tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16774010.post3691874917659970436..comments2024-01-25T17:58:34.297-05:00Comments on Scott's Web Log: New Diabetes Technology: Should Insurance Companies Pay?Scott Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03286529314567223617noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16774010.post-8954212160867226432008-06-24T23:21:00.000-04:002008-06-24T23:21:00.000-04:00I agree with you 100%, Scott. The blame lies ever...I agree with you 100%, Scott. The blame lies everywhere, of course, but in my opinion, insurers carry the smallest amount of blame in the healthcare financing debacle. The consumer carries the largest portion, because, in this era of no responsibility, they think they are not supposed to have any healthcare costs just becuase they carry insurance (look up the history and purpose of insurance if that statement makes no sense to you). The providers, suppliers, and pharmaceuticals carry the next largest portion of the blame by being too eager to delve into the deep pockets any third-party payer system creates. And, no, I'm not an employee of an insurer - fact is, I make my living trying to get as much reimbursement as possible from them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16774010.post-25975463964649287442008-06-23T15:05:00.000-04:002008-06-23T15:05:00.000-04:00To The Old Man & His Dog, The simple fact is that ...To The Old Man & His Dog, The simple fact is that using an argument that covering the cost of a $3,000 device plus the ongoing supplies that must accompany it is justified because it somehow "saves" money for the insurance company by preventing complications, therefore its in their best interest to cover it is a joke. By the time a majority of patients get complications, the odds are overwhelming that they will no longer be covered by the insurer anyway, so it IS in their best interest to deny paying for these devices.<BR/><BR/>That's hardly innocent, but by the same token, the manufacturers of these products aren't even doing clinical trials to justify the expenditure for their costly devices ... they're relying on charitable organizations like JDRF to do it for them. Medtronic, incidentally, made $2.5 billion in 2007, so they can easily afford to conduct (or perhaps I should say "engineer") clinical trials to justify the CGMS systems. I believe the only way this issue will ever really be resolved is to abandon the for-profit insurance system now in place, and that's never going to happen.<BR/><BR/>The real issue is not who is to blame, as there's plenty of that to go around, but which party has done more to justify their position on the issue? On that basis, I think the manufacturers are pretty far behind the insurers.Scott Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03286529314567223617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16774010.post-84189601350959103022008-06-23T14:38:00.000-04:002008-06-23T14:38:00.000-04:00You either work for an insurance company or are cl...You either work for an insurance company or are clueless. I used to work for an insurance company. It IS their policy to deny as many claims as possible without damaging their reputation too much. Especially if it involves an elderly person that has no clue how to fight them and just pays the claim that was denied to avoid the confrontation. I saw the waste! I saw the HUGE bonuses paid to those that kept claims down at any cost! I saw the money spent to lobby! Funny how all that waste seems to really make an insurance company look "barely" profitable so they can justify the increase in premium to continue the cycle. Wake up dude. I'm not saying the manufacturers are innocent, but at least they are out there inventing ways to help us. Want to blame someone other than the insurance companies? Look at pharmaceutical companies. Don't get me started on them!The Old Man and His Doghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09005513596375360905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16774010.post-91017526624116678672008-06-23T14:06:00.000-04:002008-06-23T14:06:00.000-04:00Thanks for making such a convincing video. I tota...Thanks for making such a convincing video. I totally agree !<BR/> Thanks - <BR/> - Kevin Pammett<BR/>|+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ <BR/>| LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/KevinGenePammett<BR/>| home: (978) 448-9088; cell 978 877-6337<BR/>| employment: http://www.4jobs.com/KevinPammett-CVL<BR/>| blog: http://KevinPammett.blogspot.com/<BR/>|-------------------------------<a href="mailto:PammettKevin@gmail.com">Kevin Pammett</a>https://www.blogger.com/profile/11168438773323551098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16774010.post-71216797346652064172008-06-20T07:34:00.000-04:002008-06-20T07:34:00.000-04:00Scott, surely prices will come down once investmen...Scott, surely prices will come down once investment costs have been recouped. I mean, after all, Lilly brought us rDNA insulin with the promise that it would be ever so much cheaper than natural insulin . . . and look how cheap it is now, practically a give-away!<BR/><BR/>MelodyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16774010.post-42944102538729947372008-06-20T00:26:00.000-04:002008-06-20T00:26:00.000-04:00Michael Moore's movie, "Sicko" really shows what a...Michael Moore's movie, "Sicko" really shows what all these Insurance/HMO's are all about.........Especially the non-approval form letter that was sent out to a patient needing a procedure that would have saved his Life, but termed "experimental" by the Insurance company. <BR/>The patient's Life was ended a week later.BetterCellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13667917240368089110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16774010.post-29037146316892324442008-06-19T21:15:00.000-04:002008-06-19T21:15:00.000-04:00I think it would be interesting to see how profita...I think it would be interesting to see how profitable some of these companies are (eg, Dexcom, Animas, even Lilly currently). I think initial pricing has a lot to do with recouping investments for R&D and future R&D plans. I don't have the hard facts in front of me but I wouldn't assume that all manufacturers are out there to "pillage," even though, in our capitalistic society, that does seem to be a common theme.Anne Findlayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03005305831235654057noreply@blogger.com