px_eliezer_ his review process may result in deletion of drug(s) in a particular therapeutic class in an effort to continually promote the most clinically useful and cost-effective agents.
Okay then …………., so your medical benefits provider (Insurer??) can decide which drugs it will allow you to use. Hmmmmm.????
BUT;
px_eliezer_ Specific drug selection for an individual patient rests solely with the prescriber.
Your Doctor is the prescriber BUT his selection of the best medication to treat you for a diagnosed illness can be overturned by your insurance provider??
And if you turn your toes up because you are denied a prescribed medication, then who is held liable?? This sounds plain crazy..
or might I observe a money saving, penny pinching attempt by your provider to screw you in the name of profits, Viva la free enterprise.
Our system is simple, all approved medications in Australia are listed on a schedule that my Doctor can access, he prescribes from the list. For experimental drugs there are special procedures that allow Doctors to access them with special conditions. Outside that Doctors can’t and won’t prescribe unapproved and unauthorised medications.
So, out here, if your Doctor prescribes a medication your medical insurer can’t deny you that medication. Simple.
With regard to costs, at 83 years old I hold a Government medicare card. This enables me to very low cost , or free ,medications and after a certain time and expenditure each year, for me generally about 6 months the balance of my medication for the rest of the year are free. I paid an awful lot of taxes over the years.
For people under 65, you pay full freight, depending on your health insurance.