Radiation Therapy in the United States

This is a very interesting blog. Certainly there are many discrepancies in the US Health Care System. In the field of radiation therapy, I noticed that at times it is difficult for patients to receive approval from their insurance companies for the recommended treatment especially if it uses the newer technologies. Often insurance companies will pay for sub-standard therapy treatments that either cause greater morbidities to the patient or are not as effective in killing the tumor. While I agree that technology is advancing rapidly and all technologies are not needed, it is important for all patients to be able to receive the most advanced care possible. I fear that if health care is universalized that it might actually inhibit the advancement of technology and cancer research because the newly found technologies would not be approved by the government. Therefore, if there is going to be universal health care, the government needs to see to it that they stay on top of the technologies in various field in order to continue to provide the very best treatment possible to patients in their fight against cancer. It would be a large disservice to cancer patients if they were only able to receive sub-standard treatment because of universal health care regulations.