10 Facts About US Health Care

[layoutshooter]

Self-reliance is that answer. Forget self-esteem and all that silly stuff. Do hard stuff, suceed or fail. Learn lessons from both. Do better. Gain confidence. After a while you will be able to do for yourself and you won't need sleezes like Barry to care for you. YOU are more capable than all of them put together. JUST DO IT!! And then, when you do, "flip them off" , smile and go on your way!!! Layoutshooter

 

[MentalGiant]

Self-reliance is that answer. Forget self-esteem and all that silly stuff. Do hard stuff, suceed or fail. Learn lessons from both. Do better. Gain confidence. After a while you will be able to do for yourself and you won't need sleezes like Barry to care for you. YOU are more capable than all of them put together. JUST DO IT!! And then, when you do, "flip them off" , smile and go on your way!!! Layoutshooter

Exactly!! Glad to see someone who thinks the same way. Learned a lot just by doing. My wife has a hard time understanding my way of thinking. She thinks I may take a lot of unnecessary risk, but if I don't have confidence in myself that I could do something, then I'll never be my own person.

I believe there are smart decisions and not so smart ones. But, you have to make the best judgment you can or seek advice from others who has dealt with that particular subject and make your decision on which you may be best suited for you.

Yes, I might fail, but again, I might not. You have to challenge yourself, to see what you can do. Unless you get to a point you are happy with what ever you are doing. But, I like to push and go beyond and achieve doing things that include me building my selfrespect and confidence and knowing I was able to do it.

I have to admit, since being in this truck for awhile, I have seen my disappointments in myself and the industry. Which in the long run, I hope it will build character in me in a different aspect.

 

[layoutshooter]

All lessons are good if you use them right. What is the problem with the industry? The life style or the lack of freight lately? Layoutshooter

 

[MentalGiant]

All lessons are good if you use them right. What is the problem with the industry? The life style or the lack of freight lately? Layoutshooter

I guess you can say life style, but not really. I love being out on the road. Guess you can say, its more of being able to take in and ignore your pet peeves that a person does which you are with everyday, 24hrs, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year.

P.S. I guess she could say the same thing about me.

 

[layoutshooter]

Oh Heck, is that all? LOL. I thought you had real problems!!! That is by far one of the toughest things to deal with. We have managed so for for heading on 4 years and I am a real "pistol" do deal with!!! Layoutshooter

 

[greg334]

drug companies will pay a doctor to push their drugs.

This does not happen at all, it is not only illegal but if the doc and the pharma company get caught the doc can lose his license forever and the pharma company gets fined a lot of money. The FDA will investigate and hold up every supplemental drug applications that is going on.

Sometimes it looks like this is going on, the reps buy lunch or bring in some 'specialized' equipment or what is worst is the drug company sponsored seminar.

What real problem we have here with the drug compaines;

We are one of two countries that allow direct to consumer marketing. It has to stop... more money is spent here on marketing than on R&D. AND it cuses more problems than it solves. Take the marketing out of the picture and we will elminate a lot of self-diagnosted issues with patients. By the way, there is a difference between marketing and releasing information for the consumer.

We allow the drug reps to be anyone who has a degree, a lot of these reps are not medical professionals and sell the way the companies tell them to sell. Many of the times the doctors give them a hour a month to talk about the products, hand them samples (which is supposed to be very regulated) and then the doctor doesn't do his due diligence more often than not.

We are the only government who does not tell the drug compaines how much they will pay for drugs for government programs, we negotiate and they do not release their actual cost. The government can tell them "OK if you don't sell us this drug near cost, then we will take your patents and then what do you have" - perfectly legal.

 

[MentalGiant]

Ok, if they are not allowed to take a kick back any more, so it comes down to, that most doctors don't really care to find out exactly what is wrong with the patient and take their best edcuated guess and start prescribing drugs?

I say this because, when I have gone to the doctor, they will draw blood and what ever else they to test to determine what the cause of the illness is. But, before I leave the doctor that day, not knowing what the actually problem is, he will prescribe something. Been to a few doctors who have actually done this.

Why would you prescribe something on a edcuated guess, but have no proof what the actually cause is? I guess to get treatment started? Well, that is fine and dandy, but what if the drug he prescribed does not have anything to do with what the results of the test. One, you were taking drugs that would have no effect, possible side effects from taking said drugs, spent money on drugs you didn't need in the first place. That is the kind of crap that peeves me off. I guess you can either turn down the drugs until the test come back or have faith in your doctor, which there are a lot of doctors out the there I wouldn't considered them being a doctor at all.

