Thousands In Britain Left To Go Blind Due To Eye Surgery Rationing

[bullwinkle]

Medicare pays for cataract surgery.
“Cataracts are more common in older people. By the age of 80, more than fifty percent of the population will have developed cataracts.”

Free stuff! Can’t wait until every doctor visit is like a meeting with the IRS!

Thousands of elderly people in Britain are left to go blind because of rationing of eye surgery in the National Health Service (NHS), a report revealed on Saturday (April 6).

The Times newspaper said a survey by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCO) found tens of thousands of elderly people are left struggling to see because of an NHS cost-cutting drive that relies on them dying before they can qualify for cataract surgery.

The survey has found that the NHS has ignored instructions to end cataract treatment rationing in defiance of official guidance two years ago.

The RCO said its survey has found 62 per cent of eye units retain policies that require people’s vision to have deteriorated below a certain point before surgery is funded.

Thousands in Britain left to go blind due to eye surgery rationing: Report

We have rationing in this country, too. It's called "being too poor to get good insurance", or "Your insurance company declaring your cataract a pre-existing condition or elective".

So given you only have so much money to spend on Cataract Surgery do you give it to.

A poor young person who has a whole productive life ahead of him.

or and Old person who isn't working anymore, will probably die in a few years anyway.

My gramps had his done through medicare. IIRC the only issue was the expensive drops afterwards were not covered but my dad's doc loaded him up with free samples from the drug companies.

I thought those drops came with the surgery. I was given mine with my go-home kit. I have Medicare plus coordinating coverage so maybe there's a difference. The surgery was a piece of cake for me. In at 1PM, procedure at 2PM during which the team, including me, discussed the DaVinci Code movie, then recovery for about 20 min, then home by 3PM. No after-effects. The main problem is that they do the eyes one at a time, so until you get back to surgery vision is clear and you can see the color blue again in one eye, and the other is still like looking thru a greasy nicotine covered lens. Biggest benefit is headlights coming at you at night are no longer huge starbursts.

My gramps had just plain medicare, no supplement and it was before part D and he was paying a all the drops out of pocket other than the ones they sent him home with that had just enough in them to get the prescription filled.. My dad's situation was a little different. The doc said that he thought it was ridiculous how much the pharmacies charged so he strongarmed them out of one of the drug reps. One of his eyes went south fast and the doctor was swallowing coal and crapping diamonds. I had to take him out of state to a specialist a couple times a week for a month. It was never quite clear what it really was. The eye doc said infection set up behind the lens due to contamination of the lens implant. The specialist was a little eye rolly about that, but saved his eye and restored his vision. None of all that after the original procedure on that eye cost my dad a dime and he never got an EOB on it from his insurance so I am pretty certain eye doc was paying for it out of his own pocket to avoid a major malpractice lawsuit. It involved lasers and needles through the eye. The specialist said, "Oh you can come on back if you want. Today it will just be a needle in the eye." I told him unless he was prepared to pick me up off the floor,while putting that needle in his eye, I was perfectly content waiting in the lobby.

I'm sorry your gramps had such a problem for a procedure that was so simple for me. Infection from a lens implant sounds like sloppy work to me. My sister has Macular Degeneration and gets shots in the eye every six weeks. She tells me the first was the worst, but now she tolerates them very well. Of course she's just a squirt of 78 years.

 

[Dekster]

Medicare pays for cataract surgery.
“Cataracts are more common in older people. By the age of 80, more than fifty percent of the population will have developed cataracts.”

We have rationing in this country, too. It's called "being too poor to get good insurance", or "Your insurance company declaring your cataract a pre-existing condition or elective".

So given you only have so much money to spend on Cataract Surgery do you give it to.

A poor young person who has a whole productive life ahead of him.

or and Old person who isn't working anymore, will probably die in a few years anyway.

My gramps had his done through medicare. IIRC the only issue was the expensive drops afterwards were not covered but my dad's doc loaded him up with free samples from the drug companies.

I thought those drops came with the surgery. I was given mine with my go-home kit. I have Medicare plus coordinating coverage so maybe there's a difference. The surgery was a piece of cake for me. In at 1PM, procedure at 2PM during which the team, including me, discussed the DaVinci Code movie, then recovery for about 20 min, then home by 3PM. No after-effects. The main problem is that they do the eyes one at a time, so until you get back to surgery vision is clear and you can see the color blue again in one eye, and the other is still like looking thru a greasy nicotine covered lens. Biggest benefit is headlights coming at you at night are no longer huge starbursts.

