LIVESTRONG BLOG

Doesn’t matter what the candidates “SAY” we need to apply faith to what they will “DO!” I am giving my vote to the candidate who spoke with “action” not words. McCain found the Summit important enough NOT to miss. McCain/Palin. Suzanne Henslee

What progress to see both major candidates go on record with a published cancer plan! Now to ensure the best ideas get implemented.

Sen.Obama’s Mom succumbed to ovarian cancer.Maybe the forum clashed with another engagememt that had been planned.The man can only be in one place at a time. McCain probably had no plans and could make it. Sen Obama’s health care plans are phenominal!! Hes got my vote…

Just to interject here. I sent my mother and father the information from Obama and McCain to get their input. They asked me “Do you think this is for real or rhetoric?” My response back was “It is our job as citizens to make sure it does not become rhetoric.” That’s why it is imperative for us as voters, citizens, survivors and advocates to get involved and stay engaged. Keep our leaders honest and cancer on the forefront.

It’s great to see both major candidates publish thier positions…And I think a lot of people would agree, that were it not for the perseverance of the LAF, among others, we would not be where we are today. Yeah, Obama’s has more detail, but let’s not get too excited about either, because right now, it’s all just talk, and both of these guys are career politicians who will say what it takes to get elected. Vote with your conscience, vote with your heart…but at the end of the day, I echo Brooke’s sentiment – it is up to ALL OF US to keep them honest and make sure this issue doesn’t fall through the cracks…

Fixing lack of access to insurance is the number one way to increase cancer survival rates. We must look beyond rhetoric to see how the candidates?¢?Ǩ?Ñ¢ larger platforms do or do not support their cancer claims: basically show us the money. McCain?¢?Ǩ?Ñ¢s Health Savings Accounts and Healthcare Tax Credits will not benefit working families who do not earn enough to save or to get a tax credit: these programs will only benefit wealthier families. McCain?¢?Ǩ?Ñ¢s plan to provide insurance to those who cannot afford it is to work with Governors on the state level using high-risk pools. This is not realistic: states are broke (because they have been picking up the tab of the federal government who is cutting social programs; this problem will only worsen under McCain as he stated he wants to eliminate more federal programs) and there is no way that 50 individual states can effectively solve the insurance crisis. McCain wants to deregulate health insurance companies; this at direct odds with his claim to limit pre-existing condition exclusions, which will never be passed under a Republican administration. Fundamentally McCain and his party have always supported tax credits that benefit those with the largest incomes, spending more on defense than the budget can often sustain, and spending less on social programs. These kinds of politics create an economy that cannot fund the doubling of the National Cancer Institute budget, or many of the other nice healthcare sound bytes that McCain proposes.

Three words to keep in mind during this campaign: STEM CELL RESEARCH.

I would really like to see some of the cancer organizations and all cancer survivors challenge John McCain on how he thinks eliminating the corporate tax write-off for health care coverage is going to encourage employers to continue providing health care coverage and, in lieu of that, how he thinks cancer patients and survivors will purchase health insurance on the open market. First of all, most coverage is not available until you are 10 years in remission. See the story about the woman with Non-Hodgkins in Self magazine. Second, I don’t think a $5,000 tax credit is going to buy a healthy person good insurance, let alone a person who has or has had cancer. All I hear are shout outs for Palin and no one screaming over the crowd that McCain, a cancer survivor lucky enough to have government health insurance, is going to put the rest of his fellow survivors in a precarious situation. That was nice of McCain to show up to the cancer summit but what he plans to do will not be helpful to you if you have or have ever had cancer.

Actions speak loader than words. Obama wants Social medicine for all? Ya, they do that in England, my mum lives there, it takes her 3-6 months to get a doctors appointment, if she’s lucky. Obama will say whatever he has to in order to get your vote. I don’t really care too much for McCain either, but we’ll see. He’s soft on illegal immigration, and we are paying billions in taxes for illegal aliens.

But honestly, do you really think Obama sat in that church for 20-years and did not have a clue about his pastor, the man he calls his spiritual advisor? If you believe that I?¢?Ǩ?Ñ¢ve got some tropical ocean front property for you to buy on Alaska?¢?Ǩ?Ñ¢s North Slope!

And Obama’s ok with partial birth abortion? Do you know what that is? Google it.

Both of these are wonk rhetoric. Neither provide any details. Obama’s plan to double the NCI budget – that’s just throwing money at it and hoping to placate the public. It’s what we do with that money that is important. McCain supports the research but doesn’t go so far to say he’ll increase it.
What neither candidate says is that he will put in the appropriate leadership to address this issue and provide them with the resources to do so. But on a good note, both candidates have said that pre-existing conditions should no longer be able to be used to deny a cancer survivor coverage. And to this point either candidate must be held accountable.

Go McCain!!! Obama wants this “universal health care”. Jan. 2007 I had Brain Cancer, I’m from St. Louis, I went all the way down to Houston, TX at the M D Anderson Cancer Center, to get the best treatment I could get. If Obama was president and with his health care plans, I would end up going to the local hospital and hand some no name surgeon try to remove it and probably end up DEAD.

Universal health care does not mean you can’t choose private medicine. It means everybody has access to health care services… This is not USSR this is the United States of America and we can’t let insurance companies to let us die on the street. I have suffered testicular cancer. Obama has my vote!

It seems both candidates have strong opinions on health care, but only one showed up to the Cancer Summit. Meanwhile, the other one can’t stop smoking.

Keep the following in mind during this year’s election:

