With the number of people lacking medical insurance likely to keep skyrocketing now that companies are laying off employees by the thousands, I can't help but wonder whether the country's health will deteriorate as many put off seeing a doctor, or try to diagnose and treat themselves.
I started thinking about all this when a character on one of my favorite TV shows--"My Boys," the TBS program about a female sportswriter and the guys she hangs with--lost his job as a radio disk jockey (the station went all-electronic, letting an I-Pod pretty much run the play list!), along with his health insurance. (COBRA was no doubt available, but the guy was virtually broke, so extension at his own expense wasn't an option.)
The character--Brendan--becomes increasingly ill with some mystery ailment. But rather than seek out a doctor, which he cannot afford, he keeps scanning the Web for a diagnosis that matches his symptoms.
The self-proclaimed "Dr. Brendo" proceeds to experiment with some of the wackiest treatments imaginable, yet keeps getting sicker by the day.
It was all very funny, I suppose, except that it really rings true. With the massive amount of medical information available over the Internet today, it wouldn't surprise me if more people believe they can manage their own medical care.
Unfortunately, the reality is that people, like Brendan, who self-diagnose and treat themselves, are playing a dangerous game. Too many people live in denial, and even when they see a clear symptom, might shrug it off as no big deal. And even if they do detect a real problem, if they act on their own, they risk a misdiagnosis, and could end up getting sicker, or at least extending their illness. In some cases, they could be seriously ill and not even know it--perhaps until it's too late to do anything about it.
With the number of uninsured likely to soar during the recession, the pressure will build for national health care legislation. The question is whether the insurance industry will be part of the problem or part of the solution.
What do you folks think?
Comments (4)
I think that is precisely why the wellness industry is just beginning to be recognized as the next "big thing," despite the health care (sickness) industry's unwillingness to buy into it.
If the drug companies weren't influencing the doctors to prescibe a pill for every little thing, we might be apt to take care of problems with diet and excerise.
Let's face it. If we eat well and live well, we are less likely to get all these illnesses that we are taking all the medication for.
High blood pressure, high cholesteral, high thyroid, high sugar, heart attacks, strokes, etc. Promote wellness and get off the sickness rollercoaster!
Posted by Carolyn | July 16, 2008 9:38 AM
Posted on July 16, 2008 09:38
I agree with Carolyn about concentrating on wellness and prevention, but that's only a partial solution to a massive problem in this country.
Last figures I heard, there were over 50 million uninsured people and counting--most of them involuntarily. And there are no statistics on how many of us are underinsured.
Yet most of us continue to believe our healthcare system is the best in the world, even though our infant mortality rate, for example, is #47, and our life expectancy here is not among the tops compared to the rest of developed nations.
When are we going to realize that making healthcare affordable and available to the masses will require a massive restructuring of the way we do healthcare?
And that the problem is multifaceted, not just an insurance problem?
We need to first swallow our pride and admit that we have failed and then look to other countries, particularly in Europe, for guidance on what works and what doesn't.
Then we as citizens need to demand changes from our legislators that may step on the feet of the AMA, the trial bar, the insurance industry and other special interests all at the same time.
Can that be done? I'm not very optimistic at this point. I suspect that things will have to become even worse before they get better.
Posted by David | July 16, 2008 11:22 AM
Posted on July 16, 2008 11:22
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the uninsured total at the end of 2004 was 45.8 million. Of that number, 21% were not citizens of the U.S., while 37% were employed, with earnings ranging from 300-500% above the poverty level, which HHS represented as being more than adequate to support the cost of healthcare insurance.
The remaining 42% is comprised then of the people who are either chronically without insureance, or are between jobs, and simply can't afford COBRA (they generally are re-employed within four months).
Do we owe non-citizens free coverage? Probably not--I can tell you the Europeans do not think THEY do, irrespective of whether or not you are in their country legally.
Do we owe it to those who can afford it, but choose to spend their money on other things? Probably not.
Do we need to find help with protability, and a better means of providing healthcare for those who are chronically and hopelessly without it? I think the answers are yes and yes.
Seems like getting this fixed might be a worthy endeavor for a country like the U.S.
It's going to cost a lot of money, and there should be no question that those of us who are curently insured are going to be paying a great deal more for coverage that pales in comparison to that which we currently enjoy.
Small price, really.
Posted by Charlie | July 16, 2008 3:17 PM
Posted on July 16, 2008 15:17
I know of a guy who tried that and died of a typographical error.
Posted by George Nordhaus | July 16, 2008 5:05 PM
Posted on July 16, 2008 17:05