Healthcare Blog

Watching the democratic primary debate this week, I kept in mind much of what we learned in class. As such, I was disappointed in the representation that Medicare-for-all received. I was disappointed because I felt like the conversation was disingenuous. While I understand that the economics of a plan like Medicare-for-all are complex, the majority of candidates simply referred to seemingly random price tags in 15 trillion dollar intervals. They did not disclose how their estimates were generated, or what types of costs were included or excluded. Even the proponents of Medicare-for-all did not make, what I felt, were effective arguments about their proposed policy. While I personally believe that healthcare is a basic human right, and that universal healthcare is something we should pursue in this country, I also believe that we need to have educated and thorough conversations about it before the American people make their choice. An additional frustration of mine is that discussio...

Artificial intelligence is one of the most mind blowing and astounding fascinations the human race has seen. The simple fact that a computer, phone, or car has acquired similar, equal, or greater mental capacity to a human has shown to be a great, yet a haunting phenomenon that society has accepted very willingly. The field of medicine itself back in the day lacked the effective equipment needed to treat an ill patient, but still managed to do so despite the aid of artificial intelligence. However, technology has definitely propelled itself in healthcare in great magnitudes proving its need in the system. While some may argue that the introduction of technology has been a great asset in the field of healthcare, others may say that it has created a disturbance that could be avoided. When one is to go to a franchised grocery or convenience store, there is a self check out station and the customer is being assisted by a machine. It counts out the quarters, nickels, and dimes leaving t...

While I was aware of the fact that the United States was not the best country in terms of the affordability of healthcare, I was honestly very shocked to see the statistics that were presented during lecture on Monday. It was very surprising to see how healthcare in the United States compared to other countries worldwide, in terms of affordability and health outcomes.  The clip that was presented in lecture about the woman who prioritized her heart medications over her insulin reminded me of experiences I have had working in a community pharmacy setting and watching as patients chose to pick up some medications and neglect others based on their cost. A few years ago, the price of EpiPens/epinephrine spiked exponentially. In 2007, the AWP of two EpiPens was $113.27 which increased to $730.33 in 2016.  During the same time frame, the price for two brand name EpiPens in the United Kingdom was just $69, and both France and the Netherlands sold the medication for under or...

Why don’t we have national healthcare? I want to set the scene for you, its summer time, and it is your first trip going to Canada. So you plan a trip to Windsor, I know maybe not the most exciting destination you could have picked, but bear with me. So you do a little sightseeing, cash in your plain American money for some cool Canadian money, and do some shopping at the local shops. To cap it all off you go to this really cool restaurant called The Twisted Apron. As you take in the ambiance of the restaurant your waitress comes over to take your order and since it isn’t very busy you strike up a conversation. Eventually you get on the subject of healthcare and you ask her what she thinks of her national healthcare system. Her response is that she really likes the system that she has. Now I used this story to ask the question: if this waitress likes her healthcare system, and a majority of world has a national healthcare system, then why doesn’t the US and why is ours so expensi...

A major health concern for now as well for the future is regarding the use of antibiotics. Lately in Medchem we have been talking about this topic, so I wanted to give some of my personal experiences as well as some information on the topic. While these medications are extremely important and effective, it is undeniably true that they are misused. A direct consequence of their treatment being excessively used is known as antibiotic resistance.   This is, as defined by the World Health Organization, “the ability of a microorganism, like bacteria, to stop an antimicrobial from working against it.”   As a result, standard treatments become ineffective, infections persist and may spread to others. The WHO is currently naming this one of the biggest emerging global health problems. So how does antibiotic resistance occur? Darwin’s theory of natural selection is a great way to explain it. Individuals with traits better suited to their environments will survive and reproduce,...

           There is little doubt that the healthcare system in The United States of America has problems that need to be addressed. For instance, there is no debating that costs for the average citizen are well above where they should be and that not everyone has the access to healthcare that they sometimes need. In my pharmacy career, I have worked in multiple different community pharmacy settings that range from large chains to small independent pharmacies and I have seen these issues come to light for many patients in each setting which is heartbreaking. However, the only solution so far that has come to light is “Medicare for All” which would essentially enroll all United States citizens into Medicare and guarantee them coverage. While I agree that everyone should be able to have adequate access to healthcare, I do not believe that the current proposals for a “Medicare for All” system would be the best way to solve the problem.  One of the bi...