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and
> the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill
> the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
> >
> >
> >
> > The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
> >
> > The fifth would pay $1.
> >
> > The sixth would pay $3.
> >
> > The seventh would pay $7.
> >
> > The eighth would pay $12.
> >
> > The ninth would pay $18.
> >
> > The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
> >
> > So, that’s what they decided to do.
> >
> >
> > The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed
> quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner
> threw them a curve. “Since you are all such good
> customers,” he said, “I’m going to reduce the
> cost of your daily beer by $20.” Drinks for the ten now
> cost just $80. The group still wanted to pay their bill the
> way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected.
> They would still drink for free. But what about the other
> six men – the paying customers? How could they divide the
> $20 windfall so that everyone would get his ‘fair
> share?’ They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33.
> But if they subtracted that from everybody’s share, then
> the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid
> to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested a plan to
> reduce each man’s bill, and he worked out the amounts
> each should pay.
> >
> >
> > And so:
> >
> > The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing
> (100% savings).
> >
> > The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).
> >
> > The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
> >
> > The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
> >
> > The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
> >
> > The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
> >
> >
> > Note that the tenth man got the smallest percentage
> reduction and now paid 61.25% of the total bill, where he
> previously paid 59% of the bill. Each of the six was better
> off than before. And the first four continued to drink for
> free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to
> compare their savings.
> >
> > “I only got a dollar out of the $20 declared the
> sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man, “but he got
> $10!” “Yeah, that’s right,” exclaimed
> the fifth man. “I only saved a dollar, too. It’s
> unfair that he got ten times more than I!”
> “That’s true!!” shouted the seventh man.
> “Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The
> wealthy get all the breaks!” “Wait a
> minute,” yelled the first four men in unison. “We
> didn’t get anything at all. The system exploits the
> poor!”
> >
> >
> > The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. The
> next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks, so
> the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it
> came time to pay the bill, they discovered something
> important. They didn’t have enough money between all of
> them for even half of the bill!
> >
> >
> > And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and
> college professors, is how our tax system works. The people
> who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax
> reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy,
> and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might
> start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat
> friendlier.
> >
> >
> > For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
> For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.
> You probably have been sitting in a bar drinking too much
> beer.

The fact of Obama being a smoker only concerns to him and his family.

The real thing is that his proposal is far more specific than McCain’s one. Plus he has a National Health Plan to any american who cannot afford to pay for his health.

With McCain will still have people dying on the streets.

Another thing Garrett L, there are alot of people out there working harder than you trying to get ahead in life for little pay and no health care. It’s no surprise you’re voting for McCain.

Obama’s words are different from his deeds. Example – medical malpractice reform is essential to reforming our health care system. Obama says he supports tort reform but he’s filibustered every medical malpractice proposal and the DNC accepts massive special interest contributions from trial lawyers. Some specialties like OB are unavailable in some areas due to malpractice insurance costs and “defensive medicine” adds billions to healthcare costs annually.

Obama and the DNC are also pharmaceutical company stooges. Who lifted the ban on drug advertising on TV? Clinton which, now get ready, coincided with massive contributions to the DNC. consider that the average entertainment budget for a drug rep in the DC area from the big companies is $100-$150K. Wonder why Obama and the DNC aren’t proposing massive reforms in RX marketing practices?

McCain’s plan has the better chance of success because he has not been corrupted by trial lawyers or pharmaceuticals. When he says he wants tort reform, he means it. You saw what Palin did to oil companies in Alaska. Just think what she’ll do to the trial lawyers that have nearly bankrupted our health care system.

If you want a Canadian or British system with unionized docs, go Obama. If you want to leave judgment and choice to docs and patients and free them from the grip of trial lawyers, go McCain.

I just noticed a post by John S. about “insurance companies letting us die in the streets.” This is a common misapprehension popularized by health care lobbyists and some populace, appeal-to-the-common-man politicians.

Let’s frame the argument differently; if treatment is denied to a needy patient because the patient can’t pay or doesn’t have insurance, who is the villain? Is it the insurance company because they refused to cover the individual or is it the doctor who refused to provide services unless he/she was guaranteed payment? We could explore this further and question whether the individual could have purchased an health insurance coverage in their state and if so, why didn’t they? If no plan was available, why doesn’t this state mandate such?

Many (but not all) states mandate “open enrollment” individual medical insurance policies that prohibit medical underwriting or pre-existing condition exclusions. The objective is to encourage individuals without other coverage options to purchase affordable insurance.

I am self employed and enrolled in a Care First Blue Cross Blue Shield individual plan in the DC area about 8 years ago. I have excellent coverage ($500 deductible, $20 doc visits, and $2500 out of pocket max) and pay about $180 a month for the plan (when I started it was only $140 but rates go up with age). Other options included HMOs like Kaiser and MDIPDA, which were a bit cheaper, but with fewer choices of docs.

I’ve been blessed with good health (athlete, active, good genes, good diet, etc.) but have had my share of scrapes, crashes and regular checkups. Surprisingly, a good number of friends have chosen not to purchase health insurance not because they can’t afford it but because they’re healthy and think they don’t need it. However, when they do get sick they complain loudly about those greedy docs or those SOB insurance companies who won’t cover them (sort of like trying to buy car insurance after you’ve already crashed).

When counting the numbers of the uninsured we must not overlook the significant number of people who choose not to buy coverage. To those who say it’s too expensive, I say BS. A 20 something can get a great plan in the DC area for $140 a month. Too much? Right. Show me a guy who can’t afford this and it’ll take me about a minute to find that extra $140 that he says he doesn’t have.

Back to John S. John, since insurance companies don’t physically restrain your doctor from providing care, the doctor is making a decision not to treat you unless you can pay (in most states it is illegal for hospitals to “turf” patients without insurance – indigent care is shared amongst the region’s providers or by Medicaid). So it would be more accurate to state “Doctors letting us die in the streets because they aren’t getting paid.”

Garrett,

Nice that you could afford to travel for your treatment. I was living in a decrypted warehouse when I was diagnosed. Fired and unemployable for two years.

Maybe you should think a bit about others instead of how things affect “You”

Even a forum like this turns into a place for bipartisan nastiness and spread of unsubstantiated rumors. People, please don’t just fall for the rumors you see on ads. Educate yourselves! I believe that Obama is the way to go. Whatever your decision, please base your decisions on facts, not rumors and lies.

I truly get tired of people assuming that if someone is having trouble affording their care, then they must not have planned ahead. I have insurance, my husband contributed the maximum to his healthcare savings account, and through my company, we have AFLAC. This was still insufficient when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Now McCain wants to make it even worse by taxing me on the employer-paid portion???

What is one of the primary things that this organization, and most others, need…money. I’m sorry, but that’s the bottom line. Who’s the one who cares more about whether his cronies could buy another boat or another house? He’s the one I’m supposed to trust? The guy whose advisors are lobbyists? The largest donations made by the McCains’ foundation was to their childrens’ schools…so much for him being the one who understands because he had cancer.

As for him taking the time to go to the Summit, don’t make any assumption that he went because it was important to him…maybe he was just pandering for votes. There was a questionnaire that a breast cancer organization sent to all the candidates before the primaries to see how they felt about some BC legislation in the pipeline. The only Republican candidate to answer the questionnaire was Mike Huckabee. McCain didn’t even bother to answer.

