November 15, 2010 3:58PM # Provenge Controversy Argues for Medicare Vouchers By [Michael F. Cannon](https://www.cato.org/people/michael-f-cannon) --- SHARE The new prostate-cancer vaccine Provenge (manufacturer: Dendreon) appears to extend life by an average of four months at the relatively high cost of $93,000 per patient. This week, Medicare bureaucrats will conduct a [national coverage analysis](http://www.cms.gov/mcd/viewtrackingsheet.asp?from2=viewtrackingsheet.asp&id=247&) before [deciding](http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_709247.html) whether [Medicare](http://catostore.org/index.asp?fa=ProductDetails&method=&pid=1441323) will cover the vaccine. This “[unusual](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/07/AR2010110705205.html)” step has sparked [charges](http://www.pacificresearch.org/printVersion/print_press.asp?pubID=5714§ionID=11) that government bureaucrats are rationing medical care to save money. Today’s *Washington Post* includes [letters from two cancer survivors](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/14/AR2010111403649_pf.html) that neatly illustrate why the government should not be in the business of providing health insurance or purchasing medical care at all. Cancer Survivor #1 argues that Medicare should cover Provenge: > “Expensive” treatments have given me many extra years with my family. I witnessed my older daughters graduate from high school, start college and celebrate events doctors told me I would never see…Time is precious, life is priceless and every breath is a gift. Cancer Survivor #2 says no way: > As a 63-year-old cancer survivor, would I forgo just four more months of life if it would cost $93,000? Yes, in a heartbeat…Let’s quit trying to live forever and put those millions of dollars into educating the next generation. If the government stayed out of health care, or just subsidized Medicare enrollees with a [voucher](http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/hhs/medicare-reforms), then both cancer survivors would get their wish. Cancer Survivor #1 could purchase coverage for expensive cancer treatments. Cancer Survivor #2, and millions like her, could buy lower-cost insurance and donate the savings to scholarships. Yet politicians and government bureaucrats dictate what type of insurance Medicare enrollees get, which means they also decide what enrollees will *not* get. And no matter where they draw the line, someone loses. Either Cancer Survivor #1 won’t get her expensive medical treatment, or Cancer Survivor #2 won’t be able to fund scholarships for kids. The only way out is [Medicare vouchers](www.downsizinggovernment.org/hhs/medicare-reforms). In addition to being [the most plausible way to reduce Medicare spending](https://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=12182), vouchers are the *only* way to protect Medicare enrollees from [government rationing](https://www.cato.org/pubs/articles/cannon-obamacare-townhall-magazine.pdf). ##### Related Tags [Health Care](https://www.cato.org/health-care) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).