(Untitled)

[easilyirritable]

Despite the fact that parents are requesting the cervical cancer vaccine for their daughters, doctors are not carrying it and insurance companies aren't covering it. Part of the problem is due to the fact that the medical establishment has to slug its way through bureaucractic procedure, but it certainly doesn't help that the vaccine costs nearly

Comments

[noss]

My step-mom, an RN, is really bothered by this. She said there haven't been many trials of this vaccine, certainly no long-term trials, and she feels it's a bit irresponsible to be launching it so early when they aren't sure about it's efficacy yet.

its value as a public health tool

So basically they're charging more because people need it more? God, that's fucked up. Sensible, but fucked up.

[easilyirritable]

She said there haven't been many trials of this vaccine, certainly no long-term trials, and she feels it's a bit irresponsible to be launching it so early when they aren't sure about it's efficacy yet.

That's a really good point, and one I don't think I'd ever seen in any of the news reports about the HPV vaccine. From what I saw, most of them were touting the 99% success rate like it had been thoroughly tested in clinical trials. The primary news story seemed to focus on the controversy surrounding the vaccine not so much the vaccine itself.

So basically they're charging more because people need it more? God, that's fucked up. Sensible, but fucked up.

Seriously. On one hand I'm grateful to modern medicine for expanding my lifespan and making it so I can be healthy, but on the other hand, it really feels like a goddamn racket sometimes.

[webtar]

Seems similar to the ovarian cancer test which you have to ask/beg for, and insurance usually won't cover it.
I hate thinking about health insurance companies.

[easilyirritable]

Health insurance companies are Satan. I hate thinking about them, and my health issues are pretty minor, like an abnormal pap I can't follow up on, or an ingrown toenail I can't seem to fix. If I had a health issue such as the one you deal with I'd probably find myself choking back the urge to firebomb their offices on a daily basis.

[webtar]

Exactally!

[nothingmuch]

That really highlights just how successful television commercials can be in advertising safer-sex technologies.

It's a shame more safer-sex PSAs aren't on the air. I wish Planned Parenthood had the funds to run a major national ad campaign talking about pregnancy options, birth control options, emergency contraception, talking to your kids about sex, etc.

I'd like to see commercials that say things like "Thinking about having sex? You have the right to protection against pregnancy and sexually-transmitted infections, even if you're under 18. You don't have to tell your parents and you don't have to have insurance. Call 1-800-230-PLAN..." aired on all the major broadcast and cable networks like MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, etc. It would reach out to a lot of uninformed teenagers who don't have access to decent sex education in school anymore.