Lance is my hero in more ways than one and I am so glad to see him back in the tour. I am a cancer survivor. I believe Obama has the right idea. I am sure that he had a good reason for not attending the Summit. Health care is an important issue. And, as important as cancer treatment and a cure is, I am seeing more and more people that do not have any kind of insurance. Doctors will not even see patients that do not have insurance. The Republicans have done nothing for health insurance, and I do not believe they will do anything to stop cancer.

universal healthcare is not perfect but it is far superior to our system because everyone gets the care they need.
The care in many European union countries is better than in the US, and costs a fraction of what it does here, withless wait time.
don’t be deceived. Check it out for yourself.
And look with compassion at life!

Let them plan plan away. Neither can make it happen unless congress opts-in.
You can certainly vote on whose plan is the best, but don’t bank on it.

Brooke has the right idea: WE NEED TO KEEP UP THE FIGHT and effort.

Well said, Mark. Cancer IS an important issue – but it’s not the only issue. There is so much at stake in this election after eight years of the worst administration ever! Does anyone remember that at the time of the cancer summit, Obama was visiting Iraq and Afghanistan? Is that somehow less important? If cancer is your main issue – think hard. Stem cell research is critical to finding a cure. McMain and Palin will veto this kind of research, just as they will work to overturn a woman’s right to choose. If Obama dies of lung cancer from smoking, that’s his fault – if others continue to die because we (again) elect a leader who chooses religion over science, that’s ours. And, by the way, I work in the pharmaceutical industry – they are overwhelmingly Republican leaning. Universal healthcare is their worst nightmare. This Hillary supporter is voting Obama-Biden.

@ kindra, Obama has released his thoughts on science, and it includes support for stem cell research. You won’t get that with McCain. Not bi-partisan, just the facts.

Oh- and I do not want Universal ANYTHING

Oh- and I do not want Universal ANYTHING!! I have a family of 6 surviving on one income, and it is OUR job to support ourselves- NO ONE ELSES. Yes, people need a hand sometimes- the key word being SOMETIMES- And for a SHORT time. I am happy for the rich. Good for them. It gives us hope we could someday be there. Do you begrudge Lance for his wealth and accomplishments? Should he pay for your needs? No, he worked HARD to get where he is. Yes, he has those he thanks for their aid- NOT for doing it FOR him. Besides, I have Canadian friends with the health care ideas OBAMA proposes. They die while waiting for care. Research this. And who will pay for Obama’s nice plans. This is not realistic people.

Well, all I know, as a almost 50 year old woman, grown up as a democrat, now a liberal Republican. Barack Obama has so little experience, and is being elected as a celebrity, is someone I just can’t get behind. My family is riddled with cancer, on both sides, but this election is not about 1 issue,it’s about many. I’m all for abortion and gay rights, what i’m not about is government that grows every time a democrat gets into office. Only thing I could think of that would be worse would be Hillary Clinton, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed Obama doesn’t win, but if he does, at least it’s not another Clinton. Maybe we should all keep our eyes on the big picture….. not just a part of it….think about that.

TIM – Your going to pay for it! You, me and every other American. I’ve been self employeed for the past 16 years. My husband has been self employeed for the last 25 years. We’ve bought own health insurance for all these years. I don’t feel like we should have to pay for anyone else’s. They can pay for their own the same way we have. I live in Indiana. The state has health insurance for any uninsured children and this year added a plan for uninsured adults. I believe you can make about $25,000 and still qualify for coverage. For some it is completely free, for others it costs a small amount.
I’m casting my vote for fellow survivor John McCain and Sarah Palin.
As for the Sen. Obama smoking issue, I was not aware of it until today either, but if he isn’t strong enough kick smoking I sure hope he never has to fight cancer.

I have non Hogkins lymphoma and have not been able to find a match one a bone marrow transplant. I had full coverage insurance. I am caucasion. Because Minorities need matches more the government pays for their donors. But caucasions have to pay if they want to donate. There for corporations and many other companies won’t sponsor bone marrow drives. I have been trying to find a match for 7 years. Then I harvested my own stem Cells which cost 40,000 dollars and my insurance said I needed to pay for that. It was elective surgery. ELECTIVE? I wasn’t geting botox! I am trying to save my life. I went thru my 401(k)cashed in my savings, cds. Oh and by the way tried to harvest eggs just in case I wanted to have kids down the road which isn’t covered by insurance. So YES..Our insurance is SCREWED up in the UNITED STATES of AMERICA!!! It is pretty bad when at 40 you have to move in with your parents or else I would have been homeless. So please think YELLOW when you vote!!!!!!! Think about the National Call to Action. It is not a Joke people!

Everyone who is criticizing Obama for smoking must be a non-smoker, and everyone criticizing universal health care must be insured. It would be nice if every citizen could afford ANY health care premium, but it isn’t so. Because you are addicted to nicotine doesn’t mean you have no idea about having cancer. Obama’s mother died of cancer. As a son and caretaker, he is as savvy to the horrors of the disease as anyone who hasn’t actually had it themselves. Look to our Canadian neighbors. They have universal health care. Although it may not be perfect, it is far superior to letting our poor and uninsured die in the streets, and YES THEY DO. I have many Canadian friends. They are not denied specilaized care, or medications that will save their lives. There are so many layers to these problems, and I am not about to turn my back on a candidate that couldn’t make a certain meeting. I am a four time cancer survivor, and former smoker who watched all my chemo nurses run outside on their smoke breaks while I sat with chemo drugs running through my IV. None of it has anything to do with the fact that we need reform, research, funding and political support now.

I just want to say that the quality of the comments here is very impressive. Aside from an little arch-conservative/way-liberal stuff near the end, there are a lot of good ideas.

I don’t know who I’ll vote for yet, so every bit if input helps.

Steve

Interesting, McCain made it to the Summit, but failed to make it to the Capitol to vote on the majority of healthcare issues. He hasn’t voted on a healthcare issue since March 08. That includes a vote to override a veto on a bill that extends and expands Medicare coverage for various programs and revises regulations regarding Medicare fee-for-service programs. The only healthcare voting he has done relates to abortion issues.

It’s truly amazing to see some of the post. My first response is the following: you vote for someone, whether they smoke or not! Wow, folks we have more serious issues on whether someone smokes or whether they showed up at a Summit! To answer the question, Obama quit smoking! The other is the following, most American’s do not have access to Health Insurance, let along treatment for Cancer. Unfortunately, contrary to all the rhetoric John McCain is now spewing, he could care less whether you have Health Insurance, in fact he wants to place most of the burden on you paying more for Health Insurance and less on Employers (sounds like the lobbyist to me). John McCain’s sudden position on change occured after the DNC! Folks the media has hidden so many facts regarding the Bush Administration. It appears they’re still up to hiding the facts from us. Don’t believe the hype you’re now hearing. If you can’t pay for Health Insurance now, you sure won’t be getting help from the Republican Adm. in the treatment of Cancer!

