http://www.mikepalecek.com/economic-injustice-for-victims-of-transvaginal-mesh-procedures/
Economic Injustice For Victims Of Transvaginal Mesh ProceduresWhy Should You Be Concerned?
The latest trend in economic thinking has shifted the view of many towards a “for profit” model; this line of thinking has recently also started to spread into the health care sector. In the past, health care was relatively isolated from this type of thinking. Hospitals and medical clinics were largely run as charitable organizations that were built to serve the community.
During the last 20 years, the medical community has gone through a fundamental shift; the number of for-profit health care facilities has exploded at a rate that is growing quicker than the technology sector. This is great for business profits, but the quality of care that people receive has suffered.
Economic Injustice For Victims Of Transvaginal Mesh ProceduresWhy Should You Be Concerned?
The latest trend in economic thinking has shifted the view of many towards a “for profit” model; this line of thinking has recently also started to spread into the health care sector. In the past, health care was relatively isolated from this type of thinking. Hospitals and medical clinics were largely run as charitable organizations that were built to serve the community.
During the last 20 years, the medical community has gone through a fundamental shift; the number of for-profit health care facilities has exploded at a rate that is growing quicker than the technology sector. This is great for business profits, but the quality of care that people receive has suffered.
The ethical implementations of privatized health care has caused many heated debates. Those that favor the trend believe that people are only entitled to the care that they pay for. Opponents feel that privatized health care is antithetical to the values central to the industry.
Studies have shown that for-profit health care facilities decrease the availability of health care options for people who are deemed unprofitable. Traditionally, these patients were subsidized by other patients who could afford to spend more on their health care. With the for-profit model, patients are turned away; they are told to go to the nearest non-profit facility.
When a for-profit facility does this, they end up increasing revenues, but they also overwhelm charitable organizations with an influx of patients. This results in a strain on the system, so non-profits have a difficult time taking care of patients.
Why Is This Bad For Society?
A for-profit industry leads to an environment where it is acceptable to offer low quality care for more money. One example of this is what has happened to victims who have filed transvaginal mesh lawsuits.
The media has been mostly quiet about these cases, and they’ve been mostly swept under the rug. Big donations from for-profit facilities have ensured that the media doesn’t report on these cases. It has gotten so little attention that most people are unaware that this is going on. When talking to someone, their first response is usually “What is transvaginal mesh?” (get answer).
For-profit facilities were accused of skimping on transvaginal mesh equipment; the facilities chose to buy inferior products knowing full well that they may have disastrous side-effects down the line. People who got this procedure are starting to have negative side-effects, and they are now trying to get fair compensation.
For-profit facilities are run like businesses, so they have teams of lawyers fighting to give patients as little as possible. They admit they were wrong, and they aren’t expressing any remorse. They feel that patients made the choice to use their facilities, and that it was their responsibility to look into the procedure more carefully.
This can set a scary precedent for future health care procedures. If facilities aren’t responsible for their actions, they can get away with offering sub-par services at inflated prices. If they are working only to make a profit, everyone suffers from lower quality care. In the long-run, this is horrible for an industry that used to pride itself on healing the sick.
Studies have shown that for-profit health care facilities decrease the availability of health care options for people who are deemed unprofitable. Traditionally, these patients were subsidized by other patients who could afford to spend more on their health care. With the for-profit model, patients are turned away; they are told to go to the nearest non-profit facility.
When a for-profit facility does this, they end up increasing revenues, but they also overwhelm charitable organizations with an influx of patients. This results in a strain on the system, so non-profits have a difficult time taking care of patients.
Why Is This Bad For Society?
A for-profit industry leads to an environment where it is acceptable to offer low quality care for more money. One example of this is what has happened to victims who have filed transvaginal mesh lawsuits.
The media has been mostly quiet about these cases, and they’ve been mostly swept under the rug. Big donations from for-profit facilities have ensured that the media doesn’t report on these cases. It has gotten so little attention that most people are unaware that this is going on. When talking to someone, their first response is usually “What is transvaginal mesh?” (get answer).
For-profit facilities were accused of skimping on transvaginal mesh equipment; the facilities chose to buy inferior products knowing full well that they may have disastrous side-effects down the line. People who got this procedure are starting to have negative side-effects, and they are now trying to get fair compensation.
For-profit facilities are run like businesses, so they have teams of lawyers fighting to give patients as little as possible. They admit they were wrong, and they aren’t expressing any remorse. They feel that patients made the choice to use their facilities, and that it was their responsibility to look into the procedure more carefully.
This can set a scary precedent for future health care procedures. If facilities aren’t responsible for their actions, they can get away with offering sub-par services at inflated prices. If they are working only to make a profit, everyone suffers from lower quality care. In the long-run, this is horrible for an industry that used to pride itself on healing the sick.