The problem with this is that we now have the technology to keep those meth addicts alive much longer. It's not that we're giving them a few antibiotics and they are going to kill themselves young. We have cocaine addicts getting heart transplants. People who have smoked themselves onto permanent oxygen tanks getting lung transplants - and then doing it to the healthy lungs. And, yes, to qualify the smoker and drinker has to quit for a certain amount of time. But that does not stop them from doing it again.
In the meantime, they are in and out of the hospital with long stays for sepsis, respiratory failure, heart failure, liver failure, broken bones and expensive ortho surgeries because people who are high and drunk tend to want to drive.
Or how about the 35 year old that came in with a history of cocaine abuse? He was diagnosed with high blood pressure, but couldn't be bothered with taking his medicine. You would be surprised how some of these people are not very reliable with other health concerns as well. After walking around a year with high pressures, he has now killed his kidneys. Now the taxpayers will get to pay for him to have hemodialysis the rest of his lives.
Now, all that said, one of our biggest health issues is obesity. No, I don't have a scientific data sheet to show you, just 11 years of working 60 + hours a week in a busy metropolitan ER,(and talking to many other ER nurses around the country) but around 85-90 % of our patients are obese (and many of them morbidly so) patients. And they are constantly in the hospital with respiratory problems (hard to breath with 300 pounds sitting on your chest ), heart problems (20 year olds with the heart muscle of an elderly person after they have overworked their hearts with all the increased body girth), all the health problems you would expect from lack of exercise. Many of them cannot get around and we have 20-30 year olds on scooters and wheelchairs that taxpayers are paying for.
Non-compliance is one of the most costly health issues. I read an article two years ago that stated the average cost of caring for a compliant diabetic is around $5000 a year. The cost for a non-compliant diabetic is around $45000. Huge difference.
Now, all that said, I'm not thrilled with the idea of the government making decisions about who should get care and who shouldn't. However, if taxpayers are picking up the cost for everyone's healthcare, there has got to be some guidelines or we will be running out of money very quickly and then no one will receive healthcare.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2010-06-24 12:02 pm (UTC)In the meantime, they are in and out of the hospital with long stays for sepsis, respiratory failure, heart failure, liver failure, broken bones and expensive ortho surgeries because people who are high and drunk tend to want to drive.
Or how about the 35 year old that came in with a history of cocaine abuse? He was diagnosed with high blood pressure, but couldn't be bothered with taking his medicine. You would be surprised how some of these people are not very reliable with other health concerns as well. After walking around a year with high pressures, he has now killed his kidneys. Now the taxpayers will get to pay for him to have hemodialysis the rest of his lives.
Now, all that said, one of our biggest health issues is obesity. No, I don't have a scientific data sheet to show you, just 11 years of working 60 + hours a week in a busy metropolitan ER,(and talking to many other ER nurses around the country) but around 85-90 % of our patients are obese (and many of them morbidly so) patients. And they are constantly in the hospital with respiratory problems (hard to breath with 300 pounds sitting on your chest ), heart problems (20 year olds with the heart muscle of an elderly person after they have overworked their hearts with all the increased body girth), all the health problems you would expect from lack of exercise. Many of them cannot get around and we have 20-30 year olds on scooters and wheelchairs that taxpayers are paying for.
Non-compliance is one of the most costly health issues. I read an article two years ago that stated the average cost of caring for a compliant diabetic is around $5000 a year. The cost for a non-compliant diabetic is around $45000. Huge difference.
Now, all that said, I'm not thrilled with the idea of the government making decisions about who should get care and who shouldn't. However, if taxpayers are picking up the cost for everyone's healthcare, there has got to be some guidelines or we will be running out of money very quickly and then no one will receive healthcare.