Was "old age" renamed as Alzhiemers Disease by the AMA because Medicare would cover it?

Question

Tricky little devils those Dr's and greedy too. Now tell me you work in the medical profession and what I say is totally wrong.
All those god ol' boy doctors want is to help sick people.

Answer 1

No. Alzheimers is a specific disease entity with specific findings. There are people over 100 without any sign of the condition.

Answer 2

You are correct! It is one of the 'illness of choice' options a doctor has. The interesting thing is that there is no proof, only assumptions of the disease until the autopsy is done. By then the doctor has already been paid by the government and the government doesn't go back to explore the cause of death on the certificate. The diagnosis is made totally on the expertise of the doctor who will also collect the money. An 'illness of choice' will always pay big bucks and usually can not be proven or cured. Whatever you are diagnosed will follow the dollar signs to the payee.

Answer 3

I work in the medical profession and you're exactly right. It was the same thing with alcoholism. Insurance companies stopped covering it, so the doctors renamed it depression or whatever else the insurance companies would pay. I have absolutely no doubt that what is known as autism was once know as mental retardation to some degree and alzheimers is just a fancy,insurance covered word for senility or dementia. It is all about money.

Answer 4

No. It is a specfic condition. And I have 25 years experience in the Navy Medical Department. And the book of codes used to classify conditions, tests, etc. is the International Classification of Diseases- Version 9 (ICD-9), which is developed by the World Health Organization, not the AMA. But, they did engage in one bit of trickery. Medicare won't pay for a physical examination. So, Medicare gets billed by the doctors for "systems review of existing patient" , which has an ICD-9 code assigned to it and they get paid. A physical by any other name will fill your wallet. LOL!

Answer 5

No, that's not true. Alzheimer's disease can be characterized by various scanning techniques . Plaques form within the brain interfering with the transmission of nerve impulses in the regions governing memory. Memory loss is much more profound than simple forgetfulness. Sufferers eventually are unable to recognize spouses, friends and children and are unable to dress and feed themselves.

I won't address your statement about doctors. I'm not a medical professional, although as i get older, I'm finding myself in closer contact with them than I would like. However, saying that Alzheimer's disease is invented is far off the mark.

Answer 6

Alzheimer's Disease is one that was discovered by Alzheimer.
Not all people labeled with Alzheimer actually have Alzheimer's.
Before the word existed, the word dementia was used a lot.
Many people are misdiagnosed with the word Alzheimer's by (as you mentioned) some who do not understand the meaning. Alzheimer's can hit people in their 40's. There is a test now to determine the difference. It has nothing to do with Medicare in my opinion. Just lack of knowledge is the true basis for labeling someone with Alzheimer's.

It is a misued word for describing an elderly person and it is wrong to use this word to describe them. People need to do more research on the word. I am 65 and I hate it when I hear people labeled with Alzheimers simply because they cannot recall things immediately.

Another example of a misused word: PMS. Pre-menstrual syndrome. People mistake that word as well.

To prevent putting People in a category, I would prefer to say : some people.

Answer 7

No, old age was not renamed. Old age is old age. Alzheimer's is a terrible disease, one which you obviously have never seen a loved one suffer from. And yes, I do work in the medical profession, and you are wrong. And yes, doctors do want to help people, that's why they became doctors.

Answer 8

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DEFINITION OF ALZHEIMER’S


Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that attacks the brain's nerve cells, or neurons, resulting in loss of memory, thinking and language skills, and behavioral changes.
These neurons, which produce the brain chemical, or neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, break connections with other nerve cells and ultimately die. For example, short-term memory fails when Alzheimer's disease first destroys nerve cells in the hippocampus, and language skills and judgment decline when neurons die in the cerebral cortex.
Two types of abnormal lesions clog the brains of individuals with Alzheimer's disease: Beta-amyloid plaques—sticky clumps of protein fragments and cellular material that form outside and around neurons; and neurofibrillary tangles—insoluble twisted fibers composed largely of the protein tau that build up inside nerve cells. Although these structures are hallmarks of the disease, scientists are unclear whether they cause it or a byproduct of it.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, or loss of intellectual function, among people aged 65 and older.
Alzheimer's disease is not a normal part of aging.
Origin of the term Alzheimer's disease dates back to 1906 when Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German physician, presented a case history before a medical meeting of a 51-year-old woman who suffered from a rare brain disorder. A brain autopsy identified the plaques and tangles that today characterize Alzheimer's disease.

Answer 9

Alzheimers was named after Dr. Alois ALzheimer the German MD who documented the symptoms.The AMA and
medicare are two seperate institutions.Just because someone is older is by no means a reason to classify them
with Alzheimers or dementia.Old is Gold!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 10

Absolutely not. This disease has been around for an extremely long time. It is a very devastating disease. I hope that a "cure" comes forth for it, very soon. Peace, Love and God Bless.