I have never negotiated on a cancer treatment. However, pharmaceutical companies advertise, such as Astrazenica, "Can't afford (your pharmaceutical), we may be able to help. I see TV commercials and billboards depicting one's fight against cancer as an heroic endeavour. This suggests to me the target of these advertisments are people who may opt out of cancer treatments. Based on this, I ask why wouldn't cancer treatment costs be negotiable? Especially considering the apparent high margins on related products and services and the fact some patients are willing to forego treatment if they deem costs as too high. Instead of rolling cancer, and perhaps end of life treatment costs into general healthcare insurance premiums, perhaps a seperate cancer policy could be offered, such as what American Family has offered and perhaps still offers. This flexability may appeal to some, especially those on a tight budget.
30+ years volunteering with hospices and such. Fuck me I don't know why sometimes. Do everything perfect and you maybe, maybe take 30 percent off your risk of a terminal or terminal-without-treatment disease. Personally I've lost count of the, extremely healthy people who just got cancer anyway, I have met. Briefly. Get good life insurance to protect your wife and kids, don't spent millions to eek out another six months if its not reasonably possible to cure, leaving you with some quality of life. The end of life industry in the US is sick and a big part of the priblem. Government payer systems in Europe are matter-of-fact about death and don't pretend miricles can be reliably bought.
Those advertisements for ""Can't afford (your pharmaceutical), we may be able to help" are just the Pharma industry trying to get you to use their high-cost drug versus one from a competitor or any lower cost option. The discount from the Pharma company is only good for six months or one year -- after this the full cost is on you (or your insurance company). This gimmicks are nothing more than pharma industry marketing -- not much different than the endless commercials on TV trying get you to use their drug and request from your doctor.
Do you have a sense of how effective cancer treatments are? Is metastasis basically a death sentance? Especially with older people?
In hospice care, you see cases where treatments ultimately didn’t work, but it’s important to recognize that progress is always being made. I have seen even pancreatic cancers not cured, but years of good time bought. That never used to happen. However, the reality is that with over 200 types of cancer, the chances of you or a loved one having the specific type that benefits from a groundbreaking new therapy that actually rids you if it, are slim. Most cancers are random cellular events, and while environment and lifestyle can play a role, many occur without a clear cause. Maintaining a positive mental attitude can help in many ways, but it’s crucial to understand that most cancers involve tumors that grow inside organs, causing mechanical damage that ultimately disrupts organ function. A good attitude alone can only do so much. You might was well try a Jedi levitate a ball, belief just has no physical effect 100 of the time with this. It can help with pain and pain tolerance is important. When it comes to metastatic cancers, survival statistics often indicate limited time, but outcomes vary greatly depending on the specific disease and its progression. Still, even with the best treatments, like those offered at places such as Sloan Kettering, we'll we all know somebody who only gained a small extension of life, living eight months instead of six, for example. While advancements in cancer therapies continue to offer hope, there’s a need for more conversations around accepting death with grace. Personally, I’d be sad to leave, but I’ve provided well for future generations. If faced with a situation where treatment could only offer minor delays at great cost and suffering, I would have a candid discussion with my family to explain my decision not to pursue it, and they would understand. Of course, this perspective might change if I still had young children to care for.
You mentioned a while back that your wife has a serious eye problem about the time you married her. More recently, you said her condition was "complex". Additionally, you used language along the lines if she died before you, you would be free of restraints. It seems likely you were aware of her serious eye condition before you married her. Perhaps you were aware of its complex nature back then. Is there a soft heart inside of that hard exterior of yours?
No, just more lumpy gristle, I expect... I’m an atheist,not out of great philosophy, but simply because I’ve never seen anything to support theism’s claims. That said, I still carry my own subconscious superstitions that there may be something. But I'm just not afraid to die, I don't need to be coddled that I'm going to meet all my favourite people and animals in heaven. My wife is stable now, but yes, at one point we had signed up for a blind school to help her acquire the necessary skills before she lost her sight completely. We had the resources and managed to get her immune condition to back down. For now. Having lost my kids' mother when we were both young, I’m absolutely certain that if I lost my wife, I’d spit in fate’s eye and end the absurdity. My daughter would understand, she’s been raised to see life as ridiculous but worth enjoying anyway.
