ACS

scouty said:

Good site Hatshepsut
Thanks!!

I noticed ACS scored higher than Lance's did which surprised me for some reason. Susan G Komen got an excellent rating which is very impressive given it's size and scope.

Per this info ACS generates roughly $1 billion per year. That sounds like alot but if you consider that as of 2005 11.1 million people in the US were living with a history of cancer (only data I could get but I imagine that number is signigicantly higher today). 1.5 million more Amercians will hear the words "you have cancer" this year alone. So how would you split up the money??

Would you give it to people stressed like you? $1 billion would only help pay 1000 people if you gave them $1 million each. If you helped every newly diagnosed cancer patient they would get $666 each. If they chose to help all cancer survivors, each of us would get less than $90. Bought now, you are probably asking what's your point........

My point is the number of people affected by cancer every year in the US is startling. The ACS must struggle with how to get the most out of every dollar they make. You are not the first nor will you be the last American to have to file for bankruptcy because of not having enough insurance. I'm sorry, it isn't about getting cancer since it could be any number of serious diseases that costs so much money, it is all about insurance! In the richest country in the world we have people going bankrupt because they got sick. Very sad.

NOW if you want to look at some serious hefty salaries go check out the upper management employees at Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Health Care, Cigna, or any of the other big insurance companies and then venture over to what a phamaceutical sales rep makes. The one that represents the company that makes Avastin for my cancer center drives a big Hummer (not one of the small ones). The woman that sells Oxiliplatin, one of those top end Mercedes. If you know your doctor well enough ask him/her what some of the sales reps drive. They'll tell you since they make more than the docs do. But you will never see data on them like you can for ACS because these companies are privately owned and are as greedy and sneaky as Wall Street BUT we all need their products and services. THEY'VE GOT US RIGHT WHERE THEY WANT US.

Lisa P.

Thank you Hatshepsut and Lisa!
I was not going to comment on this topic, mainly because ACS is an American organization that I know very little about... but can only assume it is like the Canadian Cancer Society. It appears the two organizations do the same sorts of programming, education and trying to help as best they can. I'm going out on a limb here but am assuming the ACS is larger and brings in more money than the CCS, but that also can come down to numbers. There are more American citizens in the USA compared to Canadian citizens in Canada.

BUT, the one thing that stuck out in my mind when John first brought up his situation in this topic... about how cancer has basically used up all his finances. He admitted that, prior to having cancer, the insurance he chose to buy, he thought would be more than adequate for future needs for him and his family. I think it's a fairly safe bet that those who do have insurance think the same way... and those that don't have insurance don't have the option of choosing since it's all to expensive for what they can afford. John... in a much earlier topic some months back, you had made the comment that when you chose your insurance coverage, it was back when you really thought it was going to be sufficient coverage and your choice had nothing to do with cost since, at the time, your work and financial means could more than cover it and more if you thought you needed more. Now, after all you've been through in the last 2 (?) years, you find yourself broke, had to sell the business and if you were to buy insurance now, no insurance company is going to touch you unless they charge you such outrageous amounts, there is no way you can afford them. I feel for you and millions of others out there who find themselves in the same boat. And, as Lisa said, it's not just cancer that does this to families... it's any serious illness. When we are young, we feel we are invincible. No matter what serious illnesses are out there, we never think we are going to get them... everyone else gets them but we won't. It's not until someone does get one that reality hits with a bang that has never been felt before.

Most of you have heard my shock (and anger) about health care coverage and how I just don't understand why so many in such a powerful country have to go/suffer without insurance because it's just not affordable. No, don't worry, I am not about to start comparing a National vs a Private system... I think we've beaten that one to death in other topics

BUT... with this topic being about the ACS and what do they do for YOU (the American citizen who is affected with or by cancer)... I feel some underlying tension here from some of you who have posted in it. I could be wrong, but I get the feeling you feel that the ACS is bringing in all this money every year but you, personally, have not seen any benefit or gotten anything out of the ACS. I didn't ever think the ACS, or in my case, the CCS, was ever set up to give financial help to patients or their families. That would be an impossible situation to set up!! Like, who would be eligible for financial help? Everyone who has cancer? Every stage of cancer or would they draw the line and say Stage 1 - 3 isn't eligible because there's a possibility that you can get cured? Or, maybe Stage 1 - 3 can get financial help because of the possibility of being cured so they need more help to get back on their feet and live a long happy life. Maybe it's stage 4 that shouldn't get any help because, after all, statistically speaking, the majority of Stage 4 patients are not going to make it to a long life. Ok, let's say, somehow they make a decision that, as long as you can get an Oncologist to sign a document, then anyone with cancer (all types of cancer, I might add) will get help. What about the family members who are affected by those who have cancer. What about the spouses who quit their jobs to be full time caregivers of there diagnosed spouse, child, parent, etc? Should they also be eligible? As you can see, it's totally impossible! You would need staff to process claims, adjudicate claims, as well as the other programs that go along with that. So you DO have administrative costs. And we are talking 1 or 2 billion dollars is going to come even close to covering this? Think about it.

So why are these illnesses bankrupting more and more people. I really and truly don't think we can blame the economy or current recession on this. People were going broke and bankrupt because of illness long before the problems with the economy or the sub-prime housing fiasco. WHY do people have to go bankrupt because they are sick??

