--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>> >Debbi asked-
<snip>
> >> My other concern is that "holding the costs" ends
> to be a reactive
> >> philosophy. Some posters have already noted that
> >> preventive measures can
> >> have good return on investment.
> >
> >Could you expand on this?
>
> Let me try a few angles on this one and see if they
> help.
> -the classic is flu shots and "annual exams", such a
> minimal price
> to cover in light of the costs to cover the problems
> that can result
> from lack of care (prolonged hospital stays, etc)
> -Insurance "hold the costs" and restrict how much
> they pay on meds,
> so people have to halve their meds or try and do
> without them- the
> long term detriment is more costly than the meds
> -After heart attacks (and the associated costs)
> people think about
> regular exercise, but insurance companies rarely
> offer true preventive
> fitness incentives or even coverage for post heart
> attack maintenance.
> -while prenatal care coverange has dropped infant
> mortality, (there is
> discussion of some of these benefits being dropped
> due to budget
> constraints) yet basic healthcare for "well
> babies/children" is often still not available
Ah. Yes, there does appear to be a 'penny wise but
pound foolish' outlook in a lot of so-called health
care plans. ('Maintenance,' after all, doesn't imply
_improving_ one's health... ;P ) Same goes for
programs that educate patients about their chronic
illness(es); it takes time to teach someone how
diabetes affects them, how they can affect the course
of the disease, and _why_ they should do so (not to
please their clinician, but because it benefits them
directly). Having a genuine relationship with a
clinician helps people make this jump, in my
experience, but you can't bond with someone in a
couple of 10-15 minute encounters.
OTOH, I really would like to see more people 'take the
reins' WRT their own health; I do think progress has
been made on that front over the past 2 decades, so
maybe I'm just being impatient... :)
Debbi
Paternalism Shouldn't Be Us Maru
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