Now, when the doctor prescribes drugs for common illness, like the cold, flu etc., most everybody knows which drugs are taking for these types, which are very common drugs prescribed for the common illness that people have now days. But, when some one goes to the doctor with this illness, the doctors prescribe antibotics like candy. Instead of telling the patient to go home, get rest and eat something healthy.

This type of behavior has fallen amongst most all people. This is why antibotics don't work when I body needs that extra little boost to fight off infection. Our bodys have become immune to its effects. But, I can't blame this one on the doctors, its just what our society expects the doctor to do, give me something to feel better.

I could on and on this subject, but if I did, I might as well write a book. But, if you carefully read, I'm no writer.

 

[cheri1122]

But we can, and SHOULD blame the doctors for the immunity of many organisms to antibiotics caused by indiscriminate prescribing of antibiotics - they have NO credible reason to do so. It's a serious problem, in that there are now organisms that respond only to specific antibiotics given by IV, which requires expensive hospitalization - and doesn't always work, either.
Agree with Greg that the marketing of drugs to consumers needs to be highly restricted, if not stopped. It serves no useful purpose beyond generating profit for the drug companies and the ad agencies and the media outlets, at the expense of the qualified medical professional's responsibility to diagnose symptoms.
But I disagree that the "buying" of doctors isn't a widespread practice - I've seen evidence to the contrary too many times to believe that doctors aren't bought by the drug mfrs.

 

[inkasnana]

I, for one, believe that there are those doctors out there who are more interested in pushing through as many patients as possible in a day as they can, without actually taking the time to sit down with the patient and discuss their symptoms, problems, possible treatment options, etc. Typically my experience has been you sit in the waiting room for about 30+ min, sit in the exam room for another 30+ min waiting for the dr to come in, then spend about 5 min talking to the dr who then leaves the room and sends his nurse back in to hand you your prescription and instructions. Then you get to pay the bill for that 5 minutes you spent with the dr.

I have irregular heart rhythms. I have had them most of my adult life and I went to the dr with my concerns. He hooked me up to a portable monitor and sent me home. I had to record everything I was doing and when, and make notes of when I noticed the irregular rhythm, for 24 hours. I returned the monitor to the dr and waited for the results to be analyzed. 3 days later, I still had not heard from the dr so I called him and asked him about my test. His response.. "Oh, let me look. Oh yeah, there's something going on. Come in to the front desk and the nurse will give you some samples of a medication I want you to take."

Well, ok. I went to the office and the receptionist handed me a whole bag full of heart medication. No instructions, no literature, nothing. I asked to see the dr, he wasn't in that day. I asked for an appointment, none were available for 3 weeks. I took the bag of pills, and flushed them when I got home. What kind of dr gives a patient a bag full of heart medication with out talking to the patient first and explaining what the problem is, what the medication is for, how much to take and when, etc? There was no way I was going to take even one of those pills without all of that information.

 

[greg334]

Ok, if they are not allowed to take a kick back any more, so it comes down to, that most doctors don't really care to find out exactly what is wrong with the patient and take their best edcuated guess and start prescribing drugs?

I have worked with a lot of doctors, and one thing I did learn is that they have a pattern that they follow with most patients.

I say this because, when I have gone to the doctor, they will draw blood and what ever else they to test to determine what the cause of the illness is. But, before I leave the doctor that day, not knowing what the actually problem is, he will prescribe something. Been to a few doctors who have actually done this.

Blame the system that has been created, don’t blame the doctor for a lot of this. From malpractice to insurance, the doctors don’t ‘treat’ patients as they should but they limit their risk by doing something that is acceptable.

Why would you prescribe something on a edcuated guess, but have no proof what the actually cause is? I guess to get treatment started? Well, that is fine and dandy, but what if the drug he prescribed does not have anything to do with what the results of the test. One, you were taking drugs that would have no effect, possible side effects from taking said drugs, spent money on drugs you didn't need in the first place. That is the kind of crap that peeves me off. I guess you can either turn down the drugs until the test come back or have faith in your doctor, which there are a lot of doctors out the there I wouldn't considered them being a doctor at all.

Blame the system that has been created by third party payer, don’t blame the doctor for a lot of this. From malpractice to insurance, the doctors don’t ‘treat’ patients as they should but they limit their risk by doing something that is acceptable.

Now, when the doctor prescribes drugs for common illness, like the cold, flu etc., most everybody knows which drugs are taking for these types, which are very common drugs prescribed for the common illness that people have now days. But, when some one goes to the doctor with this illness, the doctors prescribe antibotics like candy. Instead of telling the patient to go home, get rest and eat something healthy.

