Doctors are making money – LOTS of money for prescribing drugs to you and your family. Chemotherapy kickbacks are the worst. How much are they getting? Check out the detailed infographic below for the shocking statistics. This revenue windfall absolutely has the potential to sway prescribing decisions. Any doctor who claims otherwise is in La La Land.
The practice of drug kickbacks to doctors is a big reason for the the ever increasing prices of drugs and the huge problem of drug affordability.
Not only is this practice of drug kickbacks extremely unethical, it is a danger to your health and the health of your loved ones, particularly if they are in the hospital and vulnerable to exploitation due to serious illness.
Laws that will took effect in 2013 required all pharmaceutical companies to disclose their payments to doctors. This is not enough, however, as doctors asked about their drug kickbacks usually report biased information that their patients readily believe.
Protect yourself! Â Learn the facts and check the national database that lists doctors who are receiving drug kickbacks.
Via: MedicalBillingandCoding.org
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
My daughter just had surgery. SHe takes a narcotic for her ssvere panic attacks, but her surgeon prescribed her two strong narcotics for pain which if she had taken would have stopped her breathing. DOCTORS are too quick to prescribe drugs and not even take the time to review what drugs the patient is already on.
NO WONDER DOCTORS AND HOSPITALS ARE THE THIRD LEADING CAUSE OF DEATHS IN THE USA.
AND IF YOU GO IN THE HOSPITAL, ALWAYS ASK WHAT THEY ARE GIVING YOU – NOT ALWAYS NECESSARY. AND DON’T TAKE TYLENOL. It has acetaminophen in it which is very harmful to your liver and they will charge you $5 for one pill.
And if you or a love one needs CHEMO, always ask what is in the “cocktail”. THey put benadryl, fluids, etc. in them and you might not need them but charge you more for them. QUESTION EVERYTHING!!
I am a senior citzen with grown kids and grandkids. I have never heard if anyone asking a doctor about a drug they saw in TV. If they don’t have enough of confidence in their doctor that they have to help them to prescribe meds, they need to go to another doctor that they trust!
Last year I was diagnosed wth breast cancer and I never knew there were so many quacks and dishonest doctors out there. I WENT THROUGH CHEMO, SURGERY, RADIATION, HERCEPTION AND HAVE TO TAKE A PILL FOR 5 YEARS, THEN FOUND OUT THAT WAS OVERKILL, ESPECIALLY WHEN I LEARNED LATER THAT THERE IS A CURE FOR CANCER BUT PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES AND DOCTORS KEEP IT OUT OF THE USA BECAUSE THEY MAKE SO MUCH MONEY TREATING CANCER.
I HAVE SEEN MANY DOCTORS IN MY LIFETIME AND I THINK MOST OF THEM ARE UNSCRUPULOUS. IF I WERE A DOCTOR, I WOULDN’T JUST PRESCRIBE MEDS TO A PATIENT JUST BECAUSE I THINK THEY EXPECT A MED. JUST EXPLAIN TO THEM WHY THEY DON’T NEED ANY. DOCTORS UNDER ESTIMATE PATIENTS. THEY ARE ALOT MORE SAVVY TODAY.
MOST OF MY AILMENTS ARE DUE TO DOCTOR MISTAKES.
PEOPLE TRY HOMEOPATHIC DOCTORS. THERE ARE NATURAL CURES, IE, SOURSOP FRUIT FOR CANCER TREATMENT WHICH OTHER COUNTRIES USE BUT, HERE AGAIN, BIG PHARMAS AND DOCTORS KEEP OUT OF THE USA.
THIS IS OFF THE SUBJECT, BUT EVERYONE SHOULD ALWAYS GET A COPY OF THEIR MEDICAL RECORDS AND CHECK FOR ACCURACY. I HAVE FOUND MANY MISTAKES AND OTHER DOCTORS LOOK AT THEM.
Doctors getting kickbacks should be illigal. That hurts us consumers. If docs didn’t get kickbacks, drugs would be cheaper. And do people actually see an ad and ask a doctor for it or do they let the dictor tell them what they recommend? And if the pharmas didn’t spend so much money on advertising, they could charge less.
Why doesn’t the government stop this or are they in the big pharmaceutical pockets, too?
I liked Dr Neal Simpson of Hemet, Ca at first but then he started acting like he didn’t care. I had back surgery and he prescribed Norco for three months and it was I. My chart that I couldn’t take Vicodin which unbeknown to me is nearly the same medication. I had never heard of Norco and was so out of it I didn’t know what o was taking. I’ve been sick for over a year getting off of it with no help from him. He should have known better if he keeps up on his patients. He decided to take 9 months off and I’m finding out a lot of things I didn’t know about him. I would never go back to him. I don’t think he’ll come back to Hemet Ca anyway. Not enough rich people here.
Hey Sarah,
I am always astounded by how we place so much trust in our doctors and yet they take advantage of it. Compromising what they stand for – for money. Greed sitting at the forfront. Because of this very factor, I choose to be assessed by Western medicine, but would want Eastern ideology to fix my problems using our doctors as the last possible measure. Thanks for a great post. Seeing some of those figures really shocked me.
Rachel.
I knew the hematology dr I saw 3 times was getting a kickback. He true to push lovenox on me when he knew I could not afford the drug! He didn’t want to discuss any cheaper alternatives….600.00 a month with insurance! Then finally he told me my pcp could prescribe warfarin.Thank God….5.00 a month.
This is why doctors do not treat illnesses in Canada, they treat symptoms. It is not a “Health Care System” that exists here, it is a “Sick Care System”. And Why not? There is no money for the drug company shareholders if the population is healthy.
A Health Care System heals patients to make and keep them HEALTHY. The Sick Care System” treats symptoms to keep the “patients” unhealthy for as long as they can keep them alive. They can’t keep their enormous profits flowing with a healthy population. They also stop their earning on a patient that dies. So the Medical System in Canada, a new motto… “KEEP ‘EM SICK BUT KEEP ‘EM ALIVE”. Pills Pay!!!
My 89 year old wife, who was in an Alzheimer’s Ward in a nursing home for two years
before she died, was prescribed Boniva and Aricept which she experienced violent reactions. She was also prescribed medications (blood thinner) for heart flutter, gout, diabetes, high choresterol, and high blood pressure. She had a Living Will with permission to stop any medication except for pain. When I questioned this treatment I was told that if I did not agree with their procedure, I would have 30 days to take her out of the facility. I was helpless to help her. My question is, do you suppose the doctor was getting kick backs for the prescriptions and they were extending her life for the money? Is there someone out there with an opinion? [email protected]
Hi Sarah!
Just wanted to say thanks again for this article and for inspiring us to write our own.
And for teaching us about raw butter 🙂 very tasty and sweet.