I will be the first to admit that Obama angered me to no end when he did not find time to attend the Livestrong Summit. Especially when that coincided with a hot PET scan and two weeks of terror thinking my Cancer had returned.

At a glance, both platforms are pretty similar. However, McCain’s last paragraph is telling. It basically boils down to free-market medicine where the shareholders are #1 and the customers (patients, YOU and ME) can be damned. I don’t trust my cell phone company to get my bill right. I’m sure not going to trust big business to get my treatment right. I’m so thankful that I work for a small medical company that puts the health of our patients and employees first. We have a pretty good health insurance plan that is paid 100% and we have often provided our services at a loss to patients who can afford no more.

But for the issue at hand, I think Obama has the best ideas for winning the war on Cancer.

And speaking of winning and considering the venue, I have to close by saying how awesome it is that Lance is going for his 8th Tour and using it to push Cancer research and funding to even greater heights.

GO LANCE AND GO GET #8!!

I am glad that both candidates have ideas on how they are going to fight cancer. I am a 3 year survivor of stage 3 brain cancer. I was fortunate to have insurance. The reality is that insurance is not available for everyone. This is an undeniable fact. It is also undeniable that the level of care can be different based on what insurance can cover or if you even have insurance – I argued with my insurance to cover my chemotherapy. In a country where we have working poor, we have to come up with a health care system that works for everyone – no matter what party affiliation.

Maybe we can stop paying money for wars that don’t really get us anywhere and invest that money in a war with cancer where the majority of the nation would come out ahead.

Universal healthcare may sound wonderful, but what kind of healthcare are you getting? Do those favoring socialized healthcare and taxation not realize that it could cost them in the end, that patients are denied care because of their age and/or pre-existing disease/comorbidities. “I’m sorry, sir. You’re 65 now. We can no longer dialyze you.” or “With your medical history, you do not qualify for this treatment.” How is that right?Like T above, why not task the government with fixing the healthcare system instead of expecting them to provide health insurance to pay for a broken one? I’m with the others in saying that neither candidate’s ‘proposed’ policy is perfect, but know this: Obama will NOT get my vote.

Got to agree more partisan bs this is a site dedicated to helping gain funds for cancer research.Have’nt any of you seen how poorly the unions in this country are doing thanks to one party mindedness ie lets put all our eggs in one barrel and kick the other to the curb.This is what the labor unions in this country did for the past 8 years the decided not only to only support a democrat but to dissrespect the republican candidate only to find themselves twice on the loosing side (not very smart for any cause).It is better to vote for who you believe can do the most and believes the same things you believe.This countries systems might not be perfect but in comparison they are still the best in the world.
Socialized medicine does’nt work why do you think people from canada and the uk come here for major medical procedures and treatments,oh and pray you dont live in the uk or canada and have cancer chances are you would be beyond treatment by the time it was detected (my mother lived in london as a child she was told she needed an emergency toncilectamy,The day before she left for the us. she recieved notice of her appointment total time including wait for the letter 16 mounths).Oh. and you cant sue the doctors for malpractice even if the doctor was 100% negligent.All politicians promiss the word and few ever deliver some due to a partisan congress some due to just a pure lack of feasability of thier promisses(if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.I would love to know who pays for doubling federal funds for research my guess is the top 10% of the country which as a union construction worker on the east coast would mean me and i struggle to make ends meet as it is between paying 40% to taxes and donating to charitable orgs. oh and gas.
I would prefer to decide what charities get my hard earned money if we did’nt have to pay a bunch of beurocrats 200k a year to divi up 20m dollars we would have an additional 20m dollars for the charity.
Well off my soap box I go
Don’t forget to vote you don’t vote don’t complain

Lance:
You and I have been through the same ordeal.
These folks have not. As we listen to what they say, I only wish that they would follow through. Yes, the funding for saving many more people is important. Who will give those folks a chance?. I say Senator Obama is our hope.What he says rings true. His hope for his, and our future is much happier and long focused. Let the Democrats take us into the teens. Let the country change. Do not let us get bogged down in the same old horrid funding for research. What does McCain say about stem cells?
Lance, you and I each know that we are healthy folks. You especially! Give America the chance to be as healthy as you are. Do not let McCain starve research.
Vote for health!

If John McCain and Sarah Palin are elected to office, cancer research and particularly the most promising research using stem cells will be set back a decade or more.

Think, people.

If you “show up for a summit” does this mean that you’re smart? Maybe it means that you were available. No one denies that John McCain is willing to say whatever it takes to secure votes, and he is an excellent campaigner. The problem is he will be exactly like George Bush, a figurehead for the party of Lobbyists who we have allowed to own our nation. The same group that got W elected is working to secure another four years at the trough utilizing your fear and your ignorance.

Look, please, at who is running his campaign now and who has been running the country for eight years. Same guys, including Rove. These people are brilliant manipulators who are expert at making “regular folks” feel like insiders. They would no more sit down and have a beer with you than they would pay your Blue Cross premiums.

Wise up. They have you terrified of the boogeyman “socialized medicine”. Ask your doctor if he/she can make any decisions about your treatment without first checking in with your insurance carrier, if you have one. Your treatment options are dictated by the very people who are financially motivated to deny your treatment.

And, while you’re at it, before you go blaming your doctor (or hospitals for that matter) for refusing to treat because you don’t have adequate coverage, (Paul). Exactly how long would you go to work for free?

Face it. You don’t– and the medical profession doesn’t –have a say in what kind of treatment you’re going to get. That’s completely up to your insurance carrier and if it wasn’t for those awful lawyers suing the insurance industry periodically for utter malfeasance, their profits would be even more scandalously ridiculous and your coverage would be worse than it is.

For those of you who are fearful of socialization, don’t call the police or fire departments since these are also “socialized” and for those of you who think stem cell research is immoral, please feel free to avoid any treatment options derived from this important research. We won’t stop you from needlessly dying. But, don’t impose your religious beliefs on the rest of us. Even Nancy Reagan is a proponent of stem cell research.

Obama ’08. The only reasonable choice. Please educate yourselves about the issues.

Oh, and if you think that the insurance industry isn’t the devil, just drive down any major avenue of any major city in the U.S. and notice which corporate logos/names are on the biggest, shiniest buildings. Instead of excellent world class medical treatment for every citizen, we have shiny buildings dedicated to the profit, waste and private bureaucracy of the insurance industry!

