Battery life for a pacemaker.

[wgarygo]

I recently met with a cardiologist who review the ECG and 24 hour heart monitor results which show the need for a pacemaker, even though I have not external symptoms.  The problem was caught during an ECG done for life insurance purposes. At the moment some cardiologists might say that I don't need the pacemaker yet, but to avoid the chance of the thing getting worse and resulting in a stroke or worse I will be getting a pacemaker.

I have been told that I can expect the battery to last for 6-7 years based on expected usage.  I did learn that at one time there were batteries that lasted much longer and some for life. Are there any of these available, either in this country or elsewhere.  I understand that the expected cost at the local hospital is $35,00 to $40,000 and that each time the battery wears out that a new unit other the wiring to the heart must be replaced.  This sounds like a rip-off by the pacemaker industry. And if socialized health care is instituted I may not be eligible for a replacement unit because of my age.  I am currently 73.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

[RetiredEngineer2005]

Please Do not worry.
President Obama has said no such thing.

Do the research yourself, and do not be scared by well-funded,.,militant,anti-Obama cynical propaganda.......
There is no "czar"
There is no "Socialized" anything.
You are being manipulated by very cruel, greedy,unscrupulous people.

I am a retired Engineer. I retired at 68.
My wife is 69, a heart patient, a retired state worker, who joined the state AFTER graduating from college, and worked there for 40 years.
Her ending salary after 40 years, having started as a University graduate?
Forty-one thousand a year!
Compare that to the former CEO of United Healthcare who for his years as CEO, plus his ending "compensation package" received a total package in the 6+ BILLION dollars range.
Or his successor, who rakes in a measly 144 Million a year.
"Health" insurance companies like this, derive alot of their riches by charging HUGE premiums and finding ANY pretense to deny benefits and or cancel or rescind policies.
Yeah. Obama is to blame. Can you actually believe that?
God help our country.

[JVassar]

Thank you for your comment ... As an inside-the-Beltway-Consultant with @30 years of experience, I can tell you that most of the time you can trust that X outcome will occur is when a Politician says X outcome will not occur ..... :-)

[wgarygo]

"Also I agree with the other comment that at that age you are on Medicare and no matter what Health Overall is done, it will not affect Medicare so don't worry. I would say is don't listen to fear mongering amongst certain groups. You are fine."

I find your name calling of those who point out the true risks to seniors less than assuring.

Obama himself has indicated that he plans to cut back on Medicare and Medicaid as a means of funding his socialized medicine plan.  

Also people have plenty of concerns, particularly as old quotes surface from the President's health care "czar," the brother of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. In the past, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel advocated a health care system in which services "should not be guaranteed" to anyone whose circumstances or conditions "[prevent them] from being or becoming participating citizens." (The Hastings Center Report, November-December 1996). He also said it should give priority to those who are "between roughly 15 and 40 years..." The question then becomes who--and what--defines a "participating citizen"? Would older or disabled Americans be excluded from care because they aren't perceived by Washington as contributing members to society? Emanuel also writes in the Journal of the American Medical Association (June 18, 2009) that "Doctors take the Hippocratic Oath too seriously...." When it comes to doing "no harm," this is one patient who's grateful they do!

[westfield60]

The battery lives are really good these days. Also my father's cardiologist told him that the wiring does not need to be replaced, only the battery so it should be a really easy and quick proceedure. Also I agree with the other comment that at that age you are on Medicare and no matter what Health Overall is done, it will not affect Medicare so don't worry. I would say is don't listen to fear mongering amongst certain groups. You are fine.

[grendslori]

My daughter's first pacemaker was put in when she was 8 years old. When she was 16 we went to the NIH and they replaced her battery then because of advances in the way the pacemakers were working at that point. The battery life was still working fine; that was after 8 years with probably close to 100% working. (her waking heart rates were in the 30s range when they put the pacer in) . The life time on the batteries is really very good.

[Flycaster305]

I don't know about pacers with lifetime batteries, but I do know that the battery life is contingent upon how how often they need to kick in to help your own heart beat.  Mine is needed more than 90% of the time, so it is going to need to be replaced sooner than a relative whose pacemaker is only kicking in 15% of the time.  
Aren't you using Medicare?  You are already covered, and that won't change.  Proceed with confidence.