House Republicans lived up to a primary campaign promise when they voted to repeal ObamaCare by a vote of 245-189, with three Democrats joining the effort. Despite the headlines and congratulatory news releases, the real work is just beginning. Even after the vote, the forces of rationing are still firmly in control of our government and it’s health care policy. The time has come to roll up their sleeves and get creative to find ways to repeal, defund, and delay imposition of the government health care scheme that is in its first stages of implementation.
The government’s mandate to “reverse the health care cost curve” is taking over policy decisions. Rather than mandating “cures” the government is mandating “cost” as the primary driver of our health care policy. As such, patients are being denied access to critical drugs they need to survive. While the vote to repeal ObamaCare is a critical first step, Congress needs to act – and quickly – to save the lives of patients like Christy Turnage.
Turnage is a breast cancer patient who relies on Avastin to survive. The drug is not cheap but Turnage is among a group of “super responders” whose life depends on the availability of the drug. But the FDA has other ideas. Cost, which has never been considered in the approval process, was a factor in the decision whether to “de-label” the drug. De-labeling Avastin and other expensive drugs mean that the rich will have access to it while Medicare patients and those who rely on private insurance will be denied coverage.
The kind of underhanded rationing currently being implemented by the FDA is a death sentence for Turnage and thousands like her.
Unlike the repeal of the president’s health care plan, there appears to be bipartisan consensus that the FDA’s decision will harm women and seniors. The FDA decision even drew condemnation from some of the most liberal members of Congress.
Time is of the essence. As Congress begins to move forward with its strategy to reverse, repeal and defund ObamaCare, the first step is to end rationing and save the lives of patients like Turnage.