I battled cancer in ’95 and was refused other health insurance or offered it at a price I couldn’t afford by a very select few. The only insurance I was able to get thru my car insurance will raise to $850 a month in November. This insurance doesn’t cover any of the preventative exams especially for women. So I don’t get them. This expense is only 2nd to my rent. Obama gets the middle class as he didn’t grow up rich or marry someone rich. I’ve worked hard all of my life. I’ve given back to society. I am supporting someone who understands that concept. I’m supporting Obama as the Republicans have had 8 years to make a difference. They have made nothing but poor choices.
With Obama I have hope.

Yeah, sure, Obama’s plan is more “specific”. But just because it is more specific doesn’t mean it’ll deliver any more than the more “vague” plan. Specifics don’t matter, it’s the heart of the person making the claims to deliver that matters. If McCain is willing to take time off of campaigning to go the The Summit, it shows commitment to the problem. If Obama can’t even put down his cigarette for a few hours and actually adress a growing problem, then it shows that he’s complacent. I’m not saying McCain’s perfect, his lack of support for stem cell research is a minor problem. I personally do not agree with embryonic stem cell research (pro-life) however, there ARE other places you can get stems cells (umbilical cords, pockets in adult bodies, etc.). I’m a college student working to get into the field of cancer research when I graduate, so this is a very big issue for me. Plus, I’ve lost more close friends and relatives than I want to count to cancer. So everybody, honestly, PLEASE consider cancer stances when you choose your candidate. And don’t just look at specifics, or plans, look at the person behind the plans, and ask yourself if you can be sure they’ll stand behind their words. McCain’s a survivor, he knows what needs done, I think he has the guts to make it a priority. As for Obama, he talks a good game, and his plan looks very good, but can you trust him to deliver? Has he changed his mind on anything else already (war stances maybe???)? He can’t even quit smoking to keep himself from getting cancer… can you trust him to keep YOU from getting it??? Just think about it.

Obama gets my vote. My health insurance premiums will be increased to nearly $1000/month in January because I had breast cancer. I work as hard as anyone else and I pay my taxes. I do not deserve to be treated like this. Health care should not only be for the rich. I have no faith in McCain’s plan.

we’re suposing that voting obama or Mc Cain the government will try fight cancer. Well, after the election all that promises will desapear, sadly. I think that the private hospitals and chemical factories should be the biggest enemyes of cancer. Or do you think that taxes are destinating cencer fighting. Of course not, although they should. If they promise you “very low taxes” be sure that they’re not destinating to this. Who knows better this? Obama or Mc Cain? I supose both in equal parts. May be Palin doesn’t want to fight cancer, because illnesses, as climatic change, is god’s work(don’t insult me please, madam). I don’t know if anibody would do anything, but in case I would vote OBAMA.

Thank you, from Basque Country(Spain)

I’m a physician and so is my wife. We took out large sums of money in student loans, worked 100+ hrs/wk for 12 years to get our education, gave up over a decade for this, lived in poverty, and put our lives on hold. Now that we are seeing the rewards for our sacrifice we are being demonized by Osama as being the evil rich, “the top 1%”, we not only pay more in taxes than several families combined, but also a higher percentage of our income goes to taxes. Despite this, I hear by left wing flamers that I’m still not doing my fairshare. God forbid that I actually want to charge for my services, that too is evil. You don’t see me able to go to the grocery and say to the clerk, nah, I think I want someone else to pay for this. You don’t see me able to tell the mechanic who fixes my car, I think that brake job is going to be a free-be. I totally believe in charitable works, however, this environment of entitlement is sickening. Hillzilla used the Veteran’s Hospital system as a shining example of what Universal Healthcare will be like. After having worked in VA systems, it’s quite obvious she has never been treated at one; hardly a positive endorsement, considering a large number of in-patients have been known to call 911 from their hospital room to be taken to another hospital. I can also say with direct certainty that if this system gets put in place, US student enrollment into medical schools will plummit! Goodluck communicating with Dr. (insert non-english speaking name here). Anytime more people are riding the cart instead of pulling it, society implodes and everyone loses!

Oops, almost forgot. “Osama, because you may be one of my future assigned patient, I must advise you to stop smoking, it’s bad for your health and wait times for your Chest CT scan are expected to be approximately 3 months”

Anyone can show up at an event. What matters is what policy changes are made to give people access to the health care needed.
From what I see the Obama plan would best accomplish this end.

This debate is good.
Rhetoric is just RHETORIC! Find out where your candidates stand, what their political history is, how they’ve helped citizens of U.S. and think about the kind of country you’d like to live in before casting votes.

And now to Paul who is blessed with good health:
How lucky for you! My mother-in-law was dropped by her insurance company (which is LEGAL for them to do even though she paid her bills) and NO COMPANIES WILL INSURE HER. She SURVIVED colon cancer, which does not have high survival rates, and applied to blue cross but was told she is not insurable until she has a clean bill of health for FOUR YEARS. Too bad for her that she had uterine cancer this year and had to have a hysterectomy.

To Paul and others like you; please continue to spout your ignorant thoughts so others can enlighten you.

My father died 29years ago of colon cancer; I’m in my 40′s and get regular colonoscopies–paid for my insurance. I trust the Doctors–I’m with Dr.Aaron on this(read his post here). Obama’s plans leads to certain failure. McCain has a realistic plan; McCain is a proven, real leader with the correct vision for the USA.

I see this as two candidates with palns to help the fight against cancer. But I doubt the Repubkicans and Sarah Palin will allow stem cell research,and any scientific research that does not pass thneir relifiuos criteria. Eight years of Bush has already done enough damage why continue it? Palin too risky, Biden solid as a rock, I vote for Obama!

Cancer research is expensive. Not surprisingly, federal funding for cancer research has seriously declined in real dollars in parallel with the war in Iraq. If you’re serious about funding cancer research, go with the candidate who will invest our tax dollars in research rather than wars.

If you want the efficiency of the DMV with the compassion of the IRS, vote for universal health care.
The gov’t can’t even balance the budget(when it can get one passed), how can you think they will CARE about your health care? We need tort reform. That will drop Doctors expenses and allow for more reasonable cost. Remember when Doctors made house calls? What happened between then and now?
LAWSUITS!
Don’t drink the KoolAid!

J

God forbid if we get cancer if Obama is elected. We’ll die for sure! We won’t be able to see a doctor for months! If he leads by example everyone will smoke. IF it could get worse he’s for partial birth abortion. Look it up and see what it’s like to decapitate a baby while in the womb.

McCain is a cancer survivor and he went to the Cancer Summit. He knows what cancer is about and knows it needs to be
eradicated. McCain and Palin are for stem cell research. This is the what we are waiting for! They will change the way our country is run the right way and protect the American way of life.

