Re: Is anyone's business affected by politics?
In addition to what you have laid out here, is the wacked way our patent system works. Or doesn't.
If you peruse the patent section of a newspaper, a majority of these are within the medical field. Which would not be a problem in and of itself, if it hadn't taken on such a skewed implementation.
In camera's for instance, the patents are a big deal, but can't be used to leverage the consumer the way they can in medicine. That is because the consumer is given options. This also forces manufacturers to share patents, and cooperate for the market share. (An interesting byproduct is cameras from the grey market having different features, because they share different patents in different markets.)
When my wife had her mastectomy, she had implants. But because the area is so traumatized, they do not put in the replacements immediately, but put in a temporary. This temporary has a port, very similar to one on a vaccine bottle, that allows fluid to be injected into it, with literally a needle like that used to vaccine, that goes through the skin, and into the temporary implants. The temps are filled with saline, gradually over time, until the area has recovered enough from the mastectomy, and the skin has stretched enough to accept the fake boobs. All of this is quite standard, and the billing looks fine to me (all itemized) with one glaring exception. The temps cost $4440. Line item. No moving parts, nothing extraordinary about them. And that is each. So $9k for.... those? Think of the sound gear you could buy with $9K, or the vehicle, and all that goes into its manufacturing, technology to be developed. Esoteric materials, finely machined parts for interaction. $9K (picture below)
So, price protected by patents. Competition stifled by insurance, and system in general.
It is also important to point out that the insurance companies get paid a percentage. So cutting costs cuts into their percentage.
Whew. Now I want to rant about the chemo process, and the cost of that (patented taxatir was thousands of dollars/oz. to the tune of $20K line item per visit for that one chemical) But this is all making me tired, sad and mad. Grrrr.
But it is more of the same, and goes to your point below.
Thanks for the PMs, Regards, Jack
In addition to what you have laid out here, is the wacked way our patent system works. Or doesn't.
If you peruse the patent section of a newspaper, a majority of these are within the medical field. Which would not be a problem in and of itself, if it hadn't taken on such a skewed implementation.
In camera's for instance, the patents are a big deal, but can't be used to leverage the consumer the way they can in medicine. That is because the consumer is given options. This also forces manufacturers to share patents, and cooperate for the market share. (An interesting byproduct is cameras from the grey market having different features, because they share different patents in different markets.)
When my wife had her mastectomy, she had implants. But because the area is so traumatized, they do not put in the replacements immediately, but put in a temporary. This temporary has a port, very similar to one on a vaccine bottle, that allows fluid to be injected into it, with literally a needle like that used to vaccine, that goes through the skin, and into the temporary implants. The temps are filled with saline, gradually over time, until the area has recovered enough from the mastectomy, and the skin has stretched enough to accept the fake boobs. All of this is quite standard, and the billing looks fine to me (all itemized) with one glaring exception. The temps cost $4440. Line item. No moving parts, nothing extraordinary about them. And that is each. So $9k for.... those? Think of the sound gear you could buy with $9K, or the vehicle, and all that goes into its manufacturing, technology to be developed. Esoteric materials, finely machined parts for interaction. $9K (picture below)
So, price protected by patents. Competition stifled by insurance, and system in general.
It is also important to point out that the insurance companies get paid a percentage. So cutting costs cuts into their percentage.
Whew. Now I want to rant about the chemo process, and the cost of that (patented taxatir was thousands of dollars/oz. to the tune of $20K line item per visit for that one chemical) But this is all making me tired, sad and mad. Grrrr.
But it is more of the same, and goes to your point below.
Thanks for the PMs, Regards, Jack
