Journal WannaBeGeekGirl's Journal: Healthcare Headaches 1
This article about migraine patient's getting screwed out of meds by big health insurance companies doesn't get very specific, but it does point out a painful problem. If you suffer from migraines, like I do, you can probably sympathize with wanting relief.
A migraine is not like other headaches. They can last for days, be accompanied by intense sensitivity to light and sound, cause nausea and vomiting and interrupt your ability to function. Some migraine sufferer's have aural symptoms too, where they see wavy lines, halos, or stars in peripheral vision and eventually cannot even see well enough to drive as the migraine starts.
There are some new really effective meds out to treat migraines, but they are still under patent law and very expensive. I have a competative insurance plan, but it only allows me 6 doses (1 dose per 12 hours) of one of the most popular severe migraine drugs to treat migraines per month and that is with the highest copay. That figures out to be 3 days of migraines. Considering my migraines average 24-48 hours in length and 3 per month, its not enough.
The insurance company will happily give me a prescription of vicadin every month, but hey that stuff is habit forming and you build up a resistance to it. Not to mention that it contains tylenol which gives a lot of people rebound headaches. Finally, a narcotic like vicadin doesn't treat the migraine the same way drugs like the new ones do, it just masks the symptoms. Vicadin doesn't even take the edge off the pain, but the new ones used early enough can make a huge difference, and they aren't habit forming. Insurance would rather see me become a legal painkiller junkie, it would seem.
Its just about greed. The insurance companies may pretend they're "making sure people actually have migraines" or {insert some excuse here by an MBA} that blocks a doctor's ability to treat the patient and saves them money.
Just more of how theres no health or care in health care.
A migraine is not like other headaches. They can last for days, be accompanied by intense sensitivity to light and sound, cause nausea and vomiting and interrupt your ability to function. Some migraine sufferer's have aural symptoms too, where they see wavy lines, halos, or stars in peripheral vision and eventually cannot even see well enough to drive as the migraine starts.
There are some new really effective meds out to treat migraines, but they are still under patent law and very expensive. I have a competative insurance plan, but it only allows me 6 doses (1 dose per 12 hours) of one of the most popular severe migraine drugs to treat migraines per month and that is with the highest copay. That figures out to be 3 days of migraines. Considering my migraines average 24-48 hours in length and 3 per month, its not enough.
The insurance company will happily give me a prescription of vicadin every month, but hey that stuff is habit forming and you build up a resistance to it. Not to mention that it contains tylenol which gives a lot of people rebound headaches. Finally, a narcotic like vicadin doesn't treat the migraine the same way drugs like the new ones do, it just masks the symptoms. Vicadin doesn't even take the edge off the pain, but the new ones used early enough can make a huge difference, and they aren't habit forming. Insurance would rather see me become a legal painkiller junkie, it would seem.
Its just about greed. The insurance companies may pretend they're "making sure people actually have migraines" or {insert some excuse here by an MBA} that blocks a doctor's ability to treat the patient and saves them money.
Just more of how theres no health or care in health care.
Migraines... (Score:2)
Yes, "health care". Too much in the way of economics,