I wanted to repost this in my journal because I think more people need to read it. This is in response to FearTheReaper's post about Michael Moore's new movie, Sicko.
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Now, I know that I am definitely not a professional, but I do work for a health insurance company (one I might add, that is a not-for-profit company and spends $.85 per premium dollar on paying medical claims when the government says the minimum is $.73 in the state of Washington) and currently, the most EXPENSIVE part of providing healthcare to people is paying for their PRESCRIPTION DRUGS... not their trips to the emergency room, not their chemo therapy, their drugs.
Think about it.
How many people do you know that have been to the emergency room this year? Then think about how many people take one or more prescription drug on a daily basis?
I don't think that the bad guys here are medical insurance companies, I think that it is the pharmaceutical companies who manage to come up with a prescription drug for every single slight ailment you can think of. Pharmaceutical companies are coming up with their own illnesses and conditions just so that they can medicate them and then they convince everyone who sees their commercial that they HAVE to have the prescription to take care of it. Seriously, Restless Leg Syndrome? You've got to be shitting me.
I would also like to point out that people these days are so quick to go to the hospital for ANYTHING that they are digging their own grave when it comes to being able to pay for it. I talked to a woman on the phone the other day who had a headache and didn't want to take Tylenol, so she went to the emergency room just so she could get something stronger. Yeah, that was necessary. She turned a problem that could have been fixed with sleep or an over the counter drug for $7.00 into one that cost over $780. You do the math.
Let's also factor in how many malpractice suits are filed every year. I'm not a lawyer, but there is something going on there that is costing the health care system BILLIONS of dollars every year.
So before we jump in the faces of the government and the health insurance companies, lets look at ourselves first.
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Now, I know that I am definitely not a professional, but I do work for a health insurance company (one I might add, that is a not-for-profit company and spends $.85 per premium dollar on paying medical claims when the government says the minimum is $.73 in the state of Washington) and currently, the most EXPENSIVE part of providing healthcare to people is paying for their PRESCRIPTION DRUGS... not their trips to the emergency room, not their chemo therapy, their drugs.
Think about it.
How many people do you know that have been to the emergency room this year? Then think about how many people take one or more prescription drug on a daily basis?
I don't think that the bad guys here are medical insurance companies, I think that it is the pharmaceutical companies who manage to come up with a prescription drug for every single slight ailment you can think of. Pharmaceutical companies are coming up with their own illnesses and conditions just so that they can medicate them and then they convince everyone who sees their commercial that they HAVE to have the prescription to take care of it. Seriously, Restless Leg Syndrome? You've got to be shitting me.
I would also like to point out that people these days are so quick to go to the hospital for ANYTHING that they are digging their own grave when it comes to being able to pay for it. I talked to a woman on the phone the other day who had a headache and didn't want to take Tylenol, so she went to the emergency room just so she could get something stronger. Yeah, that was necessary. She turned a problem that could have been fixed with sleep or an over the counter drug for $7.00 into one that cost over $780. You do the math.
Let's also factor in how many malpractice suits are filed every year. I'm not a lawyer, but there is something going on there that is costing the health care system BILLIONS of dollars every year.
So before we jump in the faces of the government and the health insurance companies, lets look at ourselves first.
Also, hi!