good sense that after a few decades of early detection, the numbers start to skew to the right. But to have a board of pretty intelligent folks state that and then have the administration throw the thing in reverse after one bad press day…ugh.

I am also waiving my fee for Uma Thurman, but she can’t bring a sword.

Unbelievable.