HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - Michael Moore Film

hutchibk · 07-08-2007, 09:25 PM

He is a business owner here in the US, so he pays for his own insurance. He believes that he pays less yearly for the private insurance system here than he paid through taxes and private insurance for a "free" system in Italy, due to the yearly income tax rate and sales tax rate that he had to pay there... I suppose he was an honest business owner who paid what he was supposed to. I wonder how they fund their health system if everyone figures out how to not pay taxes? Do they just print money or do doctors work for free? Sounds almost too utopian to believe. I am sure that someone pays taxes.

The biggest problem with our health mindset in this country is definitely the personal responsibility aspect and preventative care. Absolutely. But preventative care is not only the responsiblity of the health system or the medical community. It is first and foremost the responsibility of the individual. And obesity is the best case that can be made that our society doesn't care about being healthy. An entire mindset shift and attitude shift on the part of the individual will have to happen before any type of system will truly be successful in the US, private or "free." For the most part, europeans are healthier in the many ways that good diet can be considered responsible for. As well, they walk constantly, unlike Americans. And in Italy they live on the mediterranean diet.

I think the documentary 'Super-size Me' was a much more important film, but I doubt that enough people saw it to have a true impact and make our population change their ways.

07-08-2007, 09:25 PM	#9
hutchibk Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 3,519	He is a business owner here in the US, so he pays for his own insurance. He believes that he pays less yearly for the private insurance system here than he paid through taxes and private insurance for a "free" system in Italy, due to the yearly income tax rate and sales tax rate that he had to pay there... I suppose he was an honest business owner who paid what he was supposed to. I wonder how they fund their health system if everyone figures out how to not pay taxes? Do they just print money or do doctors work for free? Sounds almost too utopian to believe. I am sure that someone pays taxes. The biggest problem with our health mindset in this country is definitely the personal responsibility aspect and preventative care. Absolutely. But preventative care is not only the responsiblity of the health system or the medical community. It is first and foremost the responsibility of the individual. And obesity is the best case that can be made that our society doesn't care about being healthy. An entire mindset shift and attitude shift on the part of the individual will have to happen before any type of system will truly be successful in the US, private or "free." For the most part, europeans are healthier in the many ways that good diet can be considered responsible for. As well, they walk constantly, unlike Americans. And in Italy they live on the mediterranean diet. I think the documentary 'Super-size Me' was a much more important film, but I doubt that enough people saw it to have a true impact and make our population change their ways. __________________ Brenda NOV 2012 - 9 yr anniversary JULY 2012 - 7 yr anniversary stage IV (of 50...) Nov'03~ dX stage 2B Dec'03~ Rt side mastectomy, Her2+, ER/PR+, 10 nodes out, one node positive Jan'04~ Taxotere/Adria/Cytoxan x 6, NED, no Rads, Tamox. 1 year, Arimadex 3 mo., NED 14 mo. Sept'05~ micro mets lungs/chest nodes/underarm node, Switched to Aromasin, T/C/H x 7, NED 6 months - Herceptin only Aug'06~ micro mets chest nodes, & bone spot @ C3 neck, Added Taxol to Herceptin Feb'07~ Genetic testing, BRCA 1&2 neg Apr'07~ MRI - two 9mm brain mets & 5 punctates, new left chest met, & small increase of bone spot C3 neck, Stopped Aromasin May'07~ Started Tykerb/Xeloda, no WBR for now June'07~ MRI - stable brain mets, no new mets, 9mm spots less enhanced, CA15.3 down 45.5 to 9.3 in 10 wks, Ty/Xel working magic! Aug'07~ MRI - brain mets shrunk half, NO NEW BRAIN METS!!, TMs stable @ 9.2 Oct'07~ PET/CT & MRI show NED Apr'08~ scans still show NED in the head, small bone spot on right iliac crest (rear pelvic bone) Sept'08~ MRI shows activity in brain mets, completed 5 fractions/5 consecutive days of IMRT to zap the pesky buggers Oct'08~ dropped Xeloda, switched to tri-weekly Herceptin in combo with Tykerb, extend to tri-monthly Zometa infusion Dec'08~ Brain MRI- 4 spots reduced to punctate size, large spot shrunk by 3mm, CT of torso clear/pelvis spot stable June'09~ new 3-4mm left cerrebellar spot zapped with IMRT targeted rads Sept'09~ new 6mm & 1 cm spots in pituitary/optic chiasm area. Rx= 25 days of 3D conformal fractionated targeted IMRT to the tumors. Oct'09~ 25 days of low dose 3D conformal fractionated targeted IMRT to the bone mets spot on rt. iliac crest that have been watching for 2 years. Added daily Aromasin back into treatment regimen. Apr'10~ Brain MRI clear! But, see new small spot on adrenal gland. Change from Aromasin back to Tamoxifen. June'10~ Tumor markers (CA15.3) dropped from 37 to 23 after one month on Tamoxifen. Continue to monitor adrenal gland spot. Remain on Tykerb/Herceptin/Tamoxifen. Nov'10~ Radiate positive mediastinal node that was pressing on recurrent laryngeal nerve, causing paralyzed larynx and a funny voice. Jan'11~ MRI shows possible activity or perhaps just scar tissue/necrotic increase on 3 previously treated brain spots and a pituitary spot. 5 days of IMRT on 4 spots. Feb'11~ Enrolled in T-DM1 EAP in Denver, first treatment March 25, 2011. Mar'11~ Finally started T-DM1 EAP in Denver at Rocky Mountain Cancer Center/Rose on Mar. 25... hallelujah. "I would rather be anecdotally alive than statistically dead."