Just wanted everyone to keep in mind that during the Summit Obama was speaking and at meetings in the Middle East — he did not just “decide” not to come to the Summit.

His much more detailed and decidely more aggressive plan definitely strikes home for me. I am 25 yo recently diagnosed with a rare eye cancer — where there has been not enough research money to make ANY improvements in treatment protocols and the prognosis is not great. I support his desire to double funding for both the NCI and the NIH (not just the NIH as McCain has alluded to doing) and also his interest in genomics and in supporting more research for rare cancers.

Regardless, the fact of the matter is we need a president who is willing to take on the fight for cancer much in the way Lance has done through the LAF. Hopefully whomever wins the next election does this and does it quickly and well so that we can reduce the rate of 1 american dying from cancer every minute.

Be well everyone!

As I read all your comments, they brings tears to my eyes because I realize that many of you are clueless to REALITY.

Here is some food for thought –

1. Those of you who have NOT stared straight into the face of a serious cancer diagnosis, count yourself among the lucky ones – for now — someday it may be yours or a loved one’s turn…based on the stats.

2. Those of you who HAVE faced a serious cancer, you have my empathy and I think you will understand my comments, no matter which candidate you favor.

3. Please stop “blaming” people for contracting cancer (smokers, etc). What a pointless and hurtful thing to do! If you feel the need to “blame” someone, blame the tobacco companies who sell “death” and get people hooked on nicotine.

4. If you have great health ins. coverage now through the govt. or a corporation, hang onto it for dear life! Don’t ever think you can leave the govt. or corporate world and purchase a private paid policy and KEEP it.

If you ever contract a serious illness, that insurance company CAN (and WILL) cancel your private policy — you have NO clout as an individual!

5. My husband and I are both middle-aged professionals, with good-paying careers. I’d left my corp job to join a start-up (no benefits) and I carried COBRA insurance at over $900/ mo, thinking I would have insurance at the start-up within 12 mos. My husband was also working at a start-up (no benefits, thinking he would have insurance at the start-up within 12 mos., and I carried him on my COBRA.)

Do I need to tell you what happened next?

My husband (a FORMER smoker)was diagnosed with stage III-B Lung Cancer … well, it doesn’t get much worse than that, folks.

I knew that when we ran out of the 18 mos of COBRA coverage we would NEVER be able to get a private policy — due to what would be called a “pre-exisitng condition”.

Fortunately, I had maintained very positive relationships with my former corporate employer, and was hired back by the CEO.

So, I had to go back and work at that company and report to a VP who was a harrassing, mean-spirited, incompetent person and I was grateful to have the job only for the health insurance coverage. His antics took a toll on my emotional & physical health, in addition to what I faced as a “caregiver” at home. But as you see, I had NO choice!Thankfully, he was eventually fired.

After 3+ YEARS of very serious treatments, a lung removal, etc… all through a wonderful cancer specialized institution, I am thrilled to tell you that my husband is in remission and back at work now (Oh yes…I almost forgot to mention the painful journey of his attempts to find a new job, after 3 yrs in a medical crisis — NO ONE will hire you — but let’s not get into that!)

I am still working at the job I dislike, but only for the security of health ins. coverage and a paycheck, because I dare not leave and risk losing everything we have worked our whole lives to attain!

The overall point I am trying to get across to you is just how flawed our current health insurance system is right now. You are all in a fragile place –only one very small step away from a medical & financial disaster — most of you don’t even realize it!

In closing, I have to say “Obama-Biden all the way !”

Only their plans deal with the REALITY on the present situation and provide HOPE for the future (stem cell research, etc.)

The tired old platitudes and a “$5000″ credit (laughable!) from McCain-Palin won’t do anything to resolve the crisis we face.

Thanks for listening and I wish you all good health in your lives!

I feel for people with no health care insurance because I have been there. The problem is, the taxes required to implement Obama’s plan will cost me more than my insurance premiums.

Don’t forget…McCain was one of the Keating 5 in the huge Savings and Loan scandal or the late 80′s and early 90′s. Over 700 S&Ls failed, thousands of seniors lost their life savings, junk bond merchants made billions, the feds had to bail out the S&Ls to prevent a total industry collapse. Reaganomics at work!
If it sounds familiar, just turn on your TV. It’s happening again, and this time folks are losing their homes.
Is McCain the man you want to trust your family’s health to?

I don’t understand how McCain being a very rich cancer survivor makes him more empathetic. He SURVIVED, and because of his wealth and his government healthcare coverage, I’m sure he got wonderful care. Obama’s mother DIED. Did McCain have to be on chemo and steroids, like I did? Skin cancer can be deadly, but I don’t think McCain has ANY IDEA what some of us have gone through. Obama got to watch his mother die. If you think McCain has more understanding of this disease, you are sorely mistaken.

I am in a breast cancer survival group that has members from all over the world…Canada, England, France, South Africa, Australia, etc. Stop listening to Fox News about their healthcare systems. Their treatment protocols are the same as ours, they don’t wait any longer than we do for testing. The longer waits are for non-serious issues. The only ones complaining about healthcare in my group are the survivors in the US.

And don’t tell me McCain knows how to get things done. He’s been in congress for 26 years…why hasn’t he proposed some meaningful legislation for cancer?

Once again we will never win as long as we all voice our disdain for the opposit party.My advice is let us keep our oppinions to ourselves and our vote private(thats why you do it in a closed booth) Then when a candidate has accepted office use our numbers to hold them to thier word be it obama or mccain.Plus I love when people from foriegn countries with flawed systems occasional civil wars and thier people leaving to live here tell us who we should vote for and how we should run our country(can you say globalism).I’m a democrat but a american first and formost and my party is broke and needs to be fixed (when george sorros is backing a candidate i get nervouse

I lost my father to prostate cancer in November 2008. It has been a difficult journey for me (his only child) my son (his only grandchild) and of course my mother (his mate for 52 years!) It was not because he didn’t have healthcare or insurance but it was the FEAR of doctors and confirming he had the disease that kept him from going to get checked. We know early detection would have possibly saved his life. So, what we need it not Universal Health Care (with its horrible waits before being seen by a doctor or inadequate care once you get in) but testing that reaches the masses. I see health screenings going on in the malls and discount stores for all types of things…HBP, diabetes, cholesterol, etc. Why not CANCER?? I know not all types can be detected by a simple test but some can. Let’s use some of the money to get mobile cancer testing sites out to the masses. Let’s help with early detection without the fear of a doctor’s office. Let’s make a voice that?¢?Ǩ?Ñ¢s not divided by politics but united for a CURE! I feel sick with all the Obama is the Man or McCain is the Man for Cancer. Cancer does not have a political affiliation. Why can’t we the American people unite and show the President (whoever that will be) and Congress how to stand as ONE! Let?¢?Ǩ?Ñ¢s fight to find a cure. Let?¢?Ǩ?Ñ¢s fight for early detection so there is a better survival rate. Let?¢?Ǩ?Ñ¢s end the FEAR!

