Obama’s new cancer Rx is a war on men

New York Post ^ | November 25, 2015 | Betsy McCaughey

[Mr Radical]

Is the PSA reliable?
I read recently that new research shows 'prostate cancer' may actually be 4 or 5 different types of cancer and PSA is a very good marker for 2 types but not relevant for the others. This would explain the apparent inconsistencies in the results. And it means the test is still very valid as long as you appreciate it limitation.

[HiTech RedNeck]

For most people, except the few who are so friendless that an Obamacare is literally all they might have, the war on men (humanity) isn’t these chippy little corner cuts in Obamacare. It’s the whole idea of an Obamacare.

God will not have His work farmed out to Caesar, at least not without permitting myriads of demons to enter the mix.

[MountainYankee]

I am a survivor of this cancer at age 51. Routine annual physical. Men need to become proactive if this is the case. I have read articles about over the past couple of years. I wouldn’t be around today at age 68 if it had not been for that test. I had the surgery in 1999, no radiation, no hormones ect. and am cancer free almost 17 years. Got it early.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Glad that you’re still with us ! ;-D

[sphinx]

He who pays the piper calls the tune. We should pay our own health insurance premiums, and pay for minor procedures out of pocket. You are free to have a PSA test or a breast cancer screening every six weeks if you want, provided you are paying the bill. If someone else is paying, a cost benefit analysis is perfectly legitimate.

Personally, I see a doctor every five years or so whether I need to or not. This probably jeopardizes my chances of living forever, but so far I've gotten away with it. A rational, market based insurance system would probably jack up my premiums unless I got regular checkups, just as it would increase premiums for people who put on weight, smoke, drink, do drugs, or practice promiscuity. But we of course don't have a rational market based system.

[Jimmy Valentine]

PSA is a simple blood test. Saved my life and I recommend it to any man over 55 or so.

[Theodore R.]

Thank you, excellent answer on PSA.

[norwaypinesavage]

It's worse than even described. I can get a PSA test done at a local lab for just over $100. I would gladly pay the hundred bucks to get the test done on a schedule that I and my doctor think is best.

It is ILLEGAL for the lab to conduct the test, unless it is prescribed by a doctor. It's ILLEGAL for the doctor to prescribe a test for me to pay for by myself under Medicare rules. Thus, the only tests that I can legally have are at a rate dictated by some bureaucrats in Washington DC regardless of what my doctor and I think is best.

[Pearls Before Swine]

I had to go back to the lab (at extra expense) to have it done...

Well, there's an easy administrative fix to that. Make the test equivalent to a prescription, and only able to be ordered by a doctor. /S

[goodnesswins]

Yep...those are the tools used on my hub...glad to see it was finally approved. Too bad more urologists don’t promote it...follow the money. We are lucky that because of my health problems about 12 years ago we ended up with Dr. Jonathan Wright of Tahoma Clinic...who the FEDS have put thru hell for years...he recommended HIFU to my husband.

[Sans-Culotte]

My insurance still would not have covered it. My rich but cheap-ass employer provides insurance that is barely better than a minimal Obamacare policy. It does not cover expensive prescriptions and we only get 3 Doctor visits a year.

[FreeReign]

It is ILLEGAL for the lab to conduct the test, unless it is prescribed by a doctor. It's ILLEGAL for the doctor to prescribe a test for me to pay for by myself under Medicare rules.

Wait, what?

I still have private insurance so getting a PSA test hasn't been a problem, and it's covered under my insurance.

My first PSA test eight years ago was a 5.0, so I got a biopsy and they found nothing. Since then I've been getting a PSA every year and all the results have been between 5.0 and 7.4. The last couple of years they did an MRI and found nothing.

So I'm okay for now, but I wonder what will happen when I retire and I'm using medicare.

You're saying that it would be illegal for me to get a PSA??

[norwaypinesavage]

"You're saying that it would be illegal for me to get a PSA??"

I have almost identical PSA values as you - just above the 5 value that's considered marginal. I'm on Medicare. If a doctor treats just one Medicare patient, he must abide by all the Medicare rules, under penalty of law. These rules allow only a certain number of PSA tests. If I need more PSA tests than the rules allow it is illegal for the doctor to prescribe them. It is also illegal to get the test without the doctor's prescription, thus I can't get them, even if I pay the cost myself.

I suppose it would be possible to find another doctor who takes no Medicare patients to prescribe additional PSA tests. I would then have to both pay him, and pay for the tests. I think, though, it would still be illegal for my Urologist to add the results to my medical history.

[null and void]

Obama prefers the digital exam.

Really, really prefers...