Posted by pamom, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Jun 4, 2011 at 12:47 pm
In an ideal world you are right, we should be able to trust the medical community. But I am glad that Simitian is willing to take a stand because in regards to mammograms there is a lack of information. This woman thought she was fine but she was not. Almost no info is provided when you go to get a mammogram.
My case is the opposite: I found out that there are problems with over-diagnosis. I had never heard of DCIS before I was suspected to have it and was completely frightened to hear about it. Only by doing a lot of research on my own did I find out that mammograms are causing a lot of women to be treated (including mastectomies) for DCIS which is not exactly cancer. It could potentially become cancer although most of the time it does not. Women should be informed of this. If it takes a law to get this information out, then thank you Simitian.
"(FLA Governor)Rick Scott: Florida's Drug Fraud Enabler? Mar. 8, 2011
In 1997, Rick Scott was implicated in the biggest Medicare fraud case in US history, stepping down as CEO of Columbia/HCA after the hospital giant was fined $1.7 ***billion*** and found guilty of swindling the government. As Florida's new governor, Scott is now trying to kill off an anti-fraud database that would track the fraudulent distribution of addictive prescription drugs in Florida..."
Insurance companies have the best interests at heart, we can trust them, right?
"Moreover, health insurance is not health care; it is paying for promises that private insurance companies have every incentive to weasel out of, by targeting the expensive sick for “rescission” (cancellation), by limiting/rejecting claims (“medical losses”) and by (mis)using your premiums to pay extravagant executive compensation, such as the $1.6 billion payout United Health gave ex-CEO “Dollar Bill” McGuire. You have to wonder how many people died because United Health cut them off so that it could pay one executive $1.6 billion." Web Link
Posted by Anna, a resident of the Charleston Meadows neighborhood, on Jun 4, 2011 at 4:55 pm
Isn't this just another case of politicians getting between a woman and her doctor? I don't see a principled difference between Simitian's dictating the content of doctor/patient communications and anti-choice legislators telling doctors what they have to tell their patients about the fetus they're carrying.
Posted by pamom, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Jun 4, 2011 at 7:05 pm
Anna, the problem with mammograms is that women believe if they do this once a year they are very likely to catch breast cancer early, but what is missing is information about how well mammograms can actually do this. There are serious problems with under-diagnosis and over-diagnosis. Getting out this information is important.
An additional drawback is that mammograms expose the breast to radiation which can cause cancer. The more times you are called back for a suspicious mammogram reading the more exposure you are getting. If you need a biopsy (for DCIS which may never present itself or develop into cancer in your lifetime), you will be undergoing more x-rays. These risks should be something the patient can talk to the doctor about and make a decision. Right now, that information is not being provided.
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