Obama has pretty words, but people, being an European myself, you really don’t want the government running healthcare for you, or deciding what kind of threatment you can get. The change Obama is talking about is becoming a 2nd socialist Europe. Beware what you vote for.

I am staying and praying with Obama on this one,it’s my life fight against cancer ever coimng back again!

Cycleguy- You are dreaming! Have you ever talked to someone living in the UK or Canada about their healthcare systems? Our insurance industry is in need of some serious help but there is no way I can support universal healthcare run by the government. Talk about unmotivated doctors…read about the problems in the UK! You are more likely to wait months to see a doctor there than here, not to mention the restrictions on treatments. People can lose their regular benefits if they choose to pay with their own $$ for procedures or drugs in other countries that are not approved by their own government system.

In April of 1998 I was diagnosed with testicular cancer, stage 3. I had lost my insurance when I changed jobs the year before and was sent to the local county hospital for diagnosis and treatment. Thank God a friend of the family, a cancer survivor herself who when she heard what was happening stood in the gap for me. It seems as though having gone through the system herself as a single mother no less, she saw a need that existed to help others navigate through the buracracy of getting medical screening or treatment for those with little or no means. She started a group with grants called “The Cancer Consortium” in El Paso Texas. She was able to get me quality medical care from great doctors in advance of my being approved for medicare benefits. Due to the efforts of her, the medical community, the drug companies that developed the chemo drugs, and my fellow tax payers I am alive today. Thank You Lord!
I learned several things during my experience, one of them was that the government other than collecting the taxes, was the biggest obstacle in the proccess. I would recommend that they take care of the citizens of the United States whom they are suppose to serve first. The county hospital That I spoke of earlier is overwelmed with illegal aliens seeking health care, some of which will wait out front until they are about to give childbirth so that, because of a loophole in the system their child will have U.S. citizenship. The hospital will take care of them and their medical needs, with our tax dollars and don’t get me wrong I think thats the right and humane thing to do. The point is that our government needs to be about the business of securing our borders protecting and representing the people they serve. Cutting government spending, Big Time!
Stop regulating and taxing our U.S. business and it’s citizens out of business or out of the country, and I would be willing to bet that the so called health care crisis improves, and to get back to the subject at hand, the Cancer Research will continue to advance in this country and hopefully save more and more of our family members and brothers and sisters around the globe. I’m hoping to vote for leaders that have the heart of a servant, because that is what they are supposed to be… servant’s.

I’d just like to make a point. Obama was not on any “campaign trail” during the summit like has been claimed several times here. Nobody is going to vote for him overseas, where he was visiting foreign government leaders and our troops. I’m sure he would have loved to attend the summit, but I believe his plans were more important.

This may sound insidious, much of Washington is. But do you think that the healthcare industry “wants” to cure cancer? Sadly it may just be apparent to them that cancer treatment is a huge income stream. I don’t want to be a conspiracy theorist but one could go there. It may be an extemely unfortunate and disgraceful fact that it’s all just about numbers to them.

Let’s see…how has Mr. McCain has voted in his 22 years – any money for cancer research? And Mrs. Palin?

Let’s be straight about disease funding. The stem cell research debate was about RX co lobbyists wanting taxpayers to fund the research for their next blockbuster drug that they can sell for huge profits. Easy solution – let the RX companies fund the research on their own like they would do for any other drug. If taxpayers fund it, the govt should own the patent and drug rights but that’s not acceptable to the RX cos.

The Armstrong Foundation aside, too many disease funding appeals are scams. Sorry, but NGOs and walkathons and fun runs funnel cash into enormous bureaucracies or to “partners” like the hotels and caterers. Have you seen the salaries and expenses of some of these organizations?

Anyone ever attend a UN AIDs conference? I attended in Bangkok and wondered how many lives could be saved with the estimated $20 million it cost to pull off the convention. That’s why I left the industry in disgust at the hypocrisy.

So, you naive idealists need to consider that true healthcare reform requires massive hits to the biggest Democratic party special interests – trial lawyers, RX cos, and the AMA. None of these groups will allow Democrats to implement any of Obama’s proposals.

I agree with Scott and Bob from Florida’s comments. Three words: “stem cell research”. I’m not talking about the controversial embryonic stem cell research, instead Umbilical Cord Blood Research is not controversial as it does not hurt the mother or child and this type of stem cells are saving lives. There needs to be more cord blood banks in the U.S. to build up the number of units stored to be available to anyone who elects to have a cord blood transplant over a bone marrow transplant. Furthermore, the units stored also is used for the much needed research. We all know that is the KEY to better treatments and eventually a CURE! Even though Obama was never been diagnosed with cancer, he felt the effects of losing a dear family member and the wombs run deep! I know I lost my son last year to leukemia at the young age of 27 yrs old. And since we are on the subject of Young Adults, how come the candidates are not addressing what they will do for this age group that are not surviving cancer because of the lack of clinical trials and research. After reading each of the presidential candidate’s health care plans, Obama has my VOTE!
I was there at the summit to hear McCain’s comments about his proposals on health care. He kept going back to the subject of tabacco and cancer. I was hoping he would talk more about umbilical cord blood research. CANCER NEEDS TO BE A NATIONAL PRIORITY ABOVE EVERYTHING ELSE.

Not from the US so dont understand a lot of this, a bit like Gun Control and violence (we only have 10-20 deaths by gub here p/yr, which would be maybe 100-200 for 400M people i guess). I guess that says a lot about a country, how mean things are, and how that meaness would translate to wider global ambitions.

Regardless, Macain a multi millionare, a very wealthy man getting cancer no doubt recieving the best treatment avalibale. Im not sure that gives the poor and middle american the ally they might expect!

Also, I think its reasonably proven in the US money reigns supreme, if a lobby group gets near Mcain, well…..

Heres the sad fact, your all paying sums that are truly insane for coverage, for medical bills that are hyperinflated. That inhalier, those pills, these things literallly cost cents to produce, I think I saw some US Documentry a while ago where they found the excact same inhailer in the US 100buck in
cuba 2-5 bucks. Why? stunninly simple, one of those things so simple that people lose sight of it. Huge profits! Thats what happens when something that poeple will literally give all they own is commercialised, laypeople cannot make thier own inhaliers etc, if they need them to survive you can charge what you please. You are under no obligation to act in thier intrest, you are a privte company, your obligations are to shareholders, likewise for insurance cos.

