Jon's blog

Jagged Little Pills

Writing prescriptions for medications is routine part of being a doctor, but you might be surprised to learn some of the following secrets about physicians' attitude toward it all.

• They may be writing you a prescription because it's easier than convincing you that you don't actually need it.
• Just because a drug is new, fancy and expensive does not mean that it's the best. Trust your doctor if they're prescribing you something tried and true.
• Taking psychiatric drugs affects your ability to get health insurance. If you take Prozac, it may be harder and more expensive for you to get life insurance, health insurance, or long-term-care insurance.
• Doctors allow themselves to be bribed by drug companies; 94% of doctors take gifts from drug companies, even though research has shown that these gifts bias their clinical decision making. Apparently, money (and free vacations) does talk.

Among the reform issues that is most pressing is the need for universal childrens' health insurance programs. On that note, the new health care reform bill has worked swiftly to help protect the health of children. It's wonderful that the needs of the children of our country are being addressed immediately. One of the most promising elements of the reform bill is the requirement that insurance companies can't deny coverage to children based on preexisting conditions; this measure will go into effect within months of passage.

One of the controversial topics that spawned proposals for health care reform is the issue of how wasteful the U.S. health care system is. According to a report made by Thomson Reuters, a U.S. based-information company, an amount between $505 and $850 billion is wasted in the current system annually.

The National Committee for Quality Assurance and U.S. News have worked together to create a ranked listing of various healthcare plans. As with anything these days, cost plays a major part in deciding on which healthcare plan you’ll likely go with. The hard part is being able to get a level of quality healthcare at an affordable price.

The world of health insurance plans is filled with unfamiliar terms for people looking to get a new policy or renew an old one. Terms like "caregiver choice," "caps" and "drug coverage" may give you pause and not help much when it comes to helping you make the decisions you need to make to protect yourself and your family from high medical treatment and drug costs. Here are a few ways that you can make the best choice of the health plan you get.

Health insurance is considered an important necessity by most adult Americans, but dental insurance, on the other hand, is something many of us neglect. However, if a situation arises where you need costly dental care, the expense will definitely make you regret that neglect.