 Hi, this is Mitch Mitchell and today you're going to basically walk with me while I talk about my subject, you know, I live in central New York and it gets cold and snowy and so It's not always conducive to walking outside When it's cold and snow or you got to put a whole lot of stuff on and it kind of impedes your walking so I walk my home course and I had a video up a long time ago showing the home course and this is just more Proof that I do walk here in the house and I have about 18,000 steps a day Using my buddy the Fitbit to count it for me, but that's not really what this is about Although it is kind of about health. This is kind of a diabetes video, you know, I'm diabetic and I'm supposed to go see the doctor a couple times a year but most of the time I'm only going once a year and Especially because I've had my glucose numbers looking very good and my A1C has been pretty good So they're not really pushing me to have to come twice a year So anyway, I had my appointment last Friday for the year and I go in and the doctor does the test and A1C comes out looking pretty good. It's around 6.4 She's happy. I've had to adjust my medication my insulin I take two shots a day and I'd had to adjust it down because I've been having some low numbers now You're supposed to in general keep it between 80 and 120 glucose number But for me anytime my number goes below 90. I start to get dizzy and shaky and whatever So 90 is a bad number for me actually a hundred not a good number either So, you know, I put that out there to let you know that Everyone who has diabetes doesn't always hit the exact same numbers. It's just not how that works So anyway, she tests my blood pressure blood pressure is great Everything is great. So then she