The Coronavirus thread

Quote: DRich

My insurance company kept putting off an MRI for me that the doctors ordered and sent me to pain management instead. Lots of drugs, lots of experimental medicine burning the nerves in my back, etc. Finally after many years the orthopedic surgeon just did an MRI in his office without getting approval first. The doctor came in the room with me, flipped on the computer to look at the MRI, and asked me "When did you break your back?" I had a broken back for many years that wasn't diagnosed because the insurance company kept putting off my MRI. Within 5 weeks of the MRI I had Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion surgery and have been good since.

Was that done In Las Vegas? As we know, many don't turn out the way we'd hope.

Hospitals are there for one reason and that's to make money. If they weren't making money, believe me they wouldn't be there. So they whine when they have empty beds, and they whine when all the beds are full. It's all a cover, they're happy as clams all their beds are full right now they are making money hand over fist. They are making so much money they can't spend it fast enough. So give me a break about the poor overcrowded hospitals. Ask SooPoo, he worked in a hospital for decades. Did he go to work everyday because he loved his job and would gladly do it for nothing? Hell no he did it so he could retire at 60. I used to ask every doctor I had in my taxi if they had it to do over again would they become a doctor. Every single one of them and I mean everyone, said no. They said they got into medicine for the money and the money was okay but the stress of the job in our litigious society wasn't worth it. They all said they were still in it for the money because they didn't know how to do anything else. So yeah hospitals and doctors are there for the money, helping people is just the by-product. They say boo hoo they hate covid but they sure don't hate that money that's coming at them from every direction. How many Funeral Directors do you see complaining because they have to rent refrigerated trucks to store bodies in. None.

Now SooPoo will say to me oh Bob, you couldn't be more wrong. Doctors are wonderful loving people who are in the business to save lives and they don't care about the money.
And I'll say, whatever. People always tell the truth to taxi drivers because we don't know who they are and they can speak with an anonymity. I've told that story to every doctor I've had in the last 30 years and not a single one of them will look me in the eye when they give me their shifty song and dance answer because they know it's the truth and it's how they feel themselves.

Quote: rxwine

Some republicans try to sell the whole privatization system to veterans. Anyone with any sense, knows the same Republicans will be sending them to private facilities based on being the cheapest, not because these will be the best care (read more costly) facilities with the best sought after physicians.

And if Democrats succeed in socializing medicine EVERYTHING will be based on the cheapest instead of best for EVERYONE.

Quote: AZDuffman

And if Democrats succeed in socializing medicine EVERYTHING will be based on the cheapest instead of best for EVERYONE.

Often that is how it should be. Look at price differences between generic and brand name medication (there is none). While there is a patent, there is not a generic alternative so we are forced to pay obscene prices.

Other countries don't have this problem, because they don't let drug companies operate this way. Only in the U.S. can they inflate their prices before the patent expires....

For example Canada does not have drugs covered by their universal care (you have to pay cash or have a drug policy, similar with dental care in Canada), but there are still price limits for each type of drug so that the government determines what is a reasonable profit level. We need this here (even Trump supported this), actually this is pretty popular on both political sides.

Quote: Gandler

Often that is how it should be. Look at price differences between generic and brand name medication (there is none). While there is a patent, there is not a generic alternative so we are forced to pay obscene prices.

Other countries don't have this problem, because they don't let drug companies operate this way. Only in the U.S. can they inflate their prices before the patent expires....

For example Canada does not have drugs covered by their universal care (you have to pay cash or have a drug policy, similar with dental care in Canada), but there are still price limits for each type of drug so that the government determines what is a reasonable profit level. We need this here (even Trump supported this), actually this is pretty popular on both political sides.

For a product as important as healthcare, capitalism hasn't worked. It's pretty easy to see it's never going to become affordable through competition.

I'm not against capitalism, but unless we're talking about yachts, where we don't worry about who needs something vs who gets something, it will never work for medicine except on a very limited scale.

