Centuries ago, a wise sage from the East, by the name of Lao Tzu, pointed out that the proliferation of laws was a sign of the decline of a civilization.
What this means is, the poorer the people are at governing themselves, the more laws are necessary by means of which to govern them.
Now, more laws lead to the appearance of more legal specialties, and more legal specialties means more lawyers -- and more expensive lawyers.
All the lawyer-bashing of the past decade, whatever its merits, also reveals that society governs itself poorly enough to require more laws -- and more lawyers.
And what happens as legal requirements (and hazards) increase? The costs of doing business increase.
The same can be said about drugs and doctors as has been said about laws and lawyers.
The poorer the people are at maintaining their health (whatever the environmental conditions), the more drugs and doctors are needed with which to treat them.
The more "health challenges" that appear in a society, the more medical specialties emerge, and more medical specialties means more doctors -- and more expensive doctors.
What happens as the number of medical cases increases? Medical expenses increase.
More disease and dis-ease in a society breeds more doctors and more lawyers.
It gets particularly interesting when we put the two together: What happens when lawyers sue doctors (on behalf of the person(s) they had in common as patients/clients)? Malpractice suits! And what happens as malpractice suits increase both in number and in dollar amount involved? Malpractice insurance rates go up! And who gets rich? Well, medical malpractice insurance, whatever its necessity, is provided by companies of individuals intent on one purpose: making money.
It is their intention that the amount of money they pay out is less than the amount of money they take in.
In other words, because people are poor enough at maintaining their own health to require more medical care, and because they are poor enough at governing themselves to need more governing by laws, they must pay a price: supporting the insurance companies, the medical profession, and the legal profession.
The behavior of insurance companies, as regards interference in medical practice has been recognized: by means of deciding which medical procedures they will pay for, they, shall we say, "influence" doctors' decision-making process as regards a patient's treatment.
And by being unaccountable for their capriciousness and payment-delaying tactics, insurance companies contribute to the stress levels and rage factor of the medical profession.
A side-effect of this rage factor is the, shall we say, "lack of sympathy" of the besieged Western medical culture (i.
e.
, the AMA) for "complementary" or "alternative" medicine (i.
e.
, health maintenance/health care).
Oddly, it is "alternative" practices that maintain health at higher levels and decrease the need for medical insurance coverage.
Yet, most insurance companies balk at paying for such highly cost-effective services.
The burden of paperwork they place upon caregivers also decreases the time and attention more open-minded doctors have available for studying new developments in health care or for treating patients.
Could it be that the insurance companies want people afraid of high medical bills and dependent upon medical insurance coverage? Could it be that they want people afraid for their health, so they will buy medical insurance and increase insurance company profits? Could it be that they want doctors so dependent, burdened and burned-out that they are easily dominated by the insurance companies? Look at their behavior! Why, indeed, else? Patients blame the doctors -- and insurance companies.
Doctors blame the insurance companies -- and dare not blame the patients (except for Qualified Medical Examiners consulted by, and on the payroll of, Worker's Compensation Insurance companies, who look for any reason to blame the patient, deny coverage, thereby save the insurance company money).
But it is the patients who allow their health to deteriorate in such numbers through inattentiveness to the body's sensations, self-destructive habits, and ignorance about health and self-care.
Doctor-bashing and lawyer-bashing -- and insurance company-bashing, whatever its correctness or grain of truth -- all ultimately point to the need of a society to manage its behavior and its health better.
(So, by the way, does the growing population of our non-"correctional institutions" -- which fill as a necessary consequence of the activities of the legal profession.
) It has been said, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
" Preventive medicine (also known as "health maintenance" or "health care") is the responsibility of the individual, just as wise self-governance is.
To care well for oneself requires education, information, and resources.
People must be educated to use their own senses, to exercise their own intelligence, and to exercise their own initiative to obtain information and act intelligently.
They must have open access to information and resources that preserve and enhance health, supported by the FDA and the insurance companies.
They must have access to a realistic picture and be encouraged to have idealist intentions about health.
The "profit ahead of principles" behavior of the insurance companies, the ignorant biases and prejudices of certain doctors and therapists, and the FDA alliance with the pharmaceutical companies and the entrenched interests of the profession are coming under scrutiny by the general public.
A paradigm shift toward health-maintenance and self-care, and away from "going to the doctor" is occurring.
When the relationship between the medical profession, the legal profession, the insurance companies, and the public life become generally recognized, there will have been a public a realization of what has been going on.
The realization is that power over (and responsibility for) individuals' lives belongs in the hands of individuals, themselves.
The United States of America was conceived as a free country -- but many people, while claiming their freedom as a right, have displaced their responsibility upon others who do not have their best interests are heart.
