Yes…if someone wants you out…they’ll find a way, and with no financial back up with which to fight it, well…you’re powerless!!!
I think a number of online diabetes communities are looking to develop these sorts of services. TuDiabetes is looking at setting up local meet-up type support groups. DiabeticRockstar/Fight-It has a mentoring program in which we reach out to the newly-diagnosed and those struggling with their management; we also provide supplies to those who cannot afford it. iPump.org is another organization that provides supplies to those who cannot afford it.
I think many of us have similar visions. Getting from the idea to the reality is what takes time, work, effort, and legal clearances. And money. We’ll get there – I’m sure of that. When we’ll get there… is another story.
Candy, part of your problem is the doctor’s unconcern about how the patients pay for things. My endocrinologist has a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE who is also a nurse) on staff 1 day a week, which IS covered by all insurance that covers specialists. The doctor’s office even makes sure to bill the doctor and nurse on separate days so insurance will cover it. Spending an hour with a CDE will help you learn 1:1, but it will take you multiple sessions to learn all you need to know.
Hello
About social networks and positive changes, they work. Everybody needs to have a place and people to mingle with and talk over life. Diabetics especially need someone who knows about their life and the problems that are daily.
Insurance companies definitely need to learn more about the majority of Diabetics need, and to make it easier and more affordable for insurance to at least help pay for the labs and dr. visits.
I say this because we no longer have insurance. The monthly cost is way to high. Most have referred us to our state’s high risk insurance plan. Really expensive.
This is my personal opinion and experience on the insurance companies and how they handle Diabetes. In our past insurance experience, my husband’s employer insurance paid for all labs, dr. visits, and prescriptions. We have not ever had the insur. com, to pay for meters and self testing supplies.
Now we no longer have medical insurance, so we pay for everything out of pocket. Thank goodness, for Wal Marts $4.00 meds. Every month prices go up.
Have a great day.
Sandy McFerren
I believe social networks are very important and can absolutely bring positive behavioral change. The very nature of sharing (thoughts,fears and experiences) is bound to open the mind and spirit and enlighten almost anyone who is free thinking. I often feel very alone in this fight against diabetes, even though we hear almost every day, how the number of people with diabetes keeps growing. Each person must fight it within their own abilities. Some are quite strong in this fight and others feel defeated from the get go. That’s why these social networks are so important…all for one and one for all.
As for the insurance companies’ role in these social networking conversations…there IS such a level of mis-trust, that I’m afraid if we let them in on our thoughts and fears and experiences, they’ll find a way to use this against us. I realize that sounds really paranoid, but I’ve heard too many horror stories and experienced the insurance company’s lack of care and reasonable responsibility.
Why wouldn’t a company be MORE willing to help an insured individual who is pro-active with their own health? Wouldn’t that mean they would end up paying LESS for that person, as opposed to the person who doesn’t give a hoot and continues on the wrong path and gets sicker and sicker? Eventually, that insurance company will have to pay for their hospitalization and all the other complications that come with a non-pro-active person.
I never understood why my insurance company wouldn’t cover my birth control pills. Isn’t it LESS expensive for them to cover the cost of birth control than to cover the cost of 9 months+ of pre-natal care and delivery?(but I digress…)
I would rather see other health professionals join in on our social network. Endocrinologists, diabetes educators ,holistic doctors and nutritionists. Here, they can learn what a lot of their own patients are thinking and feeling and I think it would help them help us.
There is so much mis-information out there and also a lot of good information out there. WE need to take responsibility for our own health and well being. Don’t just do what the doctor tells you to do. Research, study, join a social network like TuDiabetes and educate yourself. Knowledge is power.
As for the insurance companies…they’re a necessary evil. We do need them “in case of emergencies”. But I don’t have to like 'em ! ! !
I too, Jean, feel that health professional would greatly benefit from this site…they would come away with a much keener understanding…and hopefully more compassion.
Protected enough…trim our pages/postings…
Here is IMO a catch-22. One of the things that make places like TuD work as well as it does, is the freedom to let loose and NOT fear what we post might somehow be used against us in some way.
