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Mitts plan is to IMPROVE SYNERGY, INCREASE AWARENESS, and SUPPORT TREATMENT. No mention of how patients will pay for it or if it covers the uninsured, co-pays or deductibles.
SUPPORT TREATMENT
"Encourage increased options for the treatment of Lyme Disease and provide local physicians with protection from lawsuits to ensure they can treat the disease with the aggressive antibiotics that are required."
Mitts plan is to IMPROVE SYNERGY, INCREASE AWARENESS, and SUPPORT TREATMENT. No mention of how patients will pay for it or if it covers the uninsured, co-pays or deductibles.
SUPPORT TREATMENT
"Encourage increased options for the treatment of Lyme Disease and provide local physicians with protection from lawsuits to ensure they can treat the disease with the aggressive antibiotics that are required."
Many people don't know about this, but lyme disease is a terrible, devastating disease. A few years ago doctors were threatened with losing their medical license if they treated patients for longer than 3 weeks with antibiotics or if they diagnosed someone with lyme without a positive test. Only 30% of lyme disease cases show up in the bloodwork. It needs to be diagnosed with clinical observations, but that was not allowed. Because of this, doctors were forced to either turn that patient away or give them a false diagnosis. Some doctors also believed what they were being told, especially in areas where lyme is not as prevalent.
Lyme can get in the central nervous system causing emotional and cognitive problems in addition to a myriad of physical problems. Patients have been told they had bi-polar, MS, Lupus, and other things instead of being properly diagnosed. This could go on for years being untreated when all they needed initially was antibiotics. The longer it goes untreated, the more likely it is that they will have problems for the rest of their lives. That has ruined the lives of many people because chronic lyme was not recognized. I don't agree with liberals on much of anything, but Chris Dodd sponsored a bill that changed all that and I thank God for that. I am close to someone who had to deal with this nightmare. The CDC used to have the info that it couldn't be diagnosed with clinical findings but that has all changed. The problem is, and this is where Mitt Romney comes in, a lot of doctors are still practicing under the old guidelines because they don't know, so he wants to help these people. I live in an area with just a few dots on the map and I know at least four people who have had lyme. I can't imagine what it's like in the areas on that map that are covered in blue dots. This is truly an issue that needs to be addressed. I hope this helps.
P.S. I am not aware of the lawsuits, but it would make sense that the doctors who practiced under the whole guidelines are now being sued for malpractice, although they were abiding by the CDC and insurance companies' mandates.
Last edited by Gal from the South; 09-29-2012 at 11:14 PM..
Many people don't know about this, but lyme disease is a terrible, devastating disease. A few years ago doctors were threatened with losing their medical license if they treated patients for longer than 3 weeks with antibiotics or if they diagnosed someone with lyme without a positive test. Only 30% of lyme disease cases show up in the bloodwork. It needs to be diagnosed with clinical observations, but that was not allowed. Because of this, doctors were forced to either turn that patient away or give them a false diagnosis. Some doctors also believed what they were being told, especially in areas where lyme is not as prevalent.
Lyme can get in the central nervous system causing emotional and cognitive problems in addition to a myriad of physical problems. Patients have been told they had bi-polar, MS, Lupus, and other things instead of being properly diagnosed. This could go on for years being untreated when all they needed initially was antibiotics. The longer it goes untreated, the more likely it is that they will have problems for the rest of their lives. That has ruined the lives of many people because chronic lyme was not recognized. I don't agree with liberals on much of anything, but Chris Dodd sponsored a bill that changed all that and I thank God for that. I am close to someone who had to deal with this nightmare. The CDC used to have the info that it couldn't be diagnosed with clinical findings but that has all changed. The problem is, and this is where Mitt Romney comes in, a lot of doctors are still practicing under the old guidelines because they don't know, so he wants to help these people. I live in an area with just a few dots on the map and I know at least four people who have had lyme. I can't imagine what it's like in the areas on that map that are covered in blue dots. This is truly an issue that needs to be addressed. I hope this helps.
P.S. I am not aware of the lawsuits, but it would make sense that the doctors who practiced under the whole guidelines are now being sued for malpractice, although they were abiding by the CDC and insurance companies' mandates.
You may be right, but I think what is very sad is that doctors don't have much control over medicine. Its the insurance and pharmeceutical companies that run medicine. Physicians have there hands tied. And with health care reform there hands are tied and they are subjected to more scrutiny.
For the MD its more pressure for them, because they are scrambling to meet CMS guidelines (I see this daily) and the insurance companies are watching this election ever so closely because either way there will be changes.
If Romney wins the CEO's of insurance companies get more in their pockets, now that money is for them and their own tax breaks. With Obamacare, Insurance companies and MD's have been graded much more closely and based on whatever star they get (Insurance company needs to get 3-4 stars or more to receive bonus funding from gov't) and when they get the funding they are mandated to use that to improve lives of the insured. When Bush was in office it was a free for all. Next time you see your doctor ask him/her about HEDIS and CMS, they will tell you. Being an MD is nothing to be conveted in the way medicine is practiced now. The best health care reform is to lose weight, exercise, drink plenty of water, eat fruits and veggies, and STAY OUT OF THE THE HOSPITAL!!! Studies show the longer your length of stay--the likelihood you will walk out with something worse than you came in with. Western medicine is sad. We need to focus more on preventative medicine in this country. I could write a book on that....
You may be right, but I think what is very sad is that doctors don't have much control over medicine. Its the insurance and pharmeceutical companies that run medicine. Physicians have there hands tied. And with health care reform there hands are tied and they are subjected to more scrutiny.
No truer words were ever spoken. That is why we need a UHC plan that will cut the insurance companies out entirely.
It will be cheaper and more efficient in the long run.
No truer words were ever spoken. That is why we need a UHC plan that will cut the insurance companies out entirely.
It will be cheaper and more efficient in the long run.
Its quite sad but true, Universal medicine would benefit the people more so than the physician, but I think Western medicine is so screwed. We are more script driven opposed to prevention driven, and for every script written out of the offie that MD gets a kickback by that pharmeceutical rep. The specialists, don't heavily rely on pharmeceutical companies, they are a different entity. But we truly need reform to Western medicine. Diabetes for instance is on the high end of people being admitted with no knowledge of the diagnosis. Diabetes is skyrocketing the cost of medicine, and if we focused more on prevention and actually did it the liklihood of and admission is slimmer.
This country has so many ways of making a difference in medicine if we really wanted to, but yes it is sad that MD's are not able to be the best they can be because they must answer to insurance companies. I see this all the time. And don't let an insurance company drop your doctor because he is practicing against how he is told to, because the bulk of his income is from insurance companies and CMS (govt) they get kickbacks for meeting all mandates. I wont even get into that. The patient has NO idea what goes on behind the scenes in those tall plush buildings--not hospitals--but insurance company buildings. Insurance companies are MORE powerful than we give them credit for. Ask your doctor at your next check up, he probably wont say much because that type of questioning makes them nervous.
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Western medicine is sad. We need to focus more on preventative medicine in this country. I could write a book on that....
