Government has a knack for wasting millions when it comes to health care
On the very long list detailing why government should stay out of health care, here are two of the most obvious reasons…
1. They change at the speed of bureaucracy. That means administrators and reimbursement policies don’t keep up with medical advancements.
2. They go through money (OUR money) like it’s water.
We’ve known for years that PSA screening for prostate cancer is unreliable. There are too many false positives. That leads to unnecessary biopsies and treatments.
Last year, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force made it official. They recommended that PSA should NOT be used for men of any age.
And that’s especially true for older men. Prostate cancer is usually detected when it’s slow-growing and localized. So older guys are much more likely to die WITH it than FROM it.
But this important message is not sinking in at Medicare.
During a recent three-year period, the Medicare fee-for-service program happily coughed up well over $1 BILLION for PSA screenings.
What’s worse, about $450 million was devoted to PSA screenings in men over the age of 75!
If they had used that money to fill holes on the highway — literally — it would have done more good.
Sources:
“PSA Offers Little Benefit to Older Men: Yale Researchers” Health Day News, 10/4/13, newsmaxhealth.com
