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Location: Somewhere gray and damp, close to the West Coast
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Katarina Witt
Actually, the other side seems to be controlled by fear that they're being gouged, experimented on, treated when they're not really sick and/or not being treated so they stay sick. Plus much more.
Well, DUUUUUUH! LMAO! But rather than "controlled by fear", I think most of us would say "empowered by healthy concern".
I believe the medical industry is corrupted by profit motive. The health and well being of patients is not really the industry's concern, that's just what they need healthcare users to believe and what providers might even tell themselves to feel good about themselves when they should know better.
It's not just the prescribing so many pharmaceuticals, which generally just treat the symptoms of a disorder, with little evidence of improving health or increasing life span, not to mention side effects sometimes worse than the original problem and as serious as permanent damage and even sometimes death. It's also surgical procedures that are invasive, risky, and often damaging and disabling. All done to maximize medical billing and profits.
If the industry wasn't so focused on generating high income, and treated patients conservatively and minimally -invasively, then it would be doing a lot more good and benefiting patients more than harming them. But that won't maximizes income.
My mother recently died in the hospital following a procedure that I didn't believe beforehand was necessary, a good idea or beneficial. I was rushed, pressured and worst of all mislead and lied to about the procedure. Medical providers are relentless and merciless about maximizing medical billing, and after the damage is done they have no problem washing their hands of it. They do not want to honor wishes to be treated conservatively and minimally invasively and will resort to just about any tactic to get their way and maximize medical billing. I'm pretty bitter and regretful about the whole matter.
That's pretty much the story with everything though. Everything that is done in America, from politics to goods and services, is about maximizing income/profit and people's well being is not even an afterthought. It never changes.
Absolutely profits before people. To think the medical industry cares about YOU...forget it.
I'm an American born citizen who has spent a LOT of time in Canada.
One huge advantage to a universal style healthcare is the access to medicine that helps people stay out of doctor's offices and Emergency Rooms.
In America we have all experienced (or know someone who has) really busy ER's. A big part of that is the uninsured don't have a primary health care provider OR do but can't afford the copay, so they either wait until their condition is so bad they need the ER, or they go to the ER for simple things.
Then when/if they can't afford to pay for it the hospital raises it's prices, which raises insurances, etc.
In Canada many types of pain releivers are available over the counter.
For example, in America if you need Voltaren (an ointment treatment for bad joints) you have to get a prescription for it and a tube costs $500. In Canada, where I buy it, it costs about $12.00.
Believe whatever you want, but the American health care system's first priority is making as many people as much money as it can, which is why the country has always tried to brainwash it's people into believing that a Universal healthcare system would be bad for them
One can buy a voltaren med on ebay from another country. And the script here in the U.S. 500$ not hardly, maybe $100, I priced it once and it would cost me $80 or so and I think a generic $40 ....and here in the U.S. tons of pain relievers are available otc.
Some of the best kept secrets for healing, thanks to pharma, are homeopathics. All kicked under the bus with the pharma explosion and talk about affordable almost cheap. Topricin for pain for my joint issues works far better than any voltaren drug.
Last edited by jaminhealth; 10-16-2019 at 12:47 PM..
One can buy a voltaren med on ebay from another country. And the script here in the U.S. 500$ not hardly, maybe $100....and here in the U.S. tons of pain relievers are available otc.
Some of the best kept secrets for healing, thanks to pharma, are homeopathics. All kicked under the bus with the pharma explosion and talk about affordable almost cheap. Topricin for pain for my joint issues works far better than any voltaren drug.
I stand corrected. I was discussing this with a former pharmacy tech and may either have remembered the price wrong, or she did. Either way, $100 is still an incredibly stupid price and my overall point remains.
The health industry in general is business and for profit. It is the docs' job to weed out the medical stuff that is more profit oriented than medically necessary for the patient. Find a good doctor that you can trust to act in your best interests.
In this case and my mother's premature death, it was doctors in a hospital, not ones that we selected. I'm sure they like to maximizes their medical billing too, and hospital administrators also demand maximizing medical billing. Are there good doctors that believe in treating patients as conservatively and non-invasively as possible, especially when the patient is requesting that? I can't seem to find them, as that would not maximizes their medical billing and is going against the healthcare industry drive for maximum profits.
When my dad was near his end and he lived to 95, and while in hospital for an issue, he and we had directives NO MAJOR LIFE SAVING THERAPIES, at least 3 different surgeons came to my sister and I wanting to give dad a pacemaker....I'm guess back then the industry would have profited at least $25K, I don't know but have ideas...No was our answer to the docs 3 times.
They are so obsessed with profit lines they keep trying in spite of Directives -- what good are they....
Last edited by jaminhealth; 10-16-2019 at 01:04 PM..
A problem w/ the medical industry is it's a system, a giant self perpetuating system. It means less individualization. I'm always leery of anything that doesn't look at the individual and their particular needs. The more diagnostics, the more unnecessary treatments, the more side effects or complications, more higher unnecessary costs. Sometimes less is best, but over treatment w/ resulting unnecessary costs, CYI strategies, seem to rein too much in the medical industry.
When my dad was near his end and he lived to 95, and while in hospital for an issue, he and we had directives NO MAJOR LIFE SAVING THERAPIES, at least 3 different surgeons came to my sister and I wanting to give dad a pacemaker....I'm guess back then the industry would have profited at least $25K, I have no idea but ideas...No was our answer to the docs 3 times.
This is common from what I've seen. I've worked w/ elders for quite a few years. New hips at 93, new knees, etc. The one woman had a new hip done (for osteo) and 5-6 months later died from kidney failure. Her kidneys were impaired right along, chronic, and they still did it instead of comfort measures, non inflammatories, PT, etc. for comfort regarding the hip. We had another woman have repeated eye surgeries, 2 or 3 at 95, or close to that age, that still can't see well after the surgery. Falling more frequently and not a good general quality of life overall, but they still did repeated surgeries.
We had one man, 90's had a subdural hematoma (blood on layer of the brain) after a fall and they did surgery on the poor soul. The surgeon said "it was a great success." He told the family that. The man died 2 or 3 days later. How they don't separate their "successful" surgery from the man passing away is beyond me.
I knew of a family member, at end stage of a disease process, and they wanted to "do more scans." Luckily the family said no. Families have to step in to control the situation at times like this.
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