Barbara Wagner, 64, of Oregon, is suffering from lung cancer. She had been in remission, but her oncologist found that her cancer had returned, and prescribed an expensive drug, Tarceva, that could prolong her life. The Oregon Health Plan refused to pay.
Instead, they sent a letter offering hospice care, or drugs so that her physician could assist her suicide. Administrators overrule physicians in this plan, a harbinger of the national health plan Congress seems hell-bent on foisting on us, despite being regularly lambasted by their constituents at town hall meetings.
Other Oregon residents have had similar experiences. Barbara, however, is one of the lucky ones: Genentech, manufacturer of Tarceva, has agreed to supply her with the drug for free. So, the evil capitalist drug company shows more compassion than the State-run health plan.
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