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Jul 31, 2008 -- Doctors paid by Big Pharma for their endorsements
There is a scandal that's broken in a very unlikely place -- the Journal of the American Medical Association. Some doctors have been selling their names to be fake front people on articles running in medical journals. Merck ran 72 different fake medical review articles touting Vioxx, with endorsements from respected physicians. The doctors got $2,500 to sell their souls. It was never disclosed that they were paid for the use of their names. This is a true scandal because Vioxx actually harmed people. It amazes Clark that doctors allowed their reputations to be sullied for a relative pittance. So when you see an ad on TV for a hot new drug, you have to realize that it's just propaganda. Many times a generic or over-the-counter drug would work just as well.
In another disturbing trend, some medications are so expensive that they're being classified as Tier 4 drugs by the insurance companies. The new classification has priced low-income Medicare patients out of the market. The real tragedy is that T4 pricing has been applied to medications for chronic conditions like cancer. Clark wonders about the ethics behind the decision to reclassify a drug as T4.
Unfortunately, Clark won't be able to answer any questions submitted via commenting. If you have a question, please try posting it to our message boards.
Nationalized health care couldn't be any worse than what we have now. I have to agree with a right-on-target April 27, 2008, Arizona Daily Star article "Patient Advocacy Growing as a Business." link: http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/fromcomments/236208.php
excerpt: "...it may not be long before this advocacy is covered by insurance, some in the business say. "The costs for medical care go way up when patients are neglected," said Kathy Andrea, nurse practitioner at Patient Care Advocates. "Once insurance companies realize this saves money, they'll cover it." She's right. Already, several large U.S. corporations have added this service to their employee health plans, for a small extra monthly fee, ranging from $1 to $4 on employee premiums. But the very fact that there is a growing market for the service "is a bad sign," said Sean Clarke, associate director of the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. "It signals that people are losing faith that hospitals can provide safe care," he said. "It's a clear statement that the system is broken, and instead of fixing it, you have to hire someone to get you through it safely. "If this industry really takes off, this is not where we want to be."
Unfortunately, this is where we already are: It's unsafe to be in the hospital without someone constantly at your side... protecting you from the caregivers.
Has Clark addressed this topic?
drugs
Never mind the low income population, most have the best insurance going..Medicaid..thanks to the hard working middle class. These are the people wh will be squeezed and will have to "spend down" their hard earned savings.The rich don't have to worry and neither do the lower income groups. What about the majority..the middle class earners (90% of us). No free rides for them...pay in for years, see nothing to little in return. Looking forward to another 50 hour week.....
T4 Drugs
To respond to your comment "The new classification has priced low-income Medicare patients out of the market." Response - Low income medicare patients who qualify for medicaid also are not subject to the standard copays as other Medicare Patients. For example, low income medicare patients pay $2.25 for generic drugs, and $5.60 for brand drugs, regardless of which tier the drug is placed.
NATIONALIZED HEALTHCARE!!!!!!
Bad idea. Does anyone know how well our current Medicaid and Medicare health system is run? Come on people do you pay attention to your paycheck; you know payroll taxes?? How much does the government take out of your paycheck or should I say requires your employer to be the tax collector by taking that money out for Medicaid,Medicare, Social Security, Federal and State taxes!!!!
When has the government actually taken money that comes out of your paycheck and uses it for its true purpose??
The money that comes out of my paycheck all the years I have worked, I will never see again.
No to Nationalized Healthcare!!!
Get National Health
US needs national health period. Tired of paying insurance then copays then decuctables. The money would be better going into national health and to heck with the insurance and drug loser companies.
Doctors
Why would anyone think doctors would be more credible than anyone else? Do you remember the cigarette commercials in the 50s and 60s?
Sullied Doctors
"It amazes Clark that doctors allowed their reputations to be sullied for a relative pittance" This statement reveals "Clark's" prejudance and disdain for doctors in general or it would have stated: It amazes Clark that THESE PARTICULAR doctors would allow thier repudation to be sullied. His generalization of a very isolated tiny instance to all doctors once again is very telling.
Doctors
I WHOLEHERTEDLY AGREE WITH MARK MORGAN, NOTHING IS FREE NOT EVEN IN SOCIALIST COUNTRIES, WE KNOW CLARK PREFERS EVERYTHING HE BUYS TO BE NEARLY FREE, BUT FREE HEALTH CARE IS LIKE FREE CHEESE, ONCE YOU GET IT YOU JUST WANT TO GIVE IT BACK
doctors
Clark might not like doctors. He might prefer the cost savings that having clinics in big box stores offer. If someone in my family is sick, I'd prefer they see a doctor. There's a difference in training. The answer for the health care crisis isn't to lower our expectations for care providers. The market's solution, Clark's solution doesn't work for me. Do you really think it will work for you?
Big Pharma and Doctors
Since when did the pharmaceutical companies and doctors lately give a rats a$$ about people, they only care about how much money is in their pockets!
Tier 4 drugs
Not sure what a T4 drug is but I get tired hearing about the poor old low income whatever. What about the poor tax payer who ends up paying for everyone elses problems. Just because a drug is available doesn't mean everyone should get access to it at whatever cost to the taxpayer. How about a little self responsibility. We all will die sometime and those that can afford it might get to live a few years longer.
Big Farmaca
We, the people in general, are being experimented upon with these huge monster drug companies. It's worse in third world countries, where there are not as many restrictions. There are no ethics or human caring about it. The doctor endorsements are just another one of their shenanigans.
