Quote:
Originally Posted by DTK
I agree that all sorts of things are being over-prescribed to children. big pharma puts big pressure (and rewards) on doctors to push their pills.
This country has been sold out to big money interests in sooooo many ways   |
That isn't the half of it. Insurance companies also put heavy pressure on doctors to modify treatment. My mom was diagnosed with depression about 15 years ago. Over the years she tried a few different medications with varying degree of success. The insurance didn't want to pay for her to see a therapist on a regular basis if a drug could handle her symptoms. Her doctor found a new drug that worked really well, but was expensive so the insurance wouldn't pay for it unless my mom had tried at least two other, cheaper, drugs from a list. She had tried one of them so she had to try another and after a few months they learned it didn't work as well as the new drug. Then and only then did they let her get the new, good drug.
Basically insurance companies are now dictating your care. They want you on whatever the cheapest medication is that will make you happy and keep you out of their hair. There is a ton if drama going on right now with pain meds because insurance companies don't want to pay for newer, more expensive, medicines that work really well. They would rather have the patient just get pumped full of Oxycontin or Methadone because it is cheap.