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Government Looking to NFL to Promote Health Care Law (OC)


HouseBowlrz

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I think it's better for all the NFL guys retiring without a source of health care for their league sustained injuries. NFL sees this as a win win. 

 

It's probably cheaper for all of us if people can get preventative care regularly versus catastrophic care down the road.

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Anyone saying they would drop the NFL over this is full of crap  :lol:

 

Not sure I agree with promoting a controversial law via the professional sports market, but it surely isn't going to make me change the channel to anything other than the NFL on Sundays.

 

 

I think it's better for all the NFL guys retiring without a source of health care for their league sustained injuries. NFL sees this as a win win. 

 

It's probably cheaper for all of us if people can get preventative care regularly versus catastrophic care down the road.

While I'm passionate about public health and study/work in preventive care, this is a very misleading statement made by Obamacare supporters.  In some cases, preventive measures have been shown to reduce cost, mainly when the preventive intervention is of low cost and there is a high incidence of the preventable illness in the target population (e.g. smoking/drug/alcohol cessation counseling, vaccinations, nutrition and exercise counseling).  However, more expensive preventive care screenings can be a waste of resources and money when implemented on a large scale among a low-risk population (e.g. heart disease screenings, some cancer screenings, etc.).  

 

So, while I absolutely agree with the preventive health outlook that living healthy lifestyles will reduce our risk of disease and likely the cost of overall medical care for those individuals engaging in healthy lifestyles, I don't agree with the overarching claim that preventive medicine and preventive screening is going to save our country billions and billions of dollars.

 

Here's a pretty good write-up in the New England Journal of Medicine about the truths and falsities of the preventive care economic claims:

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp0708558

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Hmm, consider myself more informed. Yeah, I'm aware of over-testing or testing of questionable benefit or insight into the patient's condition. I have lower back pain sporadically and I've read a lot of stuff saying that the scans and x-rays don't really lead to much in terms of getting patients better. So, I assume, a lot of similar stuff goes on in that dept. 

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Hmm, consider myself more informed. Yeah, I'm aware of over-testing or testing of questionable benefit or insight into the patient's condition. I have lower back pain sporadically and I've read a lot of stuff saying that the scans and x-rays don't really lead to much in terms of getting patients better. So, I assume, a lot of similar stuff goes on in that dept. 

Yikes, I'm sorry to hear about your back issues.  I've been told those are among some of the toughest chronic pain-inducing orthopedic issues out there.  Best wishes to you!

 

And like I said, I don't completely disagree with the notion that increased focus on preventive care is a good thing for the health of our nation...that's why I went into the field :)  It's just a much more complex issue than it's made out to be, as are most all things in government :)

 

Cheers to NFL season starting very, very soon though! 

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It's only anecdotal based on 15+ years of experience with my family here versus in the UK, but it seems that GPs don't practice enough medicine themselves, and instead too often act as a referral process for expensive diagnostics.

Preventative care doesn't mean that every ache and pain demands a battery of expensive tests and scans.

I've fired my GP and looking for a new one now because they weren't prepared to discuss test results, and instead reached for the prescription pad at every opportunity.

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It's only anecdotal based on 15+ years of experience with my family here versus in the UK, but it seems that GPs don't practice enough medicine themselves, and instead too often act as a referral process for expensive diagnostics.

Preventative care doesn't mean that every ache and pain demands a battery of expensive tests and scans.

I've fired my GP and looking for a new one now because they weren't prepared to discuss test results, and instead reached for the prescription pad at every opportunity.

I absolutely agree with you about the prescriptions.  I know Rx's are necessary for millions of people, but I don't think anyone can honestly deny we depend entirely too much on Rx's here in the U.S.  I blame our culture for demanding quick fixes/results for everything as well as the pharmaceutical industry's grip in Washington.  It's insane that pharmaceutical companies can advertise as freely as they do here in the U.S.  It's insane that they can offer free or discounted trials of Rx's for people who "qualify," etc.  This is insanity.  

 

I also firmly believe that we do very poorly in offering healthy lifestyle counseling to patients for or in conjunction with treatment.  I absolutely love my GP now because she is a major proponent of healthy lifestyle changes as full or partial treatment of many health issues.  Physicians who share my passion and opinions about the necessity of integrating healthy lifestyle choices into our daily routines to treat various illnesses get my business.  I'm not totally against Rx's and I understand that they are necessary.  However, I with you on if my doctor just pics up a prescription pad without first discussing with me alternate treatments or therapies I'm done.    

 

As far as GP's referring to specialists, I guess I don't understand exactly what you're meaning.  Like referring for basic medical care issues?  Or specialized issues?  If it's for specialized issues, that's the way the system is set up.  Primary care docs are, for the most part, the gate keepers to specialized medicine.  Many insurances are set up in a way that an office visit with a specialist won't be authorized without a referral from a PC.  

 

Now, I'm not sure what type of test results you were talking about, but PC's should be able to read the standard tests.  However, if it's a test that was ordered by a specialist or is in a specialized field of medicine, I don't blame them for directing a patient to a specialist to discuss results in depth.  The family medicine residency is one of the shorter residencies and as a result, get a generalized overview of various specialties.  So medical tests that are specific toward a specialized field, well I don't blame the PC for referring a patient to that specialist to discuss the results in depth.  Anyway, guess I give them some leeway there as I;d rather have an orthopedic surgeon read my knee MRI and discuss options rather than a PC who isn't up-to-date with all the specific advances in that particular field.

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Just so I am clear . . .

 

Conservatives are mad that the government will launch an education advertising campaign on the new health care laws? Something that is fairly common, especially with big initiatives like ACA.


Conservatives are mad taht the government wants to target the young people this law will greatly effect?

 

Conservatives are mad that the NFL and other private organizations might accept this advertising money?


They are mad that Sebelius is looking for private, non-government funding? (<-- This one is particularly hilarious)

 

Got it. That makes total sense.

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Now, I'm not sure what type of test results you were talking about, but PC's should be able to read the standard tests.  However, if it's a test that was ordered by a specialist or is in a specialized field of medicine, I don't blame them for directing a patient to a specialist to discuss results in depth.  The family medicine residency is one of the shorter residencies and as a result, get a generalized overview of various specialties.  So medical tests that are specific toward a specialized field, well I don't blame the PC for referring a patient to that specialist to discuss the results in depth.  Anyway, guess I give them some leeway there as I;d rather have an orthopedic surgeon read my knee MRI and discuss options rather than a PC who isn't up-to-date with all the specific advances in that particular field.

 

No, I was referring to the practice of a GP taking the approach of referring patients for batteries of tests as a first step. Rather than practicing medicine.

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