New to the forum

Post by **tex** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 12:44 pm

And an extremely lucrative Illness Care Industry, I might add. It's the only major industry that has continued to inflate at double-digit rates, during the current financial crisis. Imagine what it will be able to do if the economy ever recovers.

Another sad truth, obviously.

Tex

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 1:15 pm

I work with preventive medicine doctors and other prevention-minded practitioners and health professions educators and researchers. Their feeling seems to be that doctors (mainly primary care doctors) are victims of this illness care industry. They feel only health insurers and multinational drug companies are making money in this illness care industry, and practitioners are forced to do a bad job by limiting time with their patients, not being reimbursed for counseling and preventive services, etc. It is also a problem that the brightest med students seek out lucrative specialties instead of working in primary care.

It is a sad state of affairs...

Post by **tex** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 1:56 pm

I totally agree with those observations. I wouldn't want to be a doctor in today's environment, because as you point out, they are not much more than pawns of the insurance and pharmaceutical companies.

Not only are the insurance companies and Big Pharma making most of the money, but the truly worrisome part is that they are making all the important decisions, (that is, they make all the major decisions related to preventative health care). Unrealistic earning power leads to corruption and greed, which leads to more power and greed, etc., so there is no way that this trend can ever be reformed, without completely trashing the entire arrangement, and starting over with new rules, and that ain't likely to ever happen, because they have the politicians, (and therefore, the government), in their pockets.

Tex

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 2:08 pm

With Obamacare's 80/20 rule, forcing insurers to spend 80% of their income on medical care for their subscribers, we should see progress.

I just got a letter from Aetna suggesting I call them to arrange to have an insurance-sponsored "health coach" nurse to help me with my care. I guess they just got the bill for my $1300 rheumatology appointment! I suspect the nurse would be blown away with my assessment of what's going on with my health!!

For now, I vow to have much fewer medical visits, even with my lovely integrative medicine doc. I need a break from the industry.

Post by **tex** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 2:43 pm

The insurance industry doesn't pay out billions of dollars to accountants, and actuaries, and attorneys for nothing. Their books will look just fine, regardless of what they do with their money.

All I know is that my medical costs, (especially drug costs), have soared since the "reform" started, and we've only seen the tip of the iceberg, so far. I can hardly wait until the rest of it goes into effect.

Tex

Lesley · Post by **Lesley** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 5:21 pm

That's one thing that HASN'T gone up for me. My copays are the same. In fact on some tests they have gone down.
I wish food would go the way of my healthcare costs.

draperygoddess · Post by **draperygoddess** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 9:16 pm

Neither of us is eligible for a group health insurance plan with work, so we have an individual BCBS plan. The copays aren't bad, but the deductible is killing us. When my husband collapsed a few weeks ago, the first thing he said as we were on the way to the ER was, "Is our insurance going to pay for this?" I didn't tell him the whole truth then, or he wouldn't have let me take him!

Stanz · Post by **Stanz** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 3:40 am

And lots of people are getting rich on this Illness Care Industry and it's not the medical personnel.