Chill Pill

Just read an article regarding the cholesterol medications... seems they're not particularly effective for the reason they're usually prescribed. Most folks take them because they're supposed to reduce the plaque in arteries. And now, it appears from LONGTERM studies that they don't perform as advertised...in fact, they may increase certain types of plaque.

Riiiight.

BUT, just in time, the pharmaceutical companies have come up with a NEW drug that will perform, nay, it will perform miracles! What about all those people on the old drugs, you say? Well, no doubt, as soon as the new drug is approved, doctors will rush to prescribe the new, far more expensive meds. Because, after all, that's the way it works.

My doc recently prescribed a new med for my diabetes. Now, I need to explain that the most prescribed med (cheap, cheap, cheap) makes me quite ill. So that one is OUT. The new one is $85/3 months--my cost--on our prescription plan. Without a prescription plan? $500/3 months.

I'm on Social Security/retirement, but not yet eligible for Medicare. AND even if I was eligible, it doesn't cover everything. So what's the solution?

Maybe, since all the pharmaceutical companies are in the government's pockets anyway, we should just cut out the middleman (the consumer) and let the government pay for the research and development. And charge the consumer $5/per month for all meds, regardless of what they are.

Maybe then, some people wouldn't have to decide between meds and groceries.

anny

Medical Coverage

At the moment, there's a hot debate in our country over medical coverage. Socialized medicine? Mandatory coverage? Do your own thing?

My son is in the hospital at this moment with a catastrophic illness. He nearly died. I've been thinking a lot about the problem for the last few days.

There's a push to concentrate on preventative care. I understand that. But I suspect that could be dealt with on an ongoing basis if hospital coverage, lab tests, and pharmaceuticals were eliminated from the equation. I'm not saying it would be EASY.

In my own case, a hefty proportion of each office visit bill is comprised of necessary blood tests and the occasional EKG. Then, there is the drug store on my office shelf. And God forbid I have to go back into the hospital. With careful budgeting, I could pay my office visit. But that other stuff? That sends the cost up into the stratosphere.

I wonder...what if instead of the "preventative care", the subsidies were aimed at the lab tests and hospital cost? And what if the Congress imposed a limit on the drug cost and subsidized the research portion? Isn't that what pharmaceutical companies are always harping on? How the cost of our drugs pays for research?

WHY are lab costs so expensive? If you have the whiz-bang machine already, exactly what are the labs charging the patient for?

See...I'm wondering where the expenses are coming from. What part of it is really the patient's responsibility? If the lab has had that whiz-bang machine for ten years, surely they've made enough money to pay for that sucker? So, do they then have the right to keep on charging stratospheric fees, just because? It reminds me of toll roads that charge us to use crappy roads. And bridge tolls we pay for bridges that are falling down.

Does anyone really know what we're paying for?

On another note, I want to thank my daughter-in-law for braving snowy, icy roads to drive my son to a decent hospital an hour and a half from their home. I'm soooo grateful for her courage and determination.

anny

You have to plan for ambushes in advance...

That's the way insurance works. The house hunk will turn sixty-five in August and officially, he will be an old guy. That means he'll be on Medicare. On the other hand, I am not old so I won't be on Medicare for a few more years. So he's been on the phone for the last week trying to find out if I'll still have insurance once his retirement benefits change over.

The answer is yes. However, it appears that I will have a new plan. And that means I have to check if all my current doctors are in the new plan. If they aren't, then I have to find new doctors. All because he's gonna be an old guy.

I shouldn't complain. I have insurance. Many citizens in our country don't have that privilege. And that's the correct word because it isn't a right, it's a privilege...decided by how much money you have, who your employer is, and sometimes even where you live.

However, just because I will have insurance doesn't mean I have a choice about whether or not to accept it. Here's the gritty truth. If I don't take the insurance provided by my husband's retirement plan, then I won't have insurance because of something called "pre-existing conditions". Yep. That's right.

I have diabetes. High blood pressure. Thyroid deficiencies. GERD. Diverticulitis. High cholesterol. Heck, there's probably something else no one knows about yet. But because all of those are pre-existing conditions, insurance companies have the right to deny you coverage.

Just thought I would give all you young chickens a heads-up. Take good care of yourselves. Insurance companies don't want to offer coverage to sick people--they're only interested in well people. So pay up. Plan well. Otherwise, you'll find out it isn't covered.

anny