Valleywide Legal Blog

Defensive Medicine Hurts Patients in Many Ways

Defensive medicine is the name given to actions taken by doctors, not for the primary benefit of their patients, but to reduce the chance they will be sued for medical malpractice.  It is unethical and almost always detrimental to the … Read More

Posted in Defensive Medicine, Doctors, Health Care Costs, Health Insurers, Hospitals, Lawsuits, Malpractice caps, Medical Costs, medical ethics, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, tort reform, trial |

How the U.S. Health System Puts Diabetics in Danger

“How the U.S. health-care system puts people with diabetes in danger” is the title of an article which appeared today in the Washington Post.  The author is an ICU physician who sees and treats diabetics when they become critically ill … Read More

Posted in drug companies, General Health, health, Health Care Costs, Health Insurers, healthy living, Medical Costs, medical ethics, Type 1 Diabetes |

Drug Costs Continue To Soar.

I have often written about the fact that drug prices in the United States are a disgrace.  See here and here.  We pay more for the same drugs than anyone else in the world.  A recent article in the New … Read More

Posted in drug companies, General Health, Health Care Costs, Health Insurers, Medical Costs, medical research, Medicare |

Happy New Year – Big Pharma Is Raising Drug Prices Again And People Are Dying As A Result.

The price of drugs has been going up and up for the last 20 years as the big drug companies have raised prices over and over again for no reason other than a desire for record profits.  No one in … Read More

Posted in drug companies, General Health, Health Care Costs, Health Insurers, healthy living, Medical Costs, medical ethics, Pharmacies, Rationing |

Generic Drug Price Fixing.

“Generic” is the name given to drugs that are not protected by patents.  Anyone can make a generic drug.  Because they are not protected by patents, it is anticipated that competition will drive down the prices of generic drugs to … Read More

Posted in drug companies, Fraud, Health Care Costs, Health Insurers, Lawsuits, Medical Costs, Medicare, Secrecy |

The Problem With Drug Prices.

There was a good story in the Washington Post earlier this week discussing some of the reasons for our high drug prices.  So why are prices so high?  Why doesn’t our vaunted free market system drive them lower through competition?  While … Read More

Posted in drug companies, Health Care Costs, Health Insurers, Hospitals, Medical Costs, medical research |

Hospital Consolidation Is Driving Up Health Care Costs.

Last week I wrote about hospitals not knowing exactly what their costs were for various procedures.  Without that information, they cannot make informed decisions about pricing.  Without informed decisions about pricing, there can be no price competition.  There also can … Read More

Posted in Doctors, Fee for Service, General Health, Health Care Costs, Health Insurers, Hospitals, Medical Costs, Medicare, Rationing |

Even Hospitals Don’t Know What Surgery Costs.

In August I wrote a post about why our health care costs keep going up and up and up.  We don’t dictate pricing to hospitals, we rely on the market to set a fair price using supply and demand.  Hospital consolidation, … Read More

Posted in Fee for Service, Health Care Costs, Health Insurers, Hospitals, joint replacement, Medical Costs, Secrecy |

Big Pharma and You.

Forgive me for getting on my insulin soapbox again.  Because of my young grandson’s Type 1 diabetes, I am very interested in all things Type 1 related.  I am especially interested in what it takes to keep him alive.  Every … Read More

Posted in drug companies, General Health, Health Care Costs, Health Insurers, Medical Costs, Medical Devices, Type 1 Diabetes |

Why Your Health Care Costs Keep Going Up and Up.

As I have observed before, we in the United States pay the most for health care yet we rank well down the list of developed nations in terms of health care outcomes.  Why aren’t we getting value for the money … Read More

Posted in Doctors, drug companies, Fee for Service, health, Health Care Costs, Health Insurers, Hospitals, Malpractice costs, Medical Costs, Medical Malpractice, medical malpractice cases |