Patients forced to live in agony

[carpro]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/h...efuses-to-pay-for-painkilling-injections.html

Patients forced to live in agony after NHS refuses to pay for painkilling injections

Tens of thousands with chronic back pain will be forced to live in agony after a decision to slash the number of painkilling injections issued on the NHS, doctors have warned.

By Laura Donnelly, Health Correspondent
Published: 7:45AM BST 02 Aug 2009

The Government's drug rationing watchdog says "therapeutic" injections of steroids, such as cortisone, which are used to reduce inflammation, should no longer be offered to patients suffering from persistent lower back pain when the cause is not known.

Instead the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is ordering doctors to offer patients remedies like acupuncture and osteopathy.

Specialists fear tens of thousands of people, mainly the elderly and frail, will be left to suffer excruciating levels of pain or pay as much as £500 each for private treatment.

The NHS currently issues more than 60,000 treatments of steroid injections every year. NICE said in its guidance it wants to cut this to just 3,000 treatments a year, a move which would save the NHS £33 million.

 

[carpro]

A preview of Obamanoncare?

 

[rbell]

I read this article earlier, and this article describes my worries.

I suffer from Grade III L1,L5 Spondyloisthesis (that's a fancy way of saying "my back hurts," but it gets more sympathy )...granted, mine is diagnosed...but I can't think of a more horrible thing than to be told, "we will not help you."

I'm being blunt, now: the kind of pain I've been in...that kind of response could force me to the street or black market...not for a "fix," but you have no idea unless you've had the 8-10 level pain how desparate you would be for relief.

This kind of stupidity over here would force thousands to seek out whatever relief they could find...and I perfectly understand.

This is the scariest thing about the government health plan...these kinds of decisions simply leave you with no recourse...and they are made by government employees.

 

[carpro]

From looking at how other government health plans work, you have cause to be worried.

There is no reason to expect Obamanoncare to be any better.

 

[donnA]

It's only going to get worse.