http://decaturdaily.com/stories/15729.htm
Here is another take on lawsuits and the medical field. Sunday in our local paper there is an article about Dr. Scott Anderson (he is my GP). He is talking about where the health care systems neglects preventive care. He has seen the insurance from both sides. After he practiced medicine for a while he went to work for an insurance company. He was the guy that we all hate that decides whether or not somoene deserves experimental life saving care. You know the one that says nope you can’t have the bone marrow transplant because the chances of you making it through are 1 or 2%. After going that route he has decided to go back to being a Doctor so that he can practice preventive medicine. But yet our health care system in the U.S. rewards patients who don’t practice preventive care. Meaning a cardiologist makes more money than he does as a General Practioner. As a GP he can work with the patients to prevent the need to see a specialist which saves the patient money as well as the insurance company. But our healthcare system doesn’t see it that way, they see it they can make more money if they refuse to let patients do the preventive care ahead of time. Here is a real life example that I personally have felt with the fight with insurance companies. As a Type 1 diabetic, my life support is insulin. It isn’t a cure, it is my lifeline. As a diabetic I face blindness, amputation, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, etc. The damage is inevitable, but it can be slowed down. An insulin pump is the closest thing that mimics the natural function of the pancreas which is what produces insulin. So without insulin the complications turn deadly. But yet my insurance company wouldn’t cover me to have an insulin pump. Dr. Anderson, his staff and I had a 2 year battle with them. The technology was expensive and they didn’t want to pay for it, but yet they were willing to pay for years of treatment after I have complications. Now I am in the battle for another piece of lifesaving equipment that will help me detect low and high blood sugars before they happen so I can adjust my insulin, again more level blood sugars less likely complications will happen. Why should I have to pay out of pocket for a technology I need to stay alive which at this point that is exactly what I am going to do. Now if all doctors were made to do preventive care that would save everyone money in the end. That would cut down on malpractice lawsuits and would enable us to all live longer and healther lives. Yes there are people out there that don’t care about their health. But how about setting up a reward systems for the doctors and patients that do care about their health. Not all diseases are preventable. Sometimes thing happen in our bodies we have no control over, like Type 1 diabetes and certain forms of cancer. So once again using me as an example I am an extremely motivated person to want to control my diabetes and not let diabetes control me. A Type 1 diabetic can do nothing to prevent themselves from getting diabetes. It is an autoimmune response where the body sees itself as an invader and kills off the beta cells. So should a Type 1 Diabetic be punished by the insurance company and not allowed the latest diabetes technology that can help them lead a more productive life in society and not be a burden on the taxpayers or should they be refused these measures because of the cost in the long run? Another take on it also could be Type 2 Diabetics, according to the Natiaonal Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC) type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90 to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. Now if you can catch type 2 diabetes in the pre-diabetic stage, you can educate the patients on how they can prevent insulin resistance. There is a cure for ONLY type 2 diabetes, the cure is education and never get it. Also according to the NDIC, in 2007 the estimated cost of type 2 diabetes treatment is $174 billion. That is one year alone. This breaks down as:
Direct medical costs: $116 billion
• After adjusting for population age and sex differences, average medical expenditures among people with diagnosed diabetes were 2.3 times higher than what expenditures would be in the absence of diabetes.
Indirect costs: $58 billion—disability, work loss, premature mortality
http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/statistics/
So this is just my take on how to help prevent further medical malpractice suits as well. But the only problem is while this is a good idea and this will save money, we are fighting someone much bigger. We are fighting the insurance companies who only care about money. So how do we fight and take control and take the money away from the insurance companies. We as consumers, fight back and we take it upon ourselves to continue to see doctors who will practice preventive care. Even if that means we have to go in debt purchasing the latest medical technology we need. In the long run we will save ourself money and save taxpayers money because we will be proactive in our own care and fighting for what we need to allow us to live healthier lives. Not all diseases are 100% preventable, but the ones that are will only be cured by education and preventive medicine.