I think i liked one of the quotes from that doco….”here people give acording to thier means, and they recive acording to thier needs” simple.

PS – earlier on this page, someone maes a point that in universal healthcare systems doc only recive 1/3 of the wages. Mmm well that must be tough, no big screen TVs, having to get the car without the leather seats. Ha, quality of life is not achieved that way, firends, relationships, spend your effort on those things. Doctors only intrested in $$ perhaps ar not quiet the right people to be doctors.

Used to work in dev project in cambodia, was always great to send Amercians back with a clear understanding how ucky they were in some ways and a greater appreciation of how simple things are important.

Anyhow best end my long letter, good luck with your private health system (private means not for all). i terms of your canidates I would leave thier personal experince out fot the equation, JM has had cancer sure, BUT he sure as heck never had any problems accessing healthcare. Not all canidates can have experianced alll things, just focus on thier policies.

My husband has leukemia. We have a lower middle class income level. I am a firm believer in PEOPLE taking personal responsibility for themselves and each other — NOT the government. Obama will devistate this country with more tax burdens for ALL citizens. We are the greatest nation on Earth because of capitalism and freedom to make choices. Becoming a socialist society will not be progress! Many people die in Canada before they get treatment for their cancer due to their socialist medical system. I have relatives who live there and come down here for timely medical treatment even though they have to pay!

Lots of partisan rhetoric flying around here. I would just like to quote John F. Kennedy, a great Democrat president who said:
“Ask NOT what your country can do for you…Ask what YOU can do FOR your COUNTRY!”
Please think about those words when you consider who to vote for. Electing leaders is not about what you are going to get out of their term in office. Our founders wrote those great documents to try to escape from the tyranny of invasive government and to prevent ours from following the same path. All governments have a track record of doing more harm than good when they take control of something. Ours is no exception.

Far more life-saving cancer discoveries have been discovered by independent and commercial science than have ever come from government labs. Allowing companies to profit from their discoveries and research is how our capitalist society works. Removing that incentive will make them shut down or take their research facilities elsewhere.
I don’t believe that either of these candidates will follow through on their promises. Most decisions rely upon congress anyway.
I volunteer with the American Cancer Society and interact with survivors and fighters in this war daily. Do your part to participate in the fight, take care of yourself, and get informed before you vote. Join the ACS Cancer Action Network if you want to politically advocate against cancer. There is no stronger force on our side. Blogging here will not change anything.

ok, i just some post about people saying stuff about me. All i got to say is, i am FORTUNATE to be able to do that, wat im sayin is that i dont want to receive the same treatment as the bum next to me gets. Obama wants big govt. with alot of control (Communist) McCain wants small govt. and let people decide how they should spend money

Garrett

Well said Steve H.

Devin C has hit the issue right on the head. Kudos!
We will have single payer sooner or later b/c we can’t afford to sustain the insurance company profits anymore, and why should we? The only way they survive is by spending YOUR

Hey, Devin C. A few things you wrote really resonated with me.

Liability insurance – um yeah where I am we have general cover for all with any kind of accident, or surgery. The criminal court system would take care of going after someone who had been reckless. But the victum would supported indepentant of that proceeding. Or else I guess you get people trying to make money from suing people for anything they can?

DONT PEOPLE UNDERSTNAD THAT THE “MARKET” WILL TAKE CARE OF SOME THINGS, BUT IT DOES NOT ACT MORALLY, THE MARKET DOES NOT CARE IF PEOPLE ARE DYING BECAUSE THEY HAVENT GOT INSURNACE. THE MARKET SEES HUMANS AS FINANCIAL UNITS THATS ALL. IS THAT WHAT WHAT YOU WANT!!

Lobbying – Yip and donation over 5000 buck is scrutnsed. New way companies like tabbaco, meds, or insurance would ever donate.

Cost of medical training -
You know theres serious profit in thier somewhere? Here I think a university degree costs arount 12K, I think a few years ago when I lived in teh UK it was 1000 pounds (1500 US) per year. How much is it in the US ?

PS- Why do some Americans keep saying that the US is the greatest nation on the earth, blah blah…. Which indices are you refering you? Quality of life? Access to health care? Numbers of citizens in prision? Numbers of Citzens that kill each other? Number of citizens that are in ill health or obsese?

All nations have good and bad points. A dogmatic approach stating “we are the greatest” will certianly stand in the way of percieving possibily useful things from other places.

And sorry but “my friend who lives there” wont really give you a good insight. ive lived in UK, Spain, Aussie, NZ, and in every place they complained about thier health care. Which I thought was pretty damn good actually when I was there! Really if you want to compare with authority youd need to use it yourself then compare. Otherwise its apples vrs oranges!!!

When questioned by Paula Zahn, John McCain made a remark at the Summit concerning the past years of budget reductions at the NCI. Paraphrased:
“we will find a way to stop it without your children or grandchildren paying for it”
So tell me…when he and Congress and the President chose an esoteric entity such as “IRAQ LIBERTY” to invest our children’s money in nobody sharpened the pencil, but when it comes to cancer he feels the need to sharpen the pencil and base disbursements on economic pragmatism. Cancer needs to be an ABSOLUTE national priority….imagine the economic impact (billions) and moral value (infinite) if as a nation we conquered the disease. Speaking for myself…I would be willing to role America’s economic dice on the cure of cancer than on the questionable rewards of war.

I am so “excited” after reading Obama’s plan to conquer cancer. My daughter passed away at only 15 months old after battling a very hard-to-treat form of childhood cancer. I joined CureSearch to help lobby in Washington. I have made to trips to DC now and if I hear another Congressman state that they “helped to increase funding at the NIH” I will scream! That money does not all go to cancer and hardly any goes to childhood cancer research. McCain is against “porkbarrell” spending which is, unfortunately, what specific cancer funding is considered. Read Obama’s plan – he will DOUBLE NIH and NCI funding to 10 billion in the next 5 years! That is HUGE! He will also support seperate funding of rare and hard to treat cancers. McCain is deliberately vague in his plan – he will “support” public and private funding (I will tell you right now that is a huge emphasis on PRIVATE – which is very difficult to raise – especially for rare cancers). McCain has not vowed to increase cancer funding and so there is no way he is getting my vote.

Julie Weber – 100% Obama-Biden 2008