Whether the population of this country has the intelligence to see things as they are and the initiative to claim responsibility and the power that goes with it remains to be seen.
What this means is, the poorer the people are at governing themselves, the more laws are necessary by means of which to govern them.
Now, more laws lead to the appearance of more legal specialties, and more legal specialties means more lawyers -- and more expensive lawyers.
All the lawyer-bashing of the past decade, whatever its merits, also reveals that society governs itself poorly enough to require more laws -- and more lawyers.
And what happens as legal requirements (and hazards) increase? The costs of doing business increase.
The same can be said about drugs and doctors as has been said about laws and lawyers.
The poorer the people are at maintaining their health (whatever the environmental conditions), the more drugs and doctors are needed with which to treat them.
The more "health challenges" that appear in a society, the more medical specialties emerge, and more medical specialties means more doctors -- and more expensive doctors.
What happens as the number of medical cases increases? Medical expenses increase.
More disease and dis-ease in a society breeds more doctors and more lawyers.
It gets particularly interesting when we put the two together: What happens when lawyers sue doctors (on behalf of the person(s) they had in common as patients/clients)? Malpractice suits! And what happens as malpractice suits increase both in number and in dollar amount involved? Malpractice insurance rates go up! And who gets rich? Well, medical malpractice insurance, whatever its necessity, is provided by companies of individuals intent on one purpose: making money.
It is their intention that the amount of money they pay out is less than the amount of money they take in.
In other words, because people are poor enough at maintaining their own health to require more medical care, and because they are poor enough at governing themselves to need more governing by laws, they must pay a price: supporting the insurance companies, the medical profession, and the legal profession.
The behavior of insurance companies, as regards interference in medical practice has been recognized: by means of deciding which medical procedures they will pay for, they, shall we say, "influence" doctors' decision-making process as regards a patient's treatment.
And by being unaccountable for their capriciousness and payment-delaying tactics, insurance companies contribute to the stress levels and rage factor of the medical profession.
A side-effect of this rage factor is the, shall we say, "lack of sympathy" of the besieged Western medical culture (i.
e.
, the AMA) for "complementary" or "alternative" medicine (i.
e.
, health maintenance/health care).
Oddly, it is "alternative" practices that maintain health at higher levels and decrease the need for medical insurance coverage.
Yet, most insurance companies balk at paying for such highly cost-effective services.
The burden of paperwork they place upon caregivers also decreases the time and attention more open-minded doctors have available for studying new developments in health care or for treating patients.
Could it be that the insurance companies want people afraid of high medical bills and dependent upon medical insurance coverage? Could it be that they want people afraid for their health, so they will buy medical insurance and increase insurance company profits? Could it be that they want doctors so dependent, burdened and burned-out that they are easily dominated by the insurance companies? Look at their behavior! Why, indeed, else? Patients blame the doctors -- and insurance companies.
Doctors blame the insurance companies -- and dare not blame the patients (except for Qualified Medical Examiners consulted by, and on the payroll of, Worker's Compensation Insurance companies, who look for any reason to blame the patient, deny coverage, thereby save the insurance company money).
But it is the patients who allow their health to deteriorate in such numbers through inattentiveness to the body's sensations, self-destructive habits, and ignorance about health and self-care.
Doctor-bashing and lawyer-bashing -- and insurance company-bashing, whatever its correctness or grain of truth -- all ultimately point to the need of a society to manage its behavior and its health better.
(So, by the way, does the growing population of our non-"correctional institutions" -- which fill as a necessary consequence of the activities of the legal profession.
) It has been said, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
" Preventive medicine (also known as "health maintenance" or "health care") is the responsibility of the individual, just as wise self-governance is.
To care well for oneself requires education, information, and resources.
People must be educated to use their own senses, to exercise their own intelligence, and to exercise their own initiative to obtain information and act intelligently.
They must have open access to information and resources that preserve and enhance health, supported by the FDA and the insurance companies.
They must have access to a realistic picture and be encouraged to have idealist intentions about health.
The "profit ahead of principles" behavior of the insurance companies, the ignorant biases and prejudices of certain doctors and therapists, and the FDA alliance with the pharmaceutical companies and the entrenched interests of the profession are coming under scrutiny by the general public.
A paradigm shift toward health-maintenance and self-care, and away from "going to the doctor" is occurring.
When the relationship between the medical profession, the legal profession, the insurance companies, and the public life become generally recognized, there will have been a public a realization of what has been going on.
The realization is that power over (and responsibility for) individuals' lives belongs in the hands of individuals, themselves.
The United States of America was conceived as a free country -- but many people, while claiming their freedom as a right, have displaced their responsibility upon others who do not have their best interests are heart.
Whether the population of this country has the intelligence to see things as they are and the initiative to claim responsibility and the power that goes with it remains to be seen.
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