Could Alternative Medicine Be To Blame for Expensive Health Insurance Plans?
Posted: Wednesday, November 04, 2009
by Yamileth Medina
VitalOne Health
One of the main drivers of the push for healthcare reform is the soaring cost of health insurance. As affordable health insurance becomes harder to find, more people are deciding that the current system needs fixing. Some blame the higher cost of premiums on private insurers' profit margins or increasing obesity rates in America. These factors certainly play a part; however, the primary explanation could be an expansion of the services health insurance plans cover. An increasing number of insurance companies now cover alternative medicine. Alternative treatments include herbs, acupuncture, and chiropractic. Insurers claim that they are simply responding to consumer demand, but is their coverage of such largely unproven treatments increasing healthcare costs for everyone?
Under certain circumstances, studies have shown alternative medicine to be effective. Despite that, the majority of alternative medicine treatments haven't yet been shown to work. On the other hand, most conventional treatment has undergone years of scientific testing. Visiting a chiropractor instead of a doctor might make economic sense if you have back pain, but not if you're suffering from an ear infection. If a patient finds alternative medicine ineffective and then turns to conventional medicine, their health insurance plan will have to pay twice to treat the same condition. Using alternative remedies, such as herbal dietary supplements, as opposed to standard prescription drugs may even worsen a patient's health. Take this hypothetical example: a patient with high cholesterol is prescribed Lipitor, but instead chooses to take red yeast rice supplements (which are marketed to treat the same condition). The latter supplements are most likely harmless in and of themselves. However, if the patient uses them in lieu of the proven Lipitor, he or she probably won't be treating the underlying condition. As a result, his/her condition may worsen and even lead to a heart attack or stroke. His or her insurer will then be responsible for the subsequent care, which would be far more expensive compared to the initial treatment. That's an example of the waste plaguing our healthcare system.
Some groups are lobbying to include alternative medicine coverage in the nation's healthcare reform bill, because they believe excluding those practitioners amounts to discrimination. Doing so would make the bill even more costly. Democrats are calling for a public option in part to maximize efficiency and effectiveness of care; such a requirement would probably defeat the purpose. Although a third of Americans have used some form of alternative medicine, it is very doubtful Congress will mandate its coverage. Republican politicians could take advantage of the supporters of alternative health treatments, and use them as an example of the horrors of rationed health care. The only issue with that strategy is that the Republican party is against the federal government giving for-profit health insurance companies any type of mandate regarding what they cannot refuse to cover (e.g. the provision in the Democrats' bill that would forbid insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions). Rather, they believe insurers should be allowed to sell whatever health insurance plans they choose on the free market.
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Top-level comments on this article: (5 total)Lipitor side effects:
* Headache -- in up to 16.7 percent of people
* Infections -- up to 10.3 percent
* Muscle pain -- up to 5.6 percent (see Lipitor and Muscle Pain)
* Diarrhea -- up to 5.3 percent (see Lipitor and Diarrhea)
* Joint pain -- up to 5.1 percent (see Lipitor and Joint Pain)
* Inflammation of the sinuses (sinusitis) -- up to 6.4 percent
* Accidental injury -- up to 4.2 percent.
* Unexplained rash
* Abdominal pain (stomach pain)
* General feeling of weakness (asthenia)
* The flu
* Back pain
* Allergic reaction
* Constipation
* Inflammation of the sinuses (sinusitis)
* Sore throat (pharyngitis).
* Signs of liver damage, such as yellow eyes or skin, upper right abdominal pain, dark urine, and elevated liver enzymes (see Lipitor Liver Side Effects)
* Muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness, especially if you also have a fever or feel ill, since these may be signs of serious breakdown of muscle, known as rhabdomyolysis (see Lipitor and Muscle Pain)
* Significant, unexplained changes in the amount of urine you produce (which may be a sign of kidney problems)
* Signs of an allergic reaction, such as:
o A rash
o Itching
o Hives
o Wheezing or difficulty breathing
o Swelling of the mouth, tongue, or throat.
* Lack of appetite
* Intestinal ulcer
* Hepatitis
* Asthma
* Bloody nose
* Depression
* Memory loss (amnesia)
* Hair loss (alopecia)
* Impotence (also known as erectile dysfunction or ED)
* Increased liver enzymes (see Lipitor Liver Side Effects)
* Ringing of the ears (tinnitus)
* Fainting (syncope)
* Hearing loss
* High blood pressure (hypertension)
* Weight gain (see Lipitor and Weight Gain)
* Gout.I'm not sure how this comment is very relevant. As with any drug, some side effects are more common than others. It's a decision that should be should be made between a patient and their doctor.
In most third world country, alternative medicine becomes the primary approach to healing and cure of ailments. Medication sold in pharmacies are so expensive that if a doctor prescribes ten capsules or tablets for the condition, one can only afford to buy one or two capsules or tablets, so one will resort to alternative means. Thank you Yamileth for sharing this well-written information article.Thanks for the interesting perspective on what it's like in other countries.
Conventional medical therapies have undergone years of testing and oftentimes, the FDA still gets it wrong--e.g., thalidomide, Vioxx, Celebrex.It all boils down to the fact that people want medicine that works and won't harm them. I know someone who was taking his medications exactly as prescribed and he just came home from being hospitalized for five days for...overmedication!Most herbal alternative therapies are ancient remedies which do work but perhaps take a longer time to do so. People who use them correctly do their research and consult with their health care practitioner before using them. They understand that using the wrong product or the right product in the wrong way will do more harm than good...just like our conventional Western medicine would do.So Yamileth, let's agree to disagree...that's what's great about our country!Wow, that's very interesting. More of the problem is probably that there aren't as many doctors who have enough experience with alternative medicine. There would probably be less issue if there was more guidance for people using it, as opposed to them almost being on their own with it. An alternate FDA might also be a good idea. Either way can work, but I tend to err on the side of caution. Thanks for the comment!
Seems to me you've overlooked one glaring and unacceptable 'condition': the drug companies, along with the majority of doctors who prescribe said drugs, are much more concerned with profit than cure. Don't believe that? Have a closer look at how much money drug companies have 'contributed' to politicians and/or political agendas.One more thing: for a country that's supposed to be so 'advanced' in 'traditional' medicine, why is it that we have more obesity, drug use (prescribed, not street), heart disease, cancer, depression, mental illness, etc., etc., ad nauseam, than any other country on the planet? You might like to ask yourself just what matters more: the COST of insurance or the COST of our country's wellness.Thank you for your comment. There are certainly improvements to be made.
I have never had insurance that covered "alternatives" to any extent. There are some alternatives which work well and without the life threatening side effects of most prescription drugs. Medical school textbooks are written by pharmaceutical companies so guess what their focus is - find a pill - not get down to what is causing the problem in the first place. Having been an RN for 40 years I have observed much - there is a lot to be desired in "modern medicine". I think there is something to be said for traditional medicine but also something to be said for SOME alternative medicine. From the lack of coverage for the latter that I have seen this is not the problem with our current health care dilemma.In recent decades, alternative medicine has received more respect, and some health insurance plans (though usually the more comprehensive, expensive ones) have begun covering at least some treatments. There's definitely merit to at least some alternative medicine, but I feel that there needs to be more study into which ones are effective and which ones aren't.
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