Is there a such thing as the Pharmaceutical-Industrial Complex?

[ck4829]

You've heard of the Military-Industrial Complex and the Prison-Industrial Complex. But, what about the union of corporations and medicine? I'm not talking about doctors and nurses, but when the medical industry becomes a faceless corporation.

Some things to consider:

1. Terri Schiavo - What if there was an ulterior motive for the RW's concern for Terri Schiavo? I've read that it can cost anywhere up to $900 a day to keep a person on life support. Now, imagine if there was some ruling over Terri Schiavo which said that people who are on life support CAN'T get their plug pulled. The people who have invested in the Complex would become richer than God if these people HAD to stay on life support for the rest of their lives.

2. The Bankruptcy Bill - The leading cause of bankruptcy is for medical reasons. The bankruptcy bill, which puts people in debt slavery basically, does NOT allow for exemptions because of medical reasons. If you didn't think the Pharmaceutical-Industrial Complex exists, how about now?

3. Pharmaceutical Companies writing the bills - This should be obvious, big pharmaceutical corporations are getting closer and closer to controlling the government.

This Complex could actually be more powerful than the Military-Industrial Complex, one way or another either you or someone you know will have to deal with it to survive.

[rainy]

1. It's called the pharmaceutical industrial complex

[BlooInBloo]

2. Um, the Bankruptcy Bill is primarily a giveaway to the credit companies.

[Divernan]

7. Yes, but main causes of running up credit card balances are health

care costs. Especially for the under or uninsured. Few people know that even with the best of health insurance coverage provided by blue chip employers, there is a one million dollar lifetime limit. If you have a chronically ill child requiring a series of surgeries, that coverage can be used up by by an early age (6 to 8). With one parent required to provide full time personal attention to the child, then only one parent is bringing in an income. I don't have a link for you, but medical care costs are overwhelmingly what drives people into bankruptcy.

[cyclezealot]

3. the 'medical aspect' is the minority partner.

Yes , some medical services such as CT Scans, MRI's have been privatized and ripe people off with monopoly costs, but doctors, medical staff are often victimied by our lousy system. They are a 'cost factor' in the equation, not the one's on the taking end of their investment. The significant owners riping off Americans are pharmacy and insurance companies.
Maby doctors are as dispirtied as the public.

[Pharaoh]

4. I agree

my sisters a nurse, the most overworked and underpaid part of the system.......the insurance co.s and big pharma are what are primarily spiraling costs out of control.........GREED!

[donsu]

5. YES

they don't want you well because they lose money on well people

they like: heart problems, diabetics, high blood pressure, overweight people, high cholesterol, heart burn, sleeplessness, and stressed out people. etc.

they hate anything that helps wellness that they can't make money on and they lobby, cheat and lie to ruin anything that promotes wellness without big pharma

[Divernan]

6. An unholy alliance of Big Pharma & Big Insurance industries.

And I'm not talking med mal insurance claims; I'm talking about the Insurance industry's opposition to socialized medicine/national health care, which would cut out the voluminous & costly record keeping required of hospitals/doctors/health care providers to submit & document insurance claims for health care.