Ban the ED ads?

[Mike]

Originally Posted by BigM555

While I'm not fan of the ads either isn't this a huge step toward the nanny state? I mean, grow a friggin spine!

Prescription drug advertising was banned from 1980 to 1994, hardly a "nanny state" (man, do I hate the simple-minded stupidity that term is used to hide!) time in U.S.

[Rick]

I'm just tired of all of those commercials.

[DonBot]

Originally Posted by Rick

I'm just tired of all of those commercials.

[Drew]

Originally Posted by noodles

You just touched on why the HMO needs to die. They give you a book of approved doctors, and if your doctor is not in their "network", then they won't cover your visit. It gives the insurance companies the opportunity to cherry pick the doctors that will play the game the way the want them too, and not necessarily what is best for the patient.

It's worse than that, Dave.

HMO's have approved drug lists. If you have a patient with such-and-such a disease, and he comes to see you for treatment, then you can prescribe only the drugs that the HMO has approved for use. It doesn't matter if there's a cheaper generic, or another version of the drug would interact less with something he's on - the HMO will only cover these pre-approved drugs, so if a doctor wants to use a non-approved drug, he has to first get the patient to agree to pay for it out-of-pocket. You can imagine how well THAT works.

So, why would any doctor agree to this? Because, the alternative is, any patient whose insured through that HMO will simply have to go elsewhere, because their insurance won't cover a visit to that doctor. And, since so many patients are covered by a mere handful of HMO's, and since medicine has become such a low margin industry dependant upon high volumes, more often than not most doctors have to agree to work within a HMO with all the restrictions that come with it, simply because they can't stay in business if they don't.

It's sort of like the union principle, but in reverse. By using access to a large group of patients to force doctors to play ball, HMO's don't even have to cherry pick doctors - they just tell them what to do, and they have no choice but to listen. American health care is fucked.


Mike - 1994, eh? Hmm. Wasn't that also when the Fairness Doctrine was repealled, and Newt Gingrich et al launched their "Contract with America?"

[Mike]

Originally Posted by Drew

Mike - 1994, eh? Hmm. Wasn't that also when the Fairness Doctrine was repealled, and Newt Gingrich et al launched their "Contract with America?"

Nope. The Fairness Doctrine was removed as policy in 1985, and the 1994 timing was coincidental. This one's all of the FDA - which, you know, has no influence exerted on the them by the drug companies...

[The Dark Wolf]

Originally Posted by Mike

Nope. The Fairness Doctrine was removed as policy in 1985, and the 1994 timing was coincidental. This one's all of the FDA - which, you know, has no influence exerted on the them by the drug companies...

No! Say it ain't so!

Them bastards at the FDA, meddling in the glorious operation of the free market!

[BigM555]

Originally Posted by Mike

Prescription drug advertising was banned from 1980 to 1994, hardly a "nanny state" (man, do I hate the simple-minded stupidity that term is used to hide!) time in U.S.

Acknowledged, and again, for the record, I'm not fully opposed to a ban on advertising of all prescription drugs based on other arguments presented here. I am completely opposed to legislation based on the asinine argument of not having to explain a 'sensitive' topic to your kids. THAT is a perfect analog for a nanny state IMO. My only conflict is my opinion that there is value in an informed public.

Originally Posted by Drew

But that's the thing, why would YOU need to be aware of the options before going to the doctor? Isn't that the point of going, to find out what your options are?

Then you are placing 100% confidence in the disclosure of your doctor. I'm not sure I'm THAT much of an optimist. It's one thing to trust my practitioner to make sound and educated judgments about my health. It's a pretty large leap to surrender my entire life into his hands though. If there were zero risk there would be no such thing as malpractice insurance.

As you already highlighted, it's not so easy to skirt the issue that another doctor cannot always easily be found. In the US it's an issue of draconian HMO's. In Canada it's simply a matter of resources. Too many of our doctors ran to the 'free market' so they could make the "big" money. Combined with the inherent bureaucracy of our socialized health care system the remaining doctors are reluctant to take on greater patient loads. Same problem, different reasons.

[7 Strings of Hate]

ya know, i was reading up on depression the other day, and the sources(webmd and mayoclinic) BOTH said that the anti depressant med commericals lead you to believe that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in your brain. But the sources said thats how the medicin works, to try to balance out the chemicals, but as to the real cause of depression? They said its still basically unknown. And i could see how it would be such a large variable of different people and different situations, that you cant actually pin down a direct cause of depression.

but the commericals sure try to steer you in a certian direction which is fucked up to mislead the public over something like that. taking anti depressants are no joke, even normal people can become fucked up given the right dose and drug

[Jason]

Originally Posted by 7 strings of hate

ya know, i was reading up on depression the other day, and the sources(webmd and mayoclinic) BOTH said that the anti depressant med commericals lead you to believe that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in your brain. But the sources said thats how the medicin works, to try to balance out the chemicals, but as to the real cause of depression? They said its still basically unknown. And i could see how it would be such a large variable of different people and different situations, that you cant actually pin down a direct cause of depression.

but the commericals sure try to steer you in a certian direction which is fucked up to mislead the public over something like that. taking anti depressants are no joke, even normal people can become fucked up given the right dose and drug

interesting. perhaps start a new thread seeing how that has zero to do with this thread

[Max]

Originally Posted by Jason

interesting. perhaps start a new thread seeing how that has zero to do with this thread

but the commericals sure try to steer you in a certian direction which is fucked up to mislead the public over something like that