I believe Lisa hit the nail on the head! Not only can people not afford Health Care Insurance that is adequate to cover their illness (or the illnesses of anyone in their family), what insurance they can afford has so many limits and restrictions. So they are paying for insurance but it doesn't cover the serious illness they have. Or it covers, but there is an expiry date... after that date you have to get another insurance plan. But now, no one will touch you because you have a pre-condition. So if you are on your own with no insurance, or only partial insurance, then you are going to have to cover a lot of the prescription/drug expenses yourself. How ridiculous is it to have to spend $500 on a pill to control your nausea (and as some have mentioned here... it doesn't work for everyone!!). So you buy 3 pills as prescribed, for a total of $1500 and then find it doesn't help you??? Or how about that PET scan. Your CEA has gone up and if it is a good indicator for you, it means there is some metabolic activity somewhere in your body. The one good tool to find out is a PET scan... but that costs $5000 - $7000 a scan! You've just put out $1500 for 3 anti-nausea pills, for nausea caused by a chemo drug you are on (that may have cost you $11,000) and now you need to come up with another $6000 for a PET scan. You add up the expenses and it would not be unrealistic for the costs to be approx. $15,000 - $20,000 per chemo treatment... if you have blood tests, CAT or PET scans, plus the chemo treatments and meds to combat the chemo side affects. Standard protocol is 12 treatments which would be over $200,000 (including a couple of CAT scans and 1 or possibly 2 PET scans). And we all know we aren't all lucky for scans/treatments/drugs to stop after 12.

Can we really and truly gripe and say that ACS is not doing a good job because Americans affected by cancer are not getting the financial help they need? Where DOES the problem really lie?

Money. It all comes down to money. The Pharmaceutical industry charges outrageous amounts of money for their drugs. Why? Yes, research and studies are expensive... no doubt about it. By the time they have created a drug that works, incredible amounts of money has gone into making that medication. Once all that work is done, to actually physically make the medication costs peanuts. The manufactoring is rarely the expensive part... it's the research and all the work that went into inventing the drug. Meanwhile... there could very well be alternative solutions but if eating a (made up silly example) dandelion leaf would do the same thing as a $500 pill, is it hard to believe why the Pharmaceutical Industry would be dead against that?? They have no patents or jurisdiction over dandelion leaves. The industry would come crashing down if some solutions were a lot easier and cheaper to manufacture.

Likewise, whether you are talking Health Care Insurance or car insurance... insurance companies all work the same way. The concept is to insure you against a problem (illness, unemployment, or a broken car). They are counting on the fact that the majority of people who have insurance will never have to use it, but are consistently making their payments. For those who do have to use it, there are more that don't so there's plenty of money to pay for those who do. But let's face it... the insurance business is very competitive... the more people Company A has, the more people Company B wants to have. So they add in a few dangling carrots... but of course it costs more... and more... and more. An insurance company is not going to charge only what it takes to cover expenses... they are going to charge a lot more so that there is "profit" that goes into their pockets. Hey, that is what competitive business is all about.

So the successful Pharmaceutical owners and the successful insurance owners all are living the American dream... whereas those who need their services and products are all going bankrupt and actually giving serious thought to "What is the point of fighting when I can't afford it?"

I know it's easy for me to say. I am not in the same position as so many who find themselves bankrupt and scared. They have lost everything and now wonder how they are even going to make ends meet, let alone be able to carry on with the expenses. I'm not in that position, personally, but my heart aches for them... and I do get very angry on their behalf. But what can we do? Heck, I don't even belong to the US so my voice means nothing... but I would join any cause that fights for the right to affordable medical for all Americans, no matter what their illness... or even if they don't have one, to be able to feel secure that they are covered in the future.

Huggggggs,

Cheryl

mono5 said:

Canadian Cancer Society announces national program ....
Canadian Cancer Society announces national program to prevent cancer using vitamin D. This is interesting... Maybe the ACS should take notes!
http://www.naturalnews.com/021896.html

Vitamin D program
Well Mono... for starters, that article is pretty old... 2007. And I always am suspicious of articles that slam an organization and yet... haven't started a program themselves if they believe in it so wholeheartedly. I did a google search on Canadian Cancer Society and Vitamin D and pretty much found the same information by different "Natural Health" sites. They all pretty much say that the CCS are starting this National program... and this was all reported in 2007.

I live in Canada and although I have definitely heard the various newscasts about the benefits of Vitamin D (to the point I started taking 2000 units/day last Fall and continue to do so)... I have not seen anything about a national program that these alternative news services say the CCS is doing or has done.

I did a bit more of a search and found this very interesting interview with a Doctor about Vitamin D and he is from the US (San Diego, I believe). I don't know if this is more alternative news or if it is backed by mainstream medicine, but it is definitely interesting. IF there is any truth to it, then it sure doesn't hurt to beef up one's Vitamin D. It's not a hard thing to do.


Interesting Video Clip

If you do a google search for Canadian Cancer Society and Vitamin D, you will come up with a lot of articles... but I advise staying away from any that seem to be bashing a particular group. That goes for any search on the internet. If the sole purpose of the article is to bash another group, then obviously one can only take the information they give with a grain of salt.

Cheryl