Posted by bob on March 11, 2000, at 21:27:25
In reply to Re: Importance of Not Being a Victim, posted by Chris A. on March 11, 2000, at 21:03:49
> BTW - Who decided to refer to patients with certain kinds of brain disorders as "consumers"? I'd much rather be referred to as a patient, as with every other illness.
In this case, it looks like Mark did ... and I agree with him.
It's another aspect of empowerment. If all you are is a "patient" with an "illness", then you need the services of the Health Care Industry. If, on the other hand, you are a consumer, you have two things the HCI wants to take away from you -- your choices and your money.
[by the HCI, I am not including our doctors. Sure, some of us have come across some who deserve inclusion in my blanket monster-making above, but by far the majority of the stories I read here talk about caring doctors who often are vicitmized by the system as much as we "patients" are.]
Taking on the role of a consumer, you need to realize that you have control of your resources, and you can exercise some choice over how they get allocated. As much as HMOs like to gripe and grouse about how much we psych patients are a drain on the system, they still make money off of us.
[If you have any doubts about what power we might wield, think of the one patient group that probably has a higher per person cost than us -- senior citizens. Sure, the resource issue (with things like Medicaid) are different ... but the AARP can sure kick some HMO ass when it wants ... and some Congressional ass as well: if a congressman fears anyone more than an NRA lobbiest or Tobacco lobbiest, it's the Gray Panthers and the AARP lobby]
I just think that Mark is trying to suggest that if we all got together and told, say, Oxford, or Blue Cross, or whoever, that we didn't like the way they were treating us and, come next open enrollment period, we're going to desert them en masse for another, any other, plan, we might find them more willing to tallk to us instead of lobby Congress.
my two cents,
bob
poster:bob
thread:26688
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000302/msgs/26725.html