It’s the anonimity that lets us speak FREELY…without that freedom a lot of important aspects would never see a type face.Sometime we use this freedom to ask or raise issues or questions we would never ask otherwise our of fear of being thought of as dumb stupid or worse; Of course often times that dumb stupid question takes on a more serious meaning when we learn we are NOT THE ONLY person with the question or issue. The ability to admit to dumb stupid things w/o fear of ridicule etc is VITAL to a free flowing exchane of EDUCATION…
EXAMPLE; Last Jan I took the WRONG insulin by mistake, a basal dose of Humalog. I handled well and a friend I had called and asked to call me back in 2 hrs just in case, ingested carbs based on my carb ratio etc, so when he called me back and I answered he did not have to call 911. I felt so STUPID having drawn my evening Lantus for the wrong vial, BUT later I learned I was not the first and only diabetic to make that same mistake…Just knowing I was not alone doing this made me feel better about myself and I ask my doc for a switch to a humalog pen so I would not make that same mistake again…
There is a saying in the wild yellow beware, RED you’re DEAD…now wonder what collor cap that vial of Humalog had?..lol
(&(
Yes, Debb…and the icing on the cake (pardon the idiom) is that we’re connected world wide!
-
Yes. Getting people to think about big health, big pharma, big insurance, etc. is very revealing. It’s all about money.
-
No. Absolutely not. Yes, the level of mistrust is very well established and unless or until corporate heads look beyond their bonuses and retirement accounts, not much is going to change.
Because of the expense of modern day insurance, I cannot afford it… nor can my employer. Therefore, I learned to take care of myself with simple diet and exercise changes to insure that I won’t have to incur any medical expenses. Can’t afford them, either. So, it is incumbent upon me, and those like me, to get the word out that, if we take proper care of ourselves, by eating the foods our bodies were designed for, we can put big health, big pharma, and the like, out of business. Trouble is, insurance companies would be rolling in the dough as they would have no one to settle with.
If you really want to do some good, find a way to give people an incentive to do as I have and learn how to take care of themselves. Doctors are failing miserably at it.
Nice little dream I have, isn’t it?
I agree with everyone. It is nice to have the social network to be able to come and talk with others without feeling judged. As for the insurance companies, we all feel the same from the insurance companies. maybe if they did look at what is being said then maybe one day things would change. i agree that for those of us who are more proactive the insurance compaines do seem to punish us for that and not want to help us to keep the complications away. It is very frustrating and I hope that in the near future things will change for the better.
-
Do I think that Social Networks can bring about positive behavioral change? I think so. One good thing about Social Networks is that they allow you to get information from other diabetics that no doctor and almost no nurse would be aware of or appreciate. Just information on how balance food and insulin (which I recently started) was invaluble. It also allows you to put problems in perspective, which helps you deal with them. For example, I recently made a gross error in an injection and wound up having to eat for 5 hrs straight to keep my blood sugar from going so low that I had severe insulin reaction. Of course I felt incredibly stupid, but read stories and exchanged information with others that showed me that many insulin-dependent diabetics had made such errors. So instead of being down on myself, I was able to deal with the problem rationally. However, I think that if someone has no interest in taking care of themself, then a Social Network is pointless.
-
I do not believe that anyone but fellow diabetics and possibly very supportive nurses or doctors should be involved in social networks. The idea is to access personal experiances of others, not be given the official line from insurance companies. I think that insurance companies have very legitimate concerns and a difficult job, but I don’t think there is any good reason for them to be involved in social networks.
I have gotten into a lot of companys to get help. I wanted to make such that my children wrer taken care of if something happen to me I wanted them happy. Well to my suprise they were no help, and all they did was take my money. Their were family members that I had that looked to the company’s for help and were told that the company could not help for what they need was not a proof medical help but a test. When you need it, it is not there for you. So for this question I fell that they shoul just stay away. They don’t really care about us and the price is to high. When you are poor and times are hard these companiest only care about their money only and that’s all
I think social networks can be both positive and negative, depending on what you want to get out of it and your approach. A positive example is the CGMS board in the diabetes area, because this is a new technology that is relatively new to public use and we are trying to figure out some of the details of how things work and what to do. However, a negative example would be if someone is trying to diagnose a condition or a complication through their peers. Sometimes we can help, but we can’t rely on each other to diagnose, because we rarely have all the facts.
