One thing I noticed is that visits for chronic diseases have generally risen. Some basic lifestyle changes (more activity, better diet) could reduce the visits for hypertension, obesity, depression, diabetes, and even arthritis. I wonder if we would see a reduction in health care costs if we put a little more money and resources into prevention instead of simply throwing expensive drugs and procedures at diseases after they have already developed. One of my concerns with our approach to “health care,” whether governmental or privately funded, is that the debate is usually about how to (expensively) treat largely preventable diseases, rather than how to cheaply and safely prevent them beforehand.
Seems to me that making medications for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, asthma and other chronic illnesses etc. over the counter would reduce costs even more. There is no reason why patients with mild chronic diseases should not learn to take responsibility for their health. They used to do so in the United States, and currently do so in places like Cuba where most meds are over the counter. There is no “family doc” to hold your hand.
What I have noticed is that contrary to public perception, the length of the visit has remained stable. The difference is that more government stuff is crammed into each visit. One is required to go through the required medicare (and thus insurance copy cat) check lists, talking about smoking and other BS that a rational human being should be able to take responsiblity for, rather than the acute/serious problem (congestive failure or shoulder injury) that the the patient actually presented for.
Clueless,
I agree about making more drugs available over-the-counter. I had to go to the doctor recently to get a refill on a very safe, common, medication. What a waste of $120 when all was said and done (the total cost to me and my insurance).
Sometimes doctors don’t want to give patients control. When my wife went to the doctor for a diagnosis (it ended up being Raynauds, which she already knew), the Nurse Practitioner took her to task for taking 100 mg of Magnesium Citrate a day, which has eliminated her migraines, and assured her that outside of a multivitamin, she doesn’t need anything else. Then, the Nurse Practitioner ordered a Magnesium test, in an attempt to prove my wife wrong. Obviously, the lesson for us was that we should trust the experts no matter how expensive, toxic, or pointless. Daily Magnesium Citrate? about 3 cents a day. Doctors visits and migraine medicine: much, much more than 3 cents a day. Our response to all of this was to find a new doctor.
One thing I noticed is that visits for chronic diseases have generally risen. Some basic lifestyle changes (more activity, better diet) could reduce the visits for hypertension, obesity, depression, diabetes, and even arthritis. I wonder if we would see a reduction in health care costs if we put a little more money and resources into prevention instead of simply throwing expensive drugs and procedures at diseases after they have already developed. One of my concerns with our approach to “health care,” whether governmental or privately funded, is that the debate is usually about how to (expensively) treat largely preventable diseases, rather than how to cheaply and safely prevent them beforehand.
Seems to me that making medications for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, asthma and other chronic illnesses etc. over the counter would reduce costs even more. There is no reason why patients with mild chronic diseases should not learn to take responsibility for their health. They used to do so in the United States, and currently do so in places like Cuba where most meds are over the counter. There is no “family doc” to hold your hand.
What I have noticed is that contrary to public perception, the length of the visit has remained stable. The difference is that more government stuff is crammed into each visit. One is required to go through the required medicare (and thus insurance copy cat) check lists, talking about smoking and other BS that a rational human being should be able to take responsiblity for, rather than the acute/serious problem (congestive failure or shoulder injury) that the the patient actually presented for.
Clueless,
I agree about making more drugs available over-the-counter. I had to go to the doctor recently to get a refill on a very safe, common, medication. What a waste of $120 when all was said and done (the total cost to me and my insurance).
Sometimes doctors don’t want to give patients control. When my wife went to the doctor for a diagnosis (it ended up being Raynauds, which she already knew), the Nurse Practitioner took her to task for taking 100 mg of Magnesium Citrate a day, which has eliminated her migraines, and assured her that outside of a multivitamin, she doesn’t need anything else. Then, the Nurse Practitioner ordered a Magnesium test, in an attempt to prove my wife wrong. Obviously, the lesson for us was that we should trust the experts no matter how expensive, toxic, or pointless. Daily Magnesium Citrate? about 3 cents a day. Doctors visits and migraine medicine: much, much more than 3 cents a day. Our response to all of this was to find a new doctor.