Thursday, April 05, 2007

Even China! Even China, that nirvana of socialism and the birthplace of those much-romanticized (by dewy-eyed, swooning western socialist wannabees) "Barefoot Doctors", is falling into the clutches of Big Medicine, Big Pharma, and Big Costs. This article is interesting for both what it does and doesn't say. What it does say is that costs are becoming unmanageable, and it hints at why: "Over-prescription, prompted by different economic incentives between different stakeholders in the health system, is major problem in China". What if skirts around is defining just who those "stakeholders" are that are prompting "over-prescription". I'm going to guess that one of the major players here is Big Pharma - what do you think? The Chinese have proven over the last century that they are just as susceptible to propaganda as any other people and they are now proving to be just as susceptible to the propaganda of Big Pharma as anyone. "A pill for every ill!" is the rallying cry of Big Pharma - we have bought into it here, they are buying into it there, and it looks like the Chinese people are following the orders of Big Pharma perfectly for it sounds like no visit to a doctor is complete without "The Prize" - that all-important Proof of Care, that symbol of Medical Value, The Prescription. Just as doctors do in America, the Chinese doctors are taking the easy way out and simply writing prescriptions rather than practicing medicine. As long as Big Pharma can convince Chinese doctors and patients (as they have here) that a drug is "Standard of Care" for virtually any and all complaints, those prescriptions, and the money that they represent, will continue to flow like the mighty Yangtze River... And costs will continue to soar, as will  Big Pharma profits and the corruption and greed that follows that Big Money trail... and the Chinese will wonder why they are getting sicker and needing more doctor visits and more prescriptions for more drugs... Cheers, Nurse Mark Care providers, patients to blame for high medical costs: analyst - Yahoo! News http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070309/hl_afp/chinahealthinsurance_070309073605 Care providers, patients to blame for high medical costs: analyst Medical service providers and patients themselves are both to blame for the escalating cost of medical care in China, global reinsurer Swiss Re said Friday. "The current medical behaviours of patients as well as that of medical service providers are inconsistent with the goal of cost-effective healthcare," Swiss Re's chief economist Clarence Wong told a press briefing. China health ministry statistics show that from 2001 to 2004 healthcare spending grew an average of 13 percent to 759 billion yuan (98 billion dollars), with households bearing 54 percent of cost. Over-prescription, prompted by different economic incentives between different stakeholders in the health system, is major problem in China, Wong said. He also highlighted the potential overlap between social health insurance and commercial insurance. "Currently, local authorities tend to offer insurance products that can be much more efficiently provided by the commercial market." Wong also expressed concerns about the effectiveness of China's rural medical co-op plans after the government announced this week it aimed to provide 80 percent of China's 800 million farmers with coverage. He said the key issue will be to make sure that it is cost-effective. 8:27:38 AM

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