My gramps had just plain medicare, no supplement and it was before part D and he was paying a all the drops out of pocket other than the ones they sent him home with that had just enough in them to get the prescription filled.. My dad's situation was a little different. The doc said that he thought it was ridiculous how much the pharmacies charged so he strongarmed them out of one of the drug reps. One of his eyes went south fast and the doctor was swallowing coal and crapping diamonds. I had to take him out of state to a specialist a couple times a week for a month. It was never quite clear what it really was. The eye doc said infection set up behind the lens due to contamination of the lens implant. The specialist was a little eye rolly about that, but saved his eye and restored his vision. None of all that after the original procedure on that eye cost my dad a dime and he never got an EOB on it from his insurance so I am pretty certain eye doc was paying for it out of his own pocket to avoid a major malpractice lawsuit. It involved lasers and needles through the eye. The specialist said, "Oh you can come on back if you want. Today it will just be a needle in the eye." I told him unless he was prepared to pick me up off the floor,while putting that needle in his eye, I was perfectly content waiting in the lobby.

I'm sorry your gramps had such a problem for a procedure that was so simple for me. Infection from a lens implant sounds like sloppy work to me. My sister has Macular Degeneration and gets shots in the eye every six weeks. She tells me the first was the worst, but now she tolerates them very well. Of course she's just a squirt of 78 years.

Laser was a bigger problem than the shots. They couldn't see the needle. They paralyzed movement and had them focus on a red light in the center of a ring of light so they couldn't see the needle. The laser let to a lot of drainage and discomfort. No problem with the other eye, but yes I am pretty sure it was something sloppy on the install that screwed that one up.

 

[martybegan]

Wait until some provincial (or state) patsy doesn't like you. See how your healthcare is delivered then.

The more control you have, the less Canadian you are. That's a good thing. You want to live and die with dignity, you will never receive that in a healthcare system like Canadas or our British overlords across the pond.

Yep. You know darn well they have blacklisted people.

and you think private insurance doesn't do that? You really think that some bureaucrat from EvilCo Insurance doesn't get his jollies by denying coverage, especially when his bosses reward him for doing it?

Again, none of you have had to wrestle with a private insurance company to get treatment.... it's a real blast.

And the solution is to turn over health care to government which can be even more uncaring and regimented?

LOL

 

[JoeB131]

And the solution is to turn over health care to government which can be even more uncaring and regimented?

LOL

Never had an issue with Government. In fact, the military was damned good to me.

ON the other hand, big corporations are the worst people doing the worst things for the worst reasons.... why do you expect a good result from that?

 

[dblack]

And the solution is to turn over health care to government which can be even more uncaring and regimented?

LOL

Never had an issue with Government. In fact, the military was damned good to me.

Good for you. Most people haven't had your kind of luck. Since there's only one government, and you can't refuse to be its "customer", I'll take a free market over state mandates any day.

"Doctor Trump will see you now ..."

 

[martybegan]

And the solution is to turn over health care to government which can be even more uncaring and regimented?

LOL

Never had an issue with Government. In fact, the military was damned good to me.

ON the other hand, big corporations are the worst people doing the worst things for the worst reasons.... why do you expect a good result from that?

Move to venezuela, there you will get the government you deserve and want.

 

[Cecilie1200]

The article is not clear what vision level is the point at which the surgery is approved. Even in the US, I know people who have put it off voluntarily until it got to the point they could barely see. People just don't like the idea of having anything done to their eyes.

Sorry, that sounds remarkably like you're trying to make excuses by blaming the PATIENTS for waiting. Where did you see anything in the story indicating that it was THEIR idea?

 

[Cecilie1200]

Free stuff! Can’t wait until every doctor visit is like a meeting with the IRS!

Thousands of elderly people in Britain are left to go blind because of rationing of eye surgery in the National Health Service (NHS), a report revealed on Saturday (April 6).

The Times newspaper said a survey by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCO) found tens of thousands of elderly people are left struggling to see because of an NHS cost-cutting drive that relies on them dying before they can qualify for cataract surgery.

The survey has found that the NHS has ignored instructions to end cataract treatment rationing in defiance of official guidance two years ago.


Thousands in Britain left to go blind due to eye surgery rationing: Report

Good morning, weather! And are there any comparisons to the thousands left to go blind here in America due to lack of any healthcare insurance at all? I believe all insurers consider blindness non-life threatening though, and in that case the rationing is not so unusual. Not to mention that according to your post, the surgery IS provided when a specific level of deterioration is reached:

"The RCO said its survey has found 62 per cent of eye units retain policies that require people’s vision to have deteriorated below a certain point before surgery is funded."

