The story is about transplant rationing in Arizona (it's not a death panel when it's a private insurer, apparently) and the real human cost of such decisions.
Trinity Halliday
I lost my job and have no health insurance now. So why exactly should I cry tears for people who will suck up millions and millions of dollars of healthcare and may require a second costly transplant or die anyway? A former boss of mine had a heart transplant. She told us about all of the other people in her hospital unit who mostly died anyway after the transplant. Talk about throwing money down a black hole. After the transplant there are all also all of the costly anti-rejection drugs and tests to see if you're rejecting the organ. I was in favor of transplants before I heard her stories. She alone has cost the insurance company millions and millions of dollars and doesn't even have a normal life. I'm sorry, but we really need to think about what a life is worth. And how many less sick people we could treat and save for the same money. Lots and lots. I'm with Arizona on this. It's not a good use of the money. And I'm normally a bleeding heart liberal. If I get sick or injured, I'm going to die, because I can't afford medical treatment. So if you're not Steve Jobs and can't afford a transplant, maybe you will, too. I don't think a right to transplants was ever written into the Constitution.
Yes, saving lives is "throwing money down a black hole" if those lives aren't going to be "normal" afterwards. "Bleeding heart liberal" Trinity apparently feels that medicine should only be an option if it's going to make people "normal", whatever that means, so forget about treating mental illnesses, or amputees or children with Down's Syndrome. If they're going to force Trinity to behold abnormality, they should just die.
"I don't think a right to transplants was ever written into the Constitution" is just a flat out lie: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It's right there, Trin. Get a clue.
Simmons
Whatever did we do 50 years ago, when many of our life-saving procesurdes weren't available? And we didn't have a pill for everything? Even 20 years ago? Limit all public funds for healthcare that was developed 20 years ago or more.That will still give people BASIC healthcare. Everyone else can pay out of their own pockets. Some of us get Ferraris, some get 10 year old Kias. Life's unfair.
Simmons feels that medicine should have stopped innovating 50 years ago. Why 50? Who the fuck knows, but I'll be happy to deny Simmons fetal monitoring, open heart surgery, an artificial hip, treatment for heart attacks, CT scans, MRIs, PET scans, defibrillators, and the list goes on.
I mean seriously, the knowledge that [this person] is dying needlessly only inspires you to opine on Kias and spout the sort of ableist tripe Hitler was fond of? Instead of cutting off organ transplants, I say we figure out how to do empathy transplants. Apparently, that's what we really need.
