Serious Discussion of the Day: Health Care- Page 2

[wexy]

Posted: 2/15/06 at 7:08pm

I evaluate disability claims for Social Security. I have so many of claimants cannot medical treatment. Doctors will not treat them without coverage. A man with a suspicious xray which may be cancer couldn't afford to go for further testing or someone with a psychotic disorder who can't afford followup care because their insurance company dropped. It is so common and so f**ked up.

[sabrelady]

Posted: 2/15/06 at 7:41pm

Part of the problem is Everybody wants all the treatment and drugs all the time. I am treating 90 year old amputees w radiation on an inpatient basis. Will this actually improve their quality of life? For any real increase in their life span?
Short answer is NO. Nobody wants to die. Ever. And hospitals et all are afraid of bad PR which reduces donations or worse discrimination lawsuits. 75% of your health care usage comes in the last 10 yrs of your life without as i said improving or extending life.
Drug companies are businesses, they make profits for their shareholders in a supposedly "ethical" manner. But as we all know ethics and morals are flexable for the situation.
Finally while for profit can help drive the research machine- power and glory is what I see most of my research doctors going for. The make good $$$ from their grants and prizes but what they really want is the glory of a cure- for well whatever.

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 2/28/06 at 10:26am

Soooo.
Since my little brief foray away from BWW didn't last so long, I wanted to find a "home" on the off-topic board again.
And god if I didn't love these serious discussions. So, since I've figured out how to juggle my workload with a few threads over the course of the day, back a-comes the serious discussion thread.
I hope some of you who participated before will continue to join in and, also, I hope that some of you who might read but not participate will begin!
So, with that said...topics? Thoughts? Ideas? Nothing is out of bounds as long as it can be a serious and respectful discussion.

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 2/28/06 at 10:37am

Happy that you are back. Also happy to have serious topics resurrected, although I think there may have been some that I missed on days away from my computer.

Do we have a topic for today?