This type of behavior has fallen amongst most all people. This is why antibotics don't work when I body needs that extra little boost to fight off infection. Our bodys have become immune to its effects. But, I can't blame this one on the doctors, its just what our society expects the doctor to do, give me something to feel better.

I could on and on this subject, but if I did, I might as well write a book. But, if you carefully read, I'm no writer.

They have been warned about the use of antibiotics but the warnings have been ignored due to the patient. I know a lot of people who will sit in a doctors office for an hour just to be told that they have a cold or the flu. This is a problem because a cold and flu most of the time will have to run its course and that is all that can be done.

But we can, and SHOULD blame the doctors for the immunity of many organisms to antibiotics caused by indiscriminate prescribing of antibiotics - they have NO credible reason to do so. It's a serious problem, in that there are now organisms that respond only to specific antibiotics given by IV, which requires expensive hospitalization - and doesn't always work, either.

But this also goes to the root of the problem with helicopter parents who don’t let their kids build immunity up by being exposed to the germs in the first place. The use of antibacterial soap in the home as an every day thing has been questioned by the medical profession if it is even useful let alone helpful.

Agree with Greg that the marketing of drugs to consumers needs to be highly restricted, if not stopped. It serves no useful purpose beyond generating profit for the drug companies and the ad agencies and the media outlets, at the expense of the qualified medical professional's responsibility to diagnose symptoms.

OK!

But I disagree that the "buying" of doctors isn't a widespread practice - I've seen evidence to the contrary too many times to believe that doctors aren't bought by the drug mfrs.

Yes I have to correct myself on this one, but the problem is that it is illegal. There was a court case a few years back where a pharma company would pay for the doctor’s golf vacations and then tell the docs about indicators of a drug that was not yet approved and not tested for these indicators and told the doctors to increase the dosage. They got caught big time and some of the doctors almost lost their license. This was all based on a very narrow study that was sponsored by the drug company. I worked on that drug and the supplemental new drug application for another indication and know that it was never approved for higher dosages. As for out and out bribing, to get an idea how these drug reps work, you have to sit there and watch them for a while.

 

[MentalGiant]

Blame the system that has been created by third party payer, don’t blame the doctor for a lot of this. From malpractice to insurance, the doctors don’t ‘treat’ patients as they should but they limit their risk by doing something that is acceptable.

Blame what system? The system to where they have to actually send the test some where because the doctor doesn't have a lab in their office and they are not able to complete the lab results themselves? And what does the third party payer have to with that? They don't force the doctor to prescribe drugs before they know what the problem is. Yes, the third party payer may claim it to be a existing condition to get out of paying for it or say their coverage doesn't cover that.

You kind of went around the subject this one. I think it would me more of a malpractice if the doctor prescribed something that the patient didn't need because, like you said, it would be more acceptable.

Example, I went to a doctor for a certain condition. The doctor look at it. She thought it was a bacteria infection by just looking at it. She prescribed me medicine for it. I took the medicine for two days, I was feeling even worse than before. I stopped taking the medicine. To find out, it was not a bacteria infection at all. It had to do with the fact my sugar in my blood was so high, it was causing problems.

Now, if the doctor would of taken the necessary steps to test to find this out, I wouldn't of wasted my money the first visit and paid money for the medicine which I clearly didn't need in the first place, yes I paid cash, don't have insurance.

The medicine tetracycline was prescribed to me from the first doctor.

Here is a link for this medicine.
Tetracycline - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Just so you know what the actual problem was, I was having the form of yeast infection on the genitals that is caused by high blood sugar. Once I had my blood sugar leveled, don't have the problem any more.

Tell me again who was the blame for all this?

Not saying all doctors are like that, but there are a lot of them out there just for the quick buck. Luckily I might have found a good doctor who does what is needed, plus gives a discount for not having insurance. We need more doctors like that who cares.

 

[letzrockexpress]

What is the largest lobby in the U.S.?? The American Medical Association. All Doctors. Run by Doctors. This organization is just that: ORGANIZED. They have lots and lots of money. They have always called the shots on how healthcare is managed in this country. Always have, always will. That is the why costs keep going up. They are taking care of each other, monetarily and otherwise. I am a health insurance agent. We have been told to get ready for a boom in new policies. The reform, if that is what you want to call it, is most likely going to come in the form of a tax break. People who buy their own health insurance, much like the plan McCain proposed during his presidential campaign, will receive these breaks. Sorry all you doomsdayers. Mean Mr. Socialized Medicine isn't going to rear his ugly head. Not here anyway.

