Many find it hard to believe that receiving more medical care doesn’t always mean better health. It is estimated that one third of all testing procedures are unnecessary. Many of these tests have dangerous side effects as well. As an example are the fetal monitors that say there is a problem with the baby so a c-section is performed, only to learn that there was nothing wrong with the baby in the first place.
Americans receive more radiation than anyone else, primarily due to the number of CT scans performed and covered by health insurance. Obviously the risk of getting cancer from all of these tests is increased.
Stents for the heart are popped in all the time, when medication should have been tried first. Surgery is surgery, and taking a pill would be much safer.
Think about the billions of antibiotics prescribed, the body building more and more immunity to them as time goes by.
Millions of women at low risk for cervical cancer get way too many pap smears. One third of men over 75 get screening for prostate cancer when doing so is of little use.
Back pain is the number one over-treated condition with lots of MRI’s and surgeries. 20% will have more than one operation within a decade for back pain when doing nothing would have the same results. The cost to health insurers and employers for these claims is sky high, https://higginscompanies.com/health-insurance/group-health-insurance/
Michael Higgins
602.405.8769
An Arizona medical insurance broker.