Thursday, January 26, 2006

Up, up, and away.

If a doctor prescribes a certain medication for a person, based on the doctor's familiarity with the person's condition, and that person has taken this medication for many years with positive results, and the patient's insurance carrier changes, and the new insurance company refuses to pay for this medication and says that another medication is ALMOST the same thing and probably just as good and much cheaper, and the doctor is very upset but nothing he says will change the mind of the insurance company, who is responsible if the patient dies?

In my mind, it's the business major who, for purely business, ie money, reasons, has the gall to negate a physician's recommendation and to substitute something that is NOT the same, but merely cheaper.

I believe that we should be told the name of this specific person who made this decision, and write in their name on death certificates where it asks for "Cause of Death."

Because, you know, whoever this is making such decisions, IS the cause of death for many people every day. Don't try to tell me otherwise.

What have we come to? Since when does someone other than a physician have the right to dictate what kind of medicine a sick person will take?

Holy scheisse.

P.S. And how come Viagara is paid for, but a life-saving medication isn't? We are fast becoming a sad, sad society.