GOP Candidate Chris Collins: 'People Now Don't Die From Prostate Cancer, Breast Cancer'

[ElizabethB]

15. Knowledge is dangerous and Ignorance is cheap $$$

Insurers can and likely will use the US Preventive Services Task Force ruling as a reason to stop covering mammograms and prostate cancer testing.

The Mammogram ruling resulted in public outrage by women and people were so angry about the PSA holding that the PSTF website had to shut down for a couple days. (This has been in the news for quite awhile--all political affiliations).

The PSA test is just a simple blood test. If a man had a positive result they'd discuss options for treatment (or choose "watchful waiting&quot with a doctor. Since when is knowledge dangerous...especially when it comes to cancer?? The PSA test does give false positives, but that's why they often use more than one PSA test. It's also the ONLY test available at present!! If prostate cancer is caught within the prostate there is almost a 100% survival rate...if it's not (as was the case with my Dad), it's a death sentence. Testing is expensive, and I can't help but think that the PTSF decision was just a risk/loss analysis.

My Dad, two uncles, and one cousin were all diagnosed with prostate cancer in the past five years. These men are not all related to each other either (different sides of the family). My Dad is the only one that didn't catch it and after watching him go through chemo, radiation, and hormone therapy for three years...my heart is absolutely broken. Now he takes the PSA test weekly to monitor how his chemo is working. He starts second line therapy next week (stage IV). I'm damn grateful that my other relatives and my Dad at least had a chance to fight it. It kills me that we are going to see a return to pre-PSA statistics.

Can someone explain how this isn't healthcare rationing?