- Sun Jul 16, 2017 11:13 am
#90892
If you want to understand what all the ranting and raving over the health care bills is about, read "An American Sickness" by Elizabeth Rosenthal, a doctor and a journalist. It has almost nothing to do with providing health care to the citizens; it's about protecting the income stream of all who profit from health care.
From the book:
a. A drug was coming off of patent protection. The pill cost $6 a pill. The drug company added an enteric coating to the pill ( many aspirins are coated.) Since it is a new formula, a new patent was issued. The pill now costs $350 a pill.
b. Many of the ambulance companies are owned by Wall Street investors and must show a profit for the investors.
c. Hospitals are buying up the private practices around them as feeders for the hospital. These has the effect of decreasing competition in the area. My own GP sold his practice and is now an employee of the hospital though still providing the same services to his old patients.
d. When you pay your doctor bill there are many others with their hand out. The book explains physician extenders, Medicare coding consultants, centralized billing companies, consultants to set up your practice, consultants on how to word your Medicare bill to maximize income, consultants on how to reword procedures to create a new billable procedures, consultants on how to outsource hospital departments to maximize hospital profits, etc.
e. The success of a drug usually results in a price increase not a decrease.
An aside: Insulin was discovered in 1936 by a Canadian physician. He patented the drug and gave it to the University of Toronto. The University decided the drug was too important to humanity and released the drug to the public domain for free. Now, many peoiple cannot afford their insulin.
From the book:
a. A drug was coming off of patent protection. The pill cost $6 a pill. The drug company added an enteric coating to the pill ( many aspirins are coated.) Since it is a new formula, a new patent was issued. The pill now costs $350 a pill.
b. Many of the ambulance companies are owned by Wall Street investors and must show a profit for the investors.
c. Hospitals are buying up the private practices around them as feeders for the hospital. These has the effect of decreasing competition in the area. My own GP sold his practice and is now an employee of the hospital though still providing the same services to his old patients.
d. When you pay your doctor bill there are many others with their hand out. The book explains physician extenders, Medicare coding consultants, centralized billing companies, consultants to set up your practice, consultants on how to word your Medicare bill to maximize income, consultants on how to reword procedures to create a new billable procedures, consultants on how to outsource hospital departments to maximize hospital profits, etc.
e. The success of a drug usually results in a price increase not a decrease.
An aside: Insulin was discovered in 1936 by a Canadian physician. He patented the drug and gave it to the University of Toronto. The University decided the drug was too important to humanity and released the drug to the public domain for free. Now, many peoiple cannot afford their insulin.
- By johnforbes
- By brandon