Inconsistancy probably costs money

[#juan]

[FONT=Verdana,Helvetica][/FONT]The nicotine patch my daughter is using is prescribed by her doctor. As a prescription drug, I think it should be fully, or partially covered depending on income like any other prescription drug. I posted the blurb below because I thought the information was useful.

A lot of young people get led into smoking by peer pressure and the addiction is just as real as an addiction to heroin. Twenty years ago a pack of cigarettes cost about a buck and a half. Now, at $8.50, one wonders how people can afford a two pack a day habit....about four hundred dollars a month..

• [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica]The nicotine patch releases a constant amount of nicotine in the body. Unlike the nicotine in tobacco smoke which passes almost instantaneously into the blood through the lining of the lungs, the nicotine in the patch takes up to three hours to pass through the layers of skin and into the user's blood.[/FONT]
• [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica]The patches are similar to adhesive bandages and are available in different shapes and sizes. A larger patch delivers more nicotine through the skin.[/FONT]
• [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica]The patch must be worn all day, and cannot be put on and removed as a substitute for a cigarette. Most of the patch products are changed once every 24 hours. One particular patch is worn only during the waking hours and is removed during sleep. [/FONT]
• [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica]Wearing the nicotine patch lessens chances of suffering from several of the major smoking withdrawal symptoms such as tenseness, irritability, drowsiness, and lack of concentration.[/FONT]
• [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica]Some side effects from wearing the patch may include:3[/FONT]
  • [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica]skin irritation[/FONT]
  • [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica]dizziness[/FONT]
  • [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica]racing heartbeat[/FONT]
  • [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica]sleep problems[/FONT]
  • [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica]headache[/FONT]
  • [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica]nausea[/FONT]
  • [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica]vomiting, muscle aches and stiffness[/FONT]
• [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica]Average retail price for over-the-counter transdermal nicotine patches (starter box) is approximately $4 a day.[/FONT]

 

[TenPenny]

Some things I ran accross yesterday. My daughter is trying to quit smoking and to that end she's using a nicotine patch. In the course of the conversation, I discovered that the nicotine patch is not covered under the medical system. My reaction was that somebody was making a wrong decision because smoking causes all kinds of serious problems like heat disease, lung cancer, high blood pressure, etc., and all kinds of sugery that is covered. Would we rather pay for a relatively cheap patch, or very expensive surgery. I also discovered that birth control pills are not covered. The thing is, that abortions are covered Does it seem to anyone else that these little inconsistancies will no doubt cost us money.

Drugs and medications are not covered by Medicare.
Procedures and doctors visits are.

That's all there is to it.

 

[#juan]

TenPenny

In B.C. we have Pharmacare which pays a part or all of the cost of drugs depending on your age or income. I thought all provinces had a similar thing.

 

[tracy]

Tracy

I don't see how I could misunderstand your statement. You seem to think the government should be responsible for your lifestyle choices as well as unexpected disease or accident or injury.

You choose to have birth control in the form of injection. Alternately how would you like the government to tell all fertile women they had to have their three month 'shot' as a method of birth control, unless they chose another method or were planning to become pregnant. Where is the choice, disease or impairment in any of the situations?

Viagra is covered because in some cases erectile dysfunction is recognized as a disability. Some males cannot choose to be fully functional at will with this impairment.

Being fertile and having unprotected sex is not a disability, when prevention can be chosen.

Frankly I think birth control and male impotence drugs are great additions to modern society freeing both men and women from some very significant problems in their lives. I do however think the government
should not be responsible for our choices if we are of sound mind.

Inviting the government into our private bedrooms is like opening Pandora's Box.

I don't think the government should be responsible for my choices, or anyone else's for that matter. That's the part I think you got from my post that I don't intend. I just think it's common sense to recognize that prevention (which the government already helps with) is smart for them. Paying for birth control which is a part of sexual health is as smart as paying for vaccinations because it saves money. Obviously I have a decent job, so I can pay for it. For some women, it's a real stretch. I'd rather see them get cheap or free birth control than have another baby. When that happens, it doesn't matter whose fault it is, the baby is there. Or she could have an abortion which we pay for with our tax dollars.

Personal responsibility is another topic altogether. Public health doesn't focus on blame and never has anything to do with restricting choices. For instance, heroin users chose to use that drug (originally anyways) and it's illegal. That doesn't stop us from spending money on harm reduction (needle exchange, detox, methodone, etc), without forcing them into treatment. It doesn't matter to a health care worker that the heroin user is at fault. If it saves lives and money, the government will try to fund initiatives that will help out. The same is true of all preventative health care initiatives. A LOT of diseases are the result of bad personal choices and could have been prevented, but we still treat those people. That's why we encourage people to eat well, exercise, take care of themselves, we offer education on those topics to certain groups. We don't take away their right to eat cheetos and sit on their butts all day, we just educate them about other options. Never in my job have I taken away a person's right to control her own body. All health care workers are supposed to be patient advocates first and that means respecting a patient's decision.

 

[TenPenny]

TenPenny

In B.C. we have Pharmacare which pays a part or all of the cost of drugs depending on your age or income. I thought all provinces had a similar thing.

Yes, as part of the low income / welfare system. Not part of the medicare system. It's simply a "benefit" available to some low income people, same as some working people get drug plans at work.

 

[#juan]

Yes, as part of the low income / welfare system. Not part of the medicare system. It's simply a "benefit" available to some low income people, same as some working people get drug plans at work.

A private citizen can pay for extended medical coverage from Blue Cross and they pay part of prescription drugs cost. My wife and I pay something like a hundred and twenty a month for extended medical and dental. After you reach 65 Pharmacare cuts in and pays more of that cost depending on income.