Jun 11 2009
Bend Over And Take It Like A Slut …
Salon published an article yesterday about President Obama’s ongoing attempts to redefine the healthcare industry back in the States. Apparently sensing a potential loss in their staggering profit margins, the healthcare providers and insurance companies back in the States ain’t gonna go quietly:
Obama may have gotten big healthcare industry players to agree to talk about reforms, but now that things are actually moving, they’re not playing along as nicely as the White House hoped they would. “Remember how [healthcare interest groups] all wanted a seat at the table?” one consultant working on the issue said. “Well, now they’re all throwing their food.”
As aptly noted in the article, the U.S. spends more money on healthcare than any nation in the world without much evidence that the quality of the care is any better.
Having lived outside the States for several years now without the ‘benefit’ of American health insurance, I’m starting to get a better grasp on just HOW true this is. And just HOW ridiculously overpriced, ineffective, and at times, simply bizarre, the healthcare industry is back in the States.
I’m had the need to ‘sample’ the medical industries in several Asian countries now, including those in purported ‘third-world’ countries — Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India.
And while the range of medical procedures I’ve needed while traveling has ranged from a full-fledged operative procedure to simple medical checkups, none of those countries — NONE OF THEM — were so bound up in red tape and exaggerated costs as they are back in the States.
Indeed, even without the luxury of medical insurance for more extensive procedures and treatment (which I pray I never need), the costs for every treatment and drug I’ve needed so far cost pennies on the dollar for what the same thing would have cost back in the States.
Only after you’ve escaped the prison of the American healthcare system does it become crystal clear just how horribly that industry is raping the American public. Through years of unfettered access to Congressional representatives and Presidents, the American healthcare industry has entrenched itself in the American political and financial world so well as to possess the most coveted position of power outside the oil and banking industries.
It’s not a question of partisan politics. It’s a question of power and money. And as we will no doubt witness over the coming months and years, now that these rapists have become so entrenched, they won’t go without a fight. And they won’t go quietly.
Which is a shame, because I was thinking of returning to the States at some point.
For pennies on the dollar you can have yourself a generic treatment, which by law only needs to be 80% effective and is usually less than that. You get what you pay for. So the question is, Do you sorta wanna get bettter or really wanna get better? I guess that depends on how sick you are. As a person who has worked over 25 years in this industry and have worked for several of the largest companies, we had to get rid of our prize closets years ago, doctors can only recive up to a hundred dollar text book and we don’t wine and dine them. A small modest lunch can be provided when providing training. I don’t take family and friends on business trips spending the companies dime on fancy rooms and big dinners. And even though our company made a profit this year, none of us got bonuses or govt funding. This has been going on for the last 10 years at least. And this year the sunshine financial law was passed requiring us to report every penny we spend doing business, to the govt. Quite frankly, I’d like to see all other industries be brought up to these standards. I can’t say that every industry, including pharma, hasn’t abused money and power. But it happens a lot less these days in the pharma incdustry because the govt. cracked down on us years ago. And I’d be very careful about wishing for socialized medicine. Just stand in line at a clinic and wait for substandard care. Did you know that all of these big bad pharma companies companies spend billions of dollars a year to provide free drugs to those with no incomes. What financial institute or car manufacturer does that. Yes I’d like everyone to access to healthcare, but I didn’t spend my summers in a classroom to finish undergrad and grad school to stand in line at a clinic. I worked very hard so that I don’t have to sit in the back of the bus. Next time check out your facts and just don’t go with what the media told you and everyone else when you bark at big bad pharma because you may be a recipient of one of those free drugs in the near future.
Oh and BTW, when you work a 60 hour week to ensure public safety because our quality standards have to be perfection that so called big salary is the same as what everyone else is getting per hour.
Healthcare insurance is indeed complete crap in the US. I recently got a new job and selected my program based on the fact that my chiropractor was a member of their “network”. I made all the phone calls and got complete assurance from the doctor AND the HMO that I was good to go to recieve treatment.
Flash forward one year I get a bill for the full sum of the prior years treatment. It had been declined by my insurance, and I was billed in full.
I called my insurance company back and pretended I was again looking for a chiropractor, and asked if I could use THAT doctor. They gave me the green light and assured me my coverage would be fully covered after my co-pay. So I said, “Well I have a bill from you for declining service from that doctor, how come?”
Their response, “Let me check again….oh, ok, we cover that doctor and we cover that facility but we don’t cover THAT doctor at THAT facility. So yeah you have to pay up.”
This is the service you get from the healthcare plan for a multi-billion dollar fortune 100 company with hundreds of thousands of employees. I can’t imagine what some others go through.
Morgan,
Keep at them and know your policy coverage. Unfortunately the Health Care providers have not been brought under the same scrutiny as the pharma industry. They have free reign and are very inconsistent and unpredictable. My insurance is certainly not what it used to be. I am paying much more for less these days. Hopefully, the govt. starts regulating these practices too.
Philly,
I don’t want to engage in a battle of who knows more about the internal workings of the industry because I’m obviously not in a position to do so. My whole perception is based on media, journal, and legal cases/issues I’ve read.
I would assume many more well informed independent commentaries will come out as the whole ‘public option’ debate continues. Indeed, another sad take about the ‘profit over benefit’ issue was just written by someone with much more information on the US healthcare industry than I — Newsweek’s Science Editor, Sharon Begley.
Here’s a quote:
And here’s the link: http://www.newsweek.com/id/200599
Thanks for your input, as always, kiddo.