Physicians are now making diagnoses in individuals who wouldn't have been considered sick in the past, and it's raising healthcare costs.
One of the first things we were taught in medical school was the pivotal role of thresholds in governing the human body. To trigger a nerve to fire or a muscle to contract, there must be a stimulus of electrical activity that exceeds a threshold value. If the threshold value is too low, muscles go into spasm and deadly rhythms develop in the heart.
Low thresholds, however, aren't just a problem for an individual's health. They are increasingly a problem for the health of our medical care system.
The threshold for diagnosis has fallen too low. Physicians are now making diagnoses in individuals who wouldn't have been considered sick in the past.
That may be true but I'm not sure that it necessarily raises health costs. For instance, they now treat people with lower blood pressure readings than they did years ago but I'm guessing the cost of medication is probably less than waiting until someone has a stroke and incurs huge catastrophic health care costs.
CG, it was a good article. I thought about posting it too, but its a waste of time arguing healthcare. Its going to be run by the Feds soon, just do what you are told and no worries!
Read the comments after the article, most interesting are the views of RNs and Doctors who know what is really going on. "Bernies" IntelligentHSA ideas are what I like. Though I don't see how you set up a "non-gov't single payer". I think price transparency, competition and consumer involvement in paying the small bills is more important than single payer.
Its a good article though, worthwhile reading. This diagnosis threshold problem will only be worse after free Obamacare preventative tests. No doubt the HC lobbyists are already circling DC getting new procedures and tests classified as preventative care so it will all be covered (free!) and utilized to the max.
Interesting that I never thought about how technology could become a cost problem. then how do the insurance companies decide what gets paid for. I am with JMC on this one. Your death panels is the insurance companies. They decide.
Do you think it has anything to do with the fact that there are so many lawsuits against doctors that they overthreat to cover their butts? Malpractice insurance is very expensive for a reason....when the government forces health insurance companies to go bankrupt (which they will) and we are left with government healthcare, who will we sue then?
The left is angry because they are now being judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin.
Well, I was not talking about suing doctors. My point is the Insurance companies tell the docs what to do. You really think your doctor is treating you? Your insurance company is. They tell the doctors how to treat you.
I am not saying I am in total favor of government healthcare but I am NOT happy about how the insurance has so much power either. They are both extremes. And I would have liked to have seen some other regulation before we just threw it into the government's hands. Someone besides the docs are making decisions and that is the problem.
When insurance first started it was not like this. Now just like unions it has gotten so large we have created an issue for ourselves.