Spend less time on this forum and more time with your wife. If what you claim is true, it makes no sense to spend all day, every day, posting here.
Dude, I am home all day because she needs blood work taken, often several times a day. If I didn't have my little distractions I'd go mad It seems like a small thing when you nearly went blind but she has now a PTSD from being stabbed with needles, rather ongoing traumatic stress, so I am actually really good at it vs agency nurses. Anyway, at least there is love or something that feels like it even though I'm the bringer of pain everyday. Enjoy your Christmas party season.
Mark Cuban makes some excellent points. Mark Cuban Calls Healthcare Pricing 'Horrific'– Says Hospitals and Doctors Are 'Sub Prime Lenders' Forced To Raise Prices To Cover Losses https://www.benzinga.com/personal-f...enders-forced-to-raise-prices-to-cover-losses Mark Cuban Calls Healthcare Pricing ‘Horrific'– Says Hospitals And Doctors Are ‘Sub Prime Lenders' – But He's Proposing A Way To Fix Things Mark Cuban isn't holding back when it comes to his thoughts on the U.S. health care system. On Bluesky, on Dec. 10, he laid out exactly why he thinks the system is broken and how he's taking steps to fix it. His biggest gripe? Hospitals and doctors are being forced into the role of "Sub Prime Lenders" because they bear 100% of the credit risk for unpaid deductibles, co-pays and coinsurance. "That's insane," he wrote, adding, "When they can't collect payment, they raise prices to make up that loss." According to him, this leads to the "horrific" health care pricing. The ripple effects don't stop there. According to Cuban, hospitals have to function like mortgage loan servicers, navigating a maze of administrative costs to collect those unpaid amounts. This cycle pushes many patients into medical debt, which often leads to bankruptcy. In Cuban's eyes, this isn't just inefficient – it's a humanitarian disaster. Insurance companies aren't getting a free pass in his critique, either. Cuban states that for over 50 million Americans under such plans, insurers don't provide traditional insurance. Instead, they function as "care authorizers and payment processors," determining the approval and cost of care, with a primary focus on preventing fraud and assessing medical necessity. Data from Statista indicates that in 2023, approximately 65% of U.S. workers were enrolled in self-funded health insurance plans, where employers assume direct financial responsibility for employees' medical claims. Cuban doesn't think this role should fall to insurers at all. "That authorization process is one we should not be asking ins comps to do," he argued. Instead, he believes independent third-party administrators (TPAs) with no financial incentives to approve or deny care should handle this process. "The first step," he said, "is for self-insured entities to use third-party TPAs and move away from insurance companies for this service." As a business owner, Cuban isn't just theorizing – he's putting his money where his mouth is. For his own employees, he's implementing direct contracting with providers. "We are stipulating that there will be no pre-authorizations. We will trust the provider," he explained. His company will immediately cover the entire cost of in-network care, with no out-of-pocket costs for employees. The catch? Providers must charge significantly less than they usually would, even less than their published cash prices. Cuban is confident this model will save money and time while making employees happier. It's a bold move, but it aligns with his philosophy behind Cost Plus Drugs, the company he launched to disrupt the pharmaceutical industry. Cost Plus Drugs eliminates middlemen and offers medications at significantly lower prices. As Cuban put it, his health care plan for employees is "effectively … single payer, paid for by me." What's more, Cuban intends to publish his company's direct contracts, ensuring transparency in pricing. His ultimate vision? A health care system where businesses contract directly with providers, cutting out unnecessary intermediaries and reducing costs for everyone involved. "There are a lot of things in this thread to agree or disagree with," Cuban said, encouraging discussion. But one thing's clear – he's not waiting for the system to fix itself.