As for whether insurance companies should get involved, I honestly can’t imagine how that would be positive. It’s not so much a mistrust issue, but the bottom line is that as diabetics we find out every day that insurance company management are only concerned with their bottom line, not in helping people. Even if they see the light and start approving coverage of something, it’s only because they have deemed that it would be more profitable for them in the long run. I fought for a whole year to get my CGMS system covered, and it’s only after Minimed published new reports that it can save medical costs down the line that Cigna covered it. In other words, insurance companies aren’t interested in doing what’s right, they are interested in protecting their profits. It’s just business, just how it is.
My father was affected by diabetes, and he ultimately died from complications of diabetes at 82. My siblings and I struggled for almost three years trying to find a way to get insurance to cover in-home care for him, then ultimately nursing care.
Despite my family’s utter frustration and disgust with lack of assistance during this most difficult time with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Medicare, and Medicaid, I believe, as a community, it is in the best interest of diabetic patients to truly have a say in the focus of insurance companies. Even if only one or two people in the insurance community can see past “making a profit,” then we’ve made a difference.
Also, I am a firm believe in communication and collaboration. When people talk, argue, disagree, and voice opinions, we all learn and enrich one another’s lives! Let’s find out what the insurance companies are thinking!
Hello,
The debate hinges on the impact of capitalism on moral code for humans.The insurance company exists to provide its shareholders with income,in the process of doing this a service is provided to the diabetic community.Inevitably the major criterion in any situation where money is tight will be for the insurer to minimise expenditure.
The interest of an insurance company in participating in social networks will inevitably be to use its influence to maximise its profitability,this is at odds with the concept of the social network and should not be encouraged.
If the insurance company learns of diabetic issues from passive observance of the social network then good luck.
I count myself lucky to live in England with a National Health Service that provides the basic tools for diabetic life free.There are issues on how much more could be provided to improve diabetic care,but there is no suspicion that some insurance company is plotting against me.
The social network is a major influence to help on an individual data basis,but significally has potentially the power to influence the ethical direction of health care away from being in the hands of the money men.
Brian: Great questions. And great responses from everyone.
-
Social networks: These are so important. Do they bring behavioral change? How can they not? Before I discovered TuD, DiabetesMine and DiabetesConnect, I was essentially alone in taking care of my diabetes. I have not known a T1 since I was in college and did not get much out of my endo and CDE. The patient websites provide so much information that real people with diabetes can use. No matter the issue that I face, there is someone here with a good idea to try as a new approach. I firmly believe that diabetics know far more about the day-to-day treatment of diabetes than any medical professional who does not also have the condition. How can they?
-
Insurance company participation: Please, NO WAY. I am blessed with adequate insurance, and I definitely believe that I cost my insurer more than I pay in premiums each year. I do not believe that the insurance industry can be trusted as long as it is a profit driven enterprise. One of the biggest mistakes made in this country was the conversion of health insurance from non-profit to for-profit enterprises. Imagine how much better we could provide health care coverage if we did not have shareholders who required profits, executives seeking to increase their bonuses through higher earnings (often by making acquisitions of other companies) and a profit for today attitude. This is all part of a dialogue that the U.S. needs to have about the health care industry – and it is an industry, with many stakeholders all trying to protect or further their own interests.
I do not believe that health insurers have the best interests of plan participants at heart. If they did, their behavior would be more long-term oriented and more prevention-oriented – helping us to prevent the complications. Health insurers should encourage patients to become part of social networks, but the insurer should stay far away from them. I would like to see insurance companies pledge to stay away from these sites. The profit motive is just too great.
Toni: I TOTALLY agree with all you’ve said here. (and with most of what everyone else said too).
-
Sites like this one are INVALUABLE to a Diabetic (especially those “in between” in age where you are now officially a TYPE 1 (not a JUVENILE) Diabetic. The knowlege that is shared is GREAT. You can have the most well intentioned friends and family supporting you but when your BS hits 250 or 48 (sometimes in the same day, sometimes one right after the other) they just can’t relate.