I have a friend who has carotid artery blockage but his docs will not do the procedure until he reaches 65% blockage, so the Brit NHS ruling doesn't sound so outrageous to me.

Actually, vision coverage is usually separate from general health insurance, and if you're old enough that you're on Medicare instead of being able to continue on private insurance, Medicare covers cataract surgery. So no, there is no rationing of eye surgery in the US, although obviously, ophthalmologists aren't going to operate on your eye if it's not medically indicated.

But hey, thanks for playing the "US MUST be worse than Britain in everything!" assumption game.

PS. The doctors won't operate on your friend's carotid artery blockage because it's a very risky and life-threatening procedure, so the illness needs to be more life-threatening than the surgery before they'll resort to it. Rather a different issue than rationing care to save money. Dumbass.

 

[Cecilie1200]

Medicare pays for cataract surgery.
“Cataracts are more common in older people. By the age of 80, more than fifty percent of the population will have developed cataracts.”

Free stuff! Can’t wait until every doctor visit is like a meeting with the IRS!

Thousands of elderly people in Britain are left to go blind because of rationing of eye surgery in the National Health Service (NHS), a report revealed on Saturday (April 6).

The Times newspaper said a survey by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCO) found tens of thousands of elderly people are left struggling to see because of an NHS cost-cutting drive that relies on them dying before they can qualify for cataract surgery.

The survey has found that the NHS has ignored instructions to end cataract treatment rationing in defiance of official guidance two years ago.

The RCO said its survey has found 62 per cent of eye units retain policies that require people’s vision to have deteriorated below a certain point before surgery is funded.

Thousands in Britain left to go blind due to eye surgery rationing: Report

We have rationing in this country, too. It's called "being too poor to get good insurance", or "Your insurance company declaring your cataract a pre-existing condition or elective".

So given you only have so much money to spend on Cataract Surgery do you give it to.

A poor young person who has a whole productive life ahead of him.

or and Old person who isn't working anymore, will probably die in a few years anyway.

Depotoo is exactly right. Socialist Medicare pays for cataract surgery in the US just like Socialist NHS does in the UK.

Not that I'm any fan of Medicare, but we DON'T pay for it like the NHS does, because we don't leave people waiting for the surgery in the hopes they'll kick the bucket before we have to pay.

 

[Dekster]

The article is not clear what vision level is the point at which the surgery is approved. Even in the US, I know people who have put it off voluntarily until it got to the point they could barely see. People just don't like the idea of having anything done to their eyes.

Sorry, that sounds remarkably like you're trying to make excuses by blaming the PATIENTS for waiting. Where did you see anything in the story indicating that it was THEIR idea?

Doctors wait until you break a leg before they put on your cast. Sounds to me like you are looking t o be offended. The article gives no indication as to what level of impairment is required before the procedure is authorized. It is all over the top rhetoric, generalizations, and no concrete information other than there is a vision loss threshold before the surgery is authorized.

 

[Cecilie1200]

The article is not clear what vision level is the point at which the surgery is approved. Even in the US, I know people who have put it off voluntarily until it got to the point they could barely see. People just don't like the idea of having anything done to their eyes.

Sorry, that sounds remarkably like you're trying to make excuses by blaming the PATIENTS for waiting. Where did you see anything in the story indicating that it was THEIR idea?

Doctors wait until you break a leg before they put on your cast. Sounds to me like you are looking t o be offended. The article gives no indication as to what level of impairment is required before the procedure is authorized. It is all over the top rhetoric, generalizations, and no concrete information other than there is a vision loss threshold before the surgery is authorized.

Sounds to me like you're all over the place, and not understanding a damned thing being said. Or you're deliberately misunderstanding in order to make excuses. So take your pick: I can think you're dishonest, or that you're a dumbass.

This is not the patients putting off the surgery, and it is not "waiting until they're sick to treat them". It's not whatever-the-**** lame cover you try to throw over it next, either.

Your computer is connected to the Internet, which can be used for things other than porn.

NHS trusts 'ration eye surgery'

This article is from 2012.

"The RNIB asked all 152 PCTs whether they had introduced their own criteria in eye tests beyond the national policy, which states that if cataracts are hampering quality of life, an individual should be offered treatment."

So there's the level of impairment that is supposed to be required.

"A total of 151 trusts replied to the freedom of information request.

Some 57% of them confirmed they had set their own criteria - much of which the RNIB said was "very restrictive".

Professor Harminder Dua, the president of The Royal College of Ophthalmologists, said the restrictions were "regrettable".

He added: "They are arbitrary and are a response to financial pressures, not clinical needs.""

