the GOP faithful were banging on about?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/bu...2&ref=business

here is a real death panel for you in todays news.

CNN "UK's NICE Rejects Roche's Avastin In Bowel Cancer"

What they don't tell you in that article is that the drug is one of the most expensive, widely prescribed drugs in the world, a huge number of US insurance companies don't cover it and the major kicker is that it doesn't actually treat cancer or improve quality of life, it extends life expectancy of certain cancer patients by less than 6 months.

I don't want to start the same ol discussion about healthcare, but just wanted to comment here. It may not be cost effective, but I don't see anything wrong with wanting a few months with loved ones. My husband's aunt died from bowel cancer. If she had had access to this med, we would have had an opportunity to see her one last time before she died.

Edit: BTW, this goes for any side of the pond and is not directed at only a single-payer healthcare program.

If it's approved for use and the family want it that bad, theres no reason not to have a private prescription for it and pay for it. If the insurance doesn't pay for it here, you can go without or pay for it yourself.

very true, if they have the income to pay for it.

But not in the UK, where if you pay for additional drugs privately, they cut off all your NHS meds.

I don't think that's the case any more.

Must have changed very recently, if so.

5 November 2008. Here's an article discussing it:

http://uk.biz.yahoo.com/23022009/401...ealthcare.html

My comment wasn't aimed at healthcare at all, it was aimed at dodgy journalism with an agenda. The dodgy journalism in this case happened to be related to healthcare.