 

[greg334]

Blame what system? The system to where they have to actually send the test some where because the doctor doesn't have a lab in their office and they are not able to complete the lab results themselves? And what does the third party payer have to with that? They don't force the doctor to prescribe drugs before they know what the problem is. Yes, the third party payer may claim it to be a existing condition to get out of paying for it or say their coverage doesn't cover that.

You kind of went around the subject this one. I think it would me more of a malpractice if the doctor prescribed something that the patient didn't need because, like you said, it would be more acceptable.

I understand where you are coming from, been there a lot. But I still say - Yes blame the system.

The system has to do with who pays and what they pay for, not the lab issues you are talking about. The malpractice insurance is expensive, another reason why doctors have a high client count, to pay for the insurance.

The problem with the insurance company is they have created this assembly line health care system, not the doctors. They are part of the problem with lawsuits and all the other messes, not the doctors. They tell the doctors what they will pay for and what they will not and they will make ‘recommendations’ for some procedures, like ask the doctor why they didn’t prescribe X drug instead of doing another test. It is a twisted system that will pay for tattoo removal (example) but refuse to pay for diabetic supplies. Before I worked at the Pharma company, I worked with a lot of doctor’s offices and insurance companies and it is amazing what you learn.

If you had to work with the doctor and pay everything out of pocket, you would see how much of a difference there is with the doctor and the amount of money they will take. I went without healthcare insurance for 3 years, and it wasn’t the first time I ended up in the hospital without insurance but I learned a long time ago how to deal with the problems of a hospital stay. I worked with everyone to pay things off after I negotiated the costs and I watched these people of what they billed and why they did some procedures. I stopped the “hi how you doing, I’m doctor so and so” crap when I was in the hospital, this is a way they pad the bill. I still pay for all my scripts out of pocket; it is much easier and cheaper.

The lab thing is impossible to do in a doctor’s office. The machinery is too costly and the overhead is too much for the doctor to absorb. Trust me you do not want the doctor’s office doing lab tests in house, a lot of those ‘professionals’ have problems taking blood pressure and you would expect them to calibrate a $350k lab machine? Beside in Michigan, the doctor’s office can not run a legal lab and also run a practice.

 

[aristotle]

Cheat the hangman. Live a healthy lifestyle.

Practice moderation. Get enough sleep. Exercise. Make intelligent choices with food and portion size. Get plenty of water intake. Limit salt. Say goodbye to tobacco.

These simple steps could add 20 years, maybe 30 years to a lifespan. If you have been blessed with good health, cherish it. If you have less than ideal health, small changes can make big improvements.


BTW, you will literally save a fortune in $$$$ by adopting an ethos favoring good health.

 

[chefdennis]

As most of you here i am sure, my wife and i pay for our own insurance, have for yrs since we bith have owned our own businesses for what seems like forever. We have a "decent" policy that is more in place for my 14 y/o daughter then us, but we do get covered. BUT, beyond that, Aristotle has it right and going beyond what he posted, you can also urchase "WELLNESS INSURANCE!" They pay you to live a healthy lifestyle....I checked into it a few yrs ago, but at that time while i do eat good, I wasn't ready to make major changes in my lifestyle to follow their guidelines, but the fact is, its out there and it real... check into it....

I have this book , it is more on the "business" side of this fairly new industry. I checked into it when i owned the Fitness center and was doing the personal chef business and cooked for 8 clients that were either athletes or health freaks, I just didn't follow up on it when i closed the fitness center.

The basis is a good deal, I have this book, Ill toss it in the Van and if any of you would like to read it, and see me on the road, ask about it....

Untitled Document

LOL, i no longer have nothing to do with this industry , nor did i ever, so this isn't a sales deal....just offering the info on an alternative to HEALTH Insurance. You can also google Wellness insurance, there is alot of info available.

 

[greg334]

I agree with all of that but here is the thing, we don't emphasize preventive health care in the insurance industry. There are policies out there that help with a savings if you take care of yourself but the industry as a whole isn't setup for well people, hence one of the issues with the overall system.

The other thing is we are not a manual society anymore, so we have to make a effort to balance our lives and a lot of people are plain lazy.

 

[chefdennis]

Greg wrote:

The other thing is we are not a manual society anymore, so we have to make a effort to balance our lives and a lot of people are plain lazy.

That right there is very telling and true statement, and I for one Ressemble that remark!!

Even up till i was in my mid 40's i did alot of manual labor, worked on cars and trucks, built a home and i even quit a long term sales position (was just totally burned out) to go to work for a friend in the maintainance dept for the construction company he owned, I worked on everythung in all kinds of places.

Today, I am not in half the physical conditio i was, and I have no one to blame but myself.