Now, the link in the OP specifically states:

"The Times newspaper said a survey by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCO) found tens of thousands of elderly people are left struggling to see because of an NHS cost-cutting drive that relies on them dying before they can qualify for cataract surgery.

The survey has found that the NHS has ignored instructions to end cataract treatment rationing in defiance of official guidance two years ago."

I hope this has you completely caught up on what the topic is, and what the actual facts are surrounding it, so that you can stop wasting time with stupidly obtuse posts trying to fob the blame off onto everything else.

 

[bullwinkle]

Free stuff! Can’t wait until every doctor visit is like a meeting with the IRS!

Thousands of elderly people in Britain are left to go blind because of rationing of eye surgery in the National Health Service (NHS), a report revealed on Saturday (April 6).

The Times newspaper said a survey by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCO) found tens of thousands of elderly people are left struggling to see because of an NHS cost-cutting drive that relies on them dying before they can qualify for cataract surgery.

The survey has found that the NHS has ignored instructions to end cataract treatment rationing in defiance of official guidance two years ago.


Thousands in Britain left to go blind due to eye surgery rationing: Report

Good morning, weather! And are there any comparisons to the thousands left to go blind here in America due to lack of any healthcare insurance at all? I believe all insurers consider blindness non-life threatening though, and in that case the rationing is not so unusual. Not to mention that according to your post, the surgery IS provided when a specific level of deterioration is reached:

"The RCO said its survey has found 62 per cent of eye units retain policies that require people’s vision to have deteriorated below a certain point before surgery is funded."

I have a friend who has carotid artery blockage but his docs will not do the procedure until he reaches 65% blockage, so the Brit NHS ruling doesn't sound so outrageous to me.

Actually, vision coverage is usually separate from general health insurance, and if you're old enough that you're on Medicare instead of being able to continue on private insurance, Medicare covers cataract surgery. So no, there is no rationing of eye surgery in the US, although obviously, ophthalmologists aren't going to operate on your eye if it's not medically indicated.

But hey, thanks for playing the "US MUST be worse than Britain in everything!" assumption game.

PS. The doctors won't operate on your friend's carotid artery blockage because it's a very risky and life-threatening procedure, so the illness needs to be more life-threatening than the surgery before they'll resort to it. Rather a different issue than rationing care to save money. Dumbass.

You say "Actually, vision coverage is usually separate from general health insurance, and if you're old enough that you're on Medicare instead of being able to continue on private insurance, Medicare covers cataract surgery. So no, there is no rationing of eye surgery in the US, although obviously, ophthalmologists aren't going to operate on your eye if it's not medically indicated."
I don't recall saying the US rations cataract surgery, but I do recall saying that cataracts have to reach a certain degree of disability before your ophthalmologist will schedule the procedure, just like in the UK, where they call it 'rationing' vs 'at will'.

"But hey, thanks for playing the "US MUST be worse than Britain in everything!" assumption game." That's beneath comment.

You say: "PS. The doctors won't operate on your friend's carotid artery blockage because it's a very risky and life-threatening procedure, so the illness needs to be more life-threatening than the surgery before they'll resort to it. Rather a different issue than rationing care to save money. Dumbass."

Actually, I used that example as a comparison to the UK restrictions to hold off surgery until necessary. This friend has had 3 Fem-Pop bypasses, lost a foot to diabetes, had carotid surgery on one side, and they are monitoring the other for blockage build, which they will not schedule until it becomes 65% blocked. The issue in the US is not to save money, because we pay individually. However, the principle is the same...no surgery before it's time. Our friend Weather (the OP) was using it as an example of how horrible UK National healthcare is and I simply pointed out that it is not so far from our own processes. A rose by any other name....

 

[Cecilie1200]

Free stuff! Can’t wait until every doctor visit is like a meeting with the IRS!

Thousands of elderly people in Britain are left to go blind because of rationing of eye surgery in the National Health Service (NHS), a report revealed on Saturday (April 6).

The Times newspaper said a survey by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCO) found tens of thousands of elderly people are left struggling to see because of an NHS cost-cutting drive that relies on them dying before they can qualify for cataract surgery.

The survey has found that the NHS has ignored instructions to end cataract treatment rationing in defiance of official guidance two years ago.


Thousands in Britain left to go blind due to eye surgery rationing: Report

Good morning, weather! And are there any comparisons to the thousands left to go blind here in America due to lack of any healthcare insurance at all? I believe all insurers consider blindness non-life threatening though, and in that case the rationing is not so unusual. Not to mention that according to your post, the surgery IS provided when a specific level of deterioration is reached:

"The RCO said its survey has found 62 per cent of eye units retain policies that require people’s vision to have deteriorated below a certain point before surgery is funded."