-
Regarding the insurance companies. They have it BACKWARDS, a perfect example: My husband and I applied for Life Insurance (not even Health Insurance since we both are covered by his job, thank G-d) and aside from the fact that he is three years older (and a non-diabetic), there really is no difference between us…HE got covered, BUT they would not cover me (pre-existing condition) at least not cheaply like him…When you are healthy no problem…When you are “sick” they won’t cover you…BUT without coverage how can we stay “healthy” (ie being able to afford what we need to do so).
Brian: Sorry for venting but thank you for at least TRYING to understand. I for one appreciate it as I’m sure we all do. Thanks.
Q1 Social networks bring about positive behavioral change, YES, Social Networks HELP to bring a behavioral change in Diabetics People, but also need to be convinced by themselves that the most important thing is to keep control of sugars, fats and emotions by THEMSELVES. Family, Social Networks, Doctors and other Diabetics are JUST PART OF THE WINING WELL CONTROLED DIABETIC TEAM.
Q2 Insurance Companys are JUST BUSINESS MANS NO DREAMERS, instead of INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE GOVERMENT HEALT INSTITUTIONS THAT HAVE THE OBLIGATION TO HELP AND SUPPORT CITIZENS AND HUMAN BEENS… SO I THINK THAT WE SHOULD STAR REQUESTING THE GOVERMENT INSTITUTIONS TO HELP USS WITH THE SAME HELP AND MONEY THE HELP PEOPLE WITH OTHER DESEASES. If the FDA gives a formal aproval to the CGMS Systems the INSURANCE COMPANIES WOULD HAVE NO OPTION they would have to APROVEED IT for every ONE OF US. These should be one way to WIN !!! By chace don´t WORRY just try to get the beter control of your shugar with the avaliable tools every one of uss have. These is the beter help every one of uss will have, the best control we can get !!! GOOD LOOK EVERY ONE !!!
I see this as a huge dilemma and another forum discussion perhaps. Insurance companies are businesses, like any other industry, their purpose is to make a profit. Other than the social responsibility that all individuals and organizations in a community share, they owe us nothing except what we have contracted with them to do. The pre-existing condition exclusions have become standard and so those of us with illnesses requiring expensive care are in jeopardy. As more older people lose employment related insurance options, it seems a huge percentage of them would statistically have pre-existings. Will they only want to insure those between 25 and 40 (post reckless and pre aging years?) Or maybe women between 40 and 50…post likely to become pregnant and pre serious ailments? I see no way around this…is it fair in a capitalist society to force a company to operate in a less than lucrative way? They offer a service, we either choose to buy it or we don’t, at whatever price the market will bear…and I guess they can’t be forced to sell it to us if they don’t want us as customers?
That said, there are those who feel that they are not getting the service they paid for…I know when our home owners insurance was cancelled after small storm related claims, my husband said, “OK, so I thought I was purchasing insurance all these years…turns out I was donating to a charity of your choice (your business?)” I guess that is where the mistrust develops. Appeal steps are long and frustrating.
That leaves the government to provide for us. As I said…a whole other discussion. What about a scenario where there is no insurance…we all purchase medical care and supplies as needed? Of course, we would only buy what we could afford and competition for those dollars would cause costs to go down. I heard of a doctor who charged a yearly retainer fee and took no insurance payments. Why support that extra middle industry? Not likely to ever happen…too many insurance company and AMA lobbyists…to many insurance company employees out of work…too much change. Lots to think about, however.
Brian, as you’ve been reading here, social networks do effect positive behavioral change.
Tudiabetes is, in my opinion, a wonderful phenomenon, the best example of what this growing medium can be. (I do not see the same level of engagement, for example, in something like Facebook). Kudos to everyone here, we’ve all had our turns both giving and receiving.
Q2: I believe the role of an insurance company in a social network such as this is that of witness. Read, learn. Don’t speak.
As so many others very eloquently point out, there is an inherent disconnect between an entity that operates for profit in the business of health care, something that goes to our most basic needs - physically, mentally, spiritually, economically, socially - whether we be sick or healthy. Ironically, the most important asset my husband and I have right now is our health insurance.