Conservatives are only telling the truth when they admit they believe people without means should just do the best with whatever healthcare they can get without any help.

No, Vaccinated People Are Not ‘Just as Likely’ to Spread the Coronavirus as Unvaccinated People

Who are you gonna believe:

Craig Spencer, emergency medicine physician and director of global health in emergency medicine at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center

or....

Evenbob?

Quote: ams288

No, Vaccinated People Are Not ‘Just as Likely’ to Spread the Coronavirus as Unvaccinated People

Who are you gonna believe:

Craig Spencer, emergency medicine physician and director of global health in emergency medicine at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center

or....

Evenbob?

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Quote: rxwine

For a product as important as healthcare, capitalism hasn't worked. It's pretty easy to see it's never going to become affordable through competition.

I'm not against capitalism, but unless we're talking about yachts, where we don't worry about who needs something vs who gets something, it will never work for medicine except on a very limited scale.

Conservatives are only telling the truth when they admit they believe people without means should just do the best with whatever healthcare they can get without any help.

Reading the quote I realize I said "there is none" is regards to price difference, not compound difference (self correction before a gotcha comes in), I meant there is no difference in the drug, but massive difference in the price.

I completely agree, there is a reason we are the only country I'm the world with this odd insurance based system, where everything is bloated with the assumption insurance will be paying.... Drugs are just an easy example that we can directly compare, we allow unlimited profit margins, all other countries have set profit margins to limit price.

Basically this means we (Americans) are subsidizing the lower prices in the rest of the world by allowing the countries to gage us for extra profit because profit levels are highly regulated in other countries (as they should be).

And, before the right storms this post remeber Trump agrees with this and tried to accomplish it via executive order (one executive order that Biden left in place actually), and this was (rightly) praised by both sides. Though it needs to go further, which would require legislation. One of the few good things Trump actually did (much to the dismay of many cons). But, executive orders can only go so far, we need a tual legislation to reform the system.

Quote: petroglyph

Was that done In Las Vegas? As we know, many don't turn out the way we'd hope.

Yes, by a Russian surgeon that I have great respect for.

I was assigned an orthopedic surgeon that did his training in Bakersfield California, sadly he wasn't available the day of my first appointment so I was assigned a different surgeon. This one was trained at Johns Hopkins. I don't know a whole lot about medicine but I believe Johns Hopkins beats Bakersfield every time.

Quote: rxwine

For a product as important as healthcare, capitalism hasn't worked. It's pretty easy to see it's never going to become affordable through competition.

I'm not against capitalism, but unless we're talking about yachts, where we don't worry about who needs something vs who gets something, it will never work for medicine except on a very limited scale.

Conservatives are only telling the truth when they admit they believe people without means should just do the best with whatever healthcare they can get without any help.

Totally agree, those greedy researchers at Pfizer & Moderna should be taken out and shot in the public square.
No doubt a universal health care system with crammed down pricing would have produced better vaccines & quicker.
I mean look at all the other quality Covid vaccines produced outside our horrible US System being used around the world.
70% efficacy is good enough, don't let anyone tell you differently!
The nerve of US Big Pharma, getting a vaccine with 95% efficacy developed in under 12 months.
Didn't they realize there were a lot more over 65 year olds that needed to die to make the Medicare/Soc. Sec. Trusts solvent again.
I hope people are refusing the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine & waiting for the FDA to approve the Chinese/Russian alternatives.
I am pretty sure those Commies didn't file for patent protection so there should be generic pricing from Day 1.
Astra Zeneca vaccine is likely here first, but I think they also filed for US Patent protection and again, 70%. It's up to you.
If you reward capitalism by taking BIg Pharma's patented vaccines & medications, you're just part of the problem.
Stick to your convictions, refuse on patent medications & if there isn't a generic yet, just wait or use an older generation alternative Rx.
You may have to wait a while for you Covid vaccine. Don't fret, just stay locked in your home and keep buying those KN-95 masks.