An American with Cancer Faces Death Panels in France

And the verdict is: full, long-term treatment covered 100 percent.

I live in such a country (France) though I am American and I should probably go ahead and admit that I am also a citizen of the place.

I haven't blogged in here much lately because I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and I've just (today even) gotten a letter from one of those "death" panels. Amazingly, I wasn't shaking when I got the letter. They are called Medical Councils here and they determine whether someone is eligible or not for 100 percent medical coverage provided by the state, due to a prolonged illness that is in no way the fault of the patient.

This "Council" provides an essential service that is desperately needed in the US. It makes a decision about a patient's health that does not depend upon considerations like age, income, pre-existing conditions or lifestyle. The council has only one question to answer: does the patient have an illness (or trauma) that requires long term treatment? If the answer to that question is yes, the person is immediately covered at 100 percent for the duration of the illness.

I don't know what the minimum residency requirements to qualify for such health care are in the civilized world, but for the sake of their taxpayers, I hope it's many years.

Because as soon as the repugs succeed in killing health care reform, those countries will be swamped with desperate Americans fleeing our capitalist hell-hole of no health care.