Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

lost_in_life_34 t1_iydmmjh wrote

it's not the cost per procedure but the amount of people using it. at this point something like half of Americans are on a prescription drug on a regular basis including kids and it's going up every year. I know that most modern drugs didn't exist 30 years ago but the difference is that 30-40 years ago you went to the doctor if something was wrong and they might do something to cure you. these days it's prescription drugs to "maintain" whatever condition you have

​

type 2 diabetes which is easily preventable and reversible is surging and people are choosing medicine instead of lifestyle changes

−1

throw495887 t1_iyebm1p wrote

I’m pretty sure most common medications cost pennies to produce. It’s a total red herring. European countries have GDPs a fraction of ours yet it seems they can afford drugs and good quality healthcare just fine. And they spend so much less for it.

2

lost_in_life_34 t1_iyec59d wrote

it's not the production cost but everything else around it. you need to go to the doctor who has expenses. the pharmacy has expenses. the insurance companies have expenses. that's why some stores can sell some generics for less than $10, they are cheap to buy and they have other revenue sources.

0

throw495887 t1_iyedfvb wrote

Sure, but why the austerity mindset around healthcare. By all measures the problem in America is not that people go to the doctor too much but too little, because they have no insurance, shitty insurance, or can’t get time off work. You complain about people taking insulin and blood pressure medication which literally cost pennies and require minimal medical oversight. You realize these people take these meds for a reason and not just for fun? Save a few cents denying someone medication, now they have a diabetic crisis or a heart attack and now require intensive long term care. It’s so short sighted.

Another reason seeing the doctor is so expensive is that the healthcare industry has purposely made medical school outrageously expensive, and artificially limited the number of med school/residency slots for physicians. It’s not just that people are too greedy and seeing the doctor too much. The industry has colluded to limit the number of doctors on purpose.

2

lost_in_life_34 t1_iyeilcy wrote

my last job our HR used to have benefits meetings every year and explain the reason for the cost increase. it was because people used the benefits a lot more than the year before.

​

the incidence of all kinds of non-infectious diseases like diabetes are rising every year. you can find the info from the real medical pros and the alternative medicine doctors on how to reverse these things without pills.

​

most of the doctors I've been to were older and long past their medical school debt. it's the cost of providing the care that's the issue. everything from rent to insurance to salaries to buying the equipment and supplies.

​

The NYC mayor reversed his diabetes naturally, but you can find similar stories all over youtube from regular people, medical professionals, researchers and you don't even have to go vegan or vegetarian.

​

point is more and more people are using the medical benefits instead of making simple life choices to avoid medical care. it's simple numbers. it's one thing when only a few people had type 2 diabetes and there were more healthy people to pay into the plan to treat them, but the amount of people getting treatment on a regular basis is increasing every year.

−1