On 23 May 2007 at 21:38, Dan Minette wrote: > > > > SImply put, the weakest area of the American health system is > > preventative care. Poorer people with chronic conditions can end up > > with repeated emergency hospital treatment for conditions which are > > manageable with drugs which, while not cheap, are far cheaper than > > repeated hospital admitance. > > OK, let's try to do an experimental test on this. Drug coverage was just > added to Medicare. To the extent that your hypothesis is true, we would see > a drop in hospital costs that correspond to the increase in prescription > payments.
But that doesn't prove anything. The barriers to seeing a doctor in America in the first place are still there (there is no chance to the philosophy of access, or of methods of treatment), and getting a prescription can be difficult for many drugs in the first place. (leaving aside the whole issue of the suitability of the prescription system in America - suffice to say that I don't think it IS suitable). AndrewC Dawn Falcon _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l