I have a friend who has carotid artery blockage but his docs will not do the procedure until he reaches 65% blockage, so the Brit NHS ruling doesn't sound so outrageous to me.

Actually, vision coverage is usually separate from general health insurance, and if you're old enough that you're on Medicare instead of being able to continue on private insurance, Medicare covers cataract surgery. So no, there is no rationing of eye surgery in the US, although obviously, ophthalmologists aren't going to operate on your eye if it's not medically indicated.

But hey, thanks for playing the "US MUST be worse than Britain in everything!" assumption game.

PS. The doctors won't operate on your friend's carotid artery blockage because it's a very risky and life-threatening procedure, so the illness needs to be more life-threatening than the surgery before they'll resort to it. Rather a different issue than rationing care to save money. Dumbass.

You say "Actually, vision coverage is usually separate from general health insurance, and if you're old enough that you're on Medicare instead of being able to continue on private insurance, Medicare covers cataract surgery. So no, there is no rationing of eye surgery in the US, although obviously, ophthalmologists aren't going to operate on your eye if it's not medically indicated."
I don't recall saying the US rations cataract surgery, but I do recall saying that cataracts have to reach a certain degree of disability before your ophthalmologist will schedule the procedure, just like in the UK, where they call it 'rationing' vs 'at will'.

Nice try, dipshit. Here's what you said:

"And are there any comparisons to the thousands left to go blind here in America due to lack of any healthcare insurance at all? I believe all insurers consider blindness non-life threatening though, and in that case the rationing is not so unusual."

Stopped reading at the point your lies made you not worthy of response. FLUSH!

 

[JoeB131]

Good for you. Most people haven't had your kind of luck. Since there's only one government, and you can't refuse to be its "customer", I'll take a free market over state mandates any day.

No, we really do need government to not live in anarchy.

Again, I'd take a single payer system over wrestling with an insurance company any day of the week.

 

[JoeB131]

Move to venezuela, there you will get the government you deserve and want.

Can we stop ******* them over first to see if they can make it work. Because it seem when a country rejects capitalism, we move all sorts of stone to **** with them. Cuba, Venezuela, Chile under Allende...

 

[martybegan]

Move to venezuela, there you will get the government you deserve and want.

Can we stop ******* them over first to see if they can make it work. Because it seem when a country rejects capitalism, we move all sorts of stone to **** with them. Cuba, Venezuela, Chile under Allende...

The people seem to be rejected socialism right now, and yet the government doesn't seem to want to give up.

But Joe loves this shit, because he sucks government dick on a regular basis.

Venezuela didn't need any outside help to **** it all up, socialism did it for them.

 

[dblack]

Good for you. Most people haven't had your kind of luck. Since there's only one government, and you can't refuse to be its "customer", I'll take a free market over state mandates any day.

No, we really do need government to not live in anarchy.

Wow. You jump from free markets in health care to anarchy?? Chicken little much?

Again, I'd take a single payer system over wrestling with an insurance company any day of the week.

Dr. Trump will see you now. Bend over....

 

[Leo123]

No, we really do need government to not live in anarchy.

Again, I'd take a single payer system over wrestling with an insurance company any day of the week.

You'll end up paying more for inferior coverage with a single payer government system. Nothing is 'free' and whoever is telling you that you'll get free health care is either lying or knows no better.

 

[JoeB131]

The people seem to be rejected socialism right now, and yet the government doesn't seem to want to give up.

But Joe loves this shit, because he sucks government dick on a regular basis.

Venezuela didn't need any outside help to **** it all up, socialism did it for them.

Then why have we spent 16 years imposing economic sanctions on them if they were going to fail on their own? We've been punishing Cuba for 60 years now for not wanting to play our game.

Here's the thing... your side hasn't won a legitimate election since 1988, so you really don't get to claim that the people want what you want.

 

[JoeB131]

You'll end up paying more for inferior coverage with a single payer government system. Nothing is 'free' and whoever is telling you that you'll get free health care is either lying or knows no better.

No one said we were going to get it for "Free"...

But here's the thing. The US spends more per capita than any other nation in the world on health care. About 17% of our GDP compared to other countries which spend 8-11% of GDP.

with the ACA, we have the number of uninsured down to 9% compared to the pre-ACA levels of 15%.

We have the highest infant mortality rate in the industrialize world and the shortest life expectancy. 62% of bankruptcies are related to medical crisis, and 75% of them had insurance when the crisis began.

Meanwhile, you have insurance executives who collect 8 and 9 figure salaries for managing this mess...