Quote:
Originally Posted by simpleyme
health insurance does not give you healthcare
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This is a very important point, and the powers that be are finally starting to realize this. I could give loads of examples, like the insurance company with whom the nearest participating dermatologist is about 70 miles from here. Or the fact that it takes a minimum of 3 months to get an appointment with an endocrinologist under any insurance plan in this area. So having insurance coverage does not guarantee easy and prompt access to care.
The other issue is that there needs to be far greater emphasis on prevention. What we do in this country is disease management, not health care. We wait until someone is sick and then spend boatloads of money to treat them when it would be phenomenally cheaper to prevent the illness in the first place. I've read that 75% of health care spending is to treat chronic, preventable disease and 40% of premature deaths are due to lifestyle choices and preventable diseases.