Prescription medications are expensive, and many doctors seem to become “prescription-happy.” These doctors’ first response to a patient complaint is usually to prescribe something new if something doesn’t work the first time. Even if you’re just taking one or two medications, you could be paying more than you need if you are taking brand name drugs, instead of generics.

According to a recent study, led by Dr. Aaron Kesselheim of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, this is particularly true when it comes to medications prescribed for the treatment of heart and cardiovascular conditions. According to the researchers, there is no evidence to suggest that brand name drugs work any better than their generic counterparts.

The Brand Name vs. Generic Debate

What exactly are generic drugs? They’re drugs on which the patent has expired. When a pharmaceutical company develops a new drug, they hold the exclusive patent on that drug for a certain number of years. After that time, the exclusive rights are lost, meaning that other companies can manufacture the drug under a different name. These are termed generic drugs, because they are no longer associated with the brand name company which originally developed them.

The new generic drug might have a different shape and color, or may have different fillers or binders added to the active ingredients. In most cases, however, there is no difference at all in how well the generic drug works in comparison to its brand name counterpart. Big-name pharmaceutical companies have gone to extensive lengths to try and prove that generic drugs are inferior, but the results of the new study suggest that’s just not true.

So what’s the difference between brand name drugs and generic drugs? Just one thing – the cost. The cost per pill of a brand name medication might be a few dollars, but for a generic drug prescribed for the same purpose, the cost might be only a few cents. While 66% of drugs prescribed in America are generic, they account for less than 15% of the money spent on all prescription drugs.

This doesn’t mean, however, that you should rush to your doctor and demand that they prescribe only generic drugs for you. It’s always most important that you receive the medications your doctor feels will work best for you – whether brand name or generic. Although, of course, if you’re taking an expensive brand name medication, there’s no reason why you can’t ask your doctor if there is a cheaper generic alternative that might work just as well.

What the research really shows is that if you’re taking medication for a heart or cardiovascular condition, you can feel secure whether it’s brand name or generic. You don’t have to worry that your treatment is inferior just because you’re taking an inexpensive generic medication.

photo credit: ragesoss

Lack of Success in the Past

Health insurers have an interest in providing insurance coverage for those procedures known to be successful. The insurance company does not want to waste time or money paying medical health professionals for treatments which are unnecessary and ineffective. Therefore, the lack of success shown to be associated with lobotomies in the past can be said to be one of the main reasons why insurance companies won’t cover this type of procedure.

Of course, this may be no surprise, but medical evidence conclusively shows that lobotomies simply do not work in preventing or treating mental illness and in fact do more harm than good in the long run. In this case, a lack of treatment success means that the insurance company will see no justification in offering coverage for this type of procedure.

Not a Necessity in Treating Mental Illness

Another reason why insurance companies do not want to cover your lobotomy is due to the lack of necessity with regard to this type of procedure. Along with the lengthy amount of research showing that these types of operations simply do not work to cure mental illness, a lobotomy is not a necessity. There are plenty of prescription drugs and counseling treatments available to help individuals with their mental illness, many of which are deemed to be highly successful.

Cited As a Barbaric Practice

The lobotomy has also been cited as a barbaric practice by many. The exact procedure is painful and questionable in legitimacy which overall tends to equate with a barbaric treatment method. As most doctors in the world refuse to perform this type of treatment method, the insurance companies are even more opposed to providing coverage for a procedure of this type.

Fraudulent Insurance Claims

Some insured individuals have even gone as far as to falsely claim that they received this type of medical treatment and falsified documents to back it up. This is just one other reason why insurance companies refuse to offer medical health coverage for a lobotomy procedure.

More Information on Lobotomies

In order to gain more insight into lobotomies and why this type of procedure has been phased out of society, an hour length show on PBS entitled “The Lobotomist” is well worth the viewing time.

References

• http://www.freewebs.com/bruiseduk/lobotomy.htm

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