Robert Urbanek
Platinum Member
I have personally witnessed government regulations that encourage waste in the healthcare system.
I had a very ill friend on Medicare and Tricare. When she was discharged from a physical rehabilitation center, they gave her a free wheelchair. I asked, instead, for a free transport chair, which is cheaper and lighter for a caregiver to use. No, they couldn't do that. They also gave her a free walker although she already had two other walkers at home. They hadn’t bothered to ask, “Do you already have this?”
Then, when she was admitted to a licensed boarding care facility, I offered to bring her large number of pills from her home to the facility. The operator said no, government regulation wouldn't allow that. They had to start from scratch to order new drugs. So those hundreds of dollars of medicine were wasted. The facility operator also noted that when many of her very ill patients died, they had several bottles of pills left over. She wanted to ship them to a clinic in the Philippines, but the government said that was prohibited. So again, hundreds or even thousands of dollars of medicine went to waste.
I had a very ill friend on Medicare and Tricare. When she was discharged from a physical rehabilitation center, they gave her a free wheelchair. I asked, instead, for a free transport chair, which is cheaper and lighter for a caregiver to use. No, they couldn't do that. They also gave her a free walker although she already had two other walkers at home. They hadn’t bothered to ask, “Do you already have this?”
Then, when she was admitted to a licensed boarding care facility, I offered to bring her large number of pills from her home to the facility. The operator said no, government regulation wouldn't allow that. They had to start from scratch to order new drugs. So those hundreds of dollars of medicine were wasted. The facility operator also noted that when many of her very ill patients died, they had several bottles of pills left over. She wanted to ship them to a clinic in the Philippines, but the government said that was prohibited. So again, hundreds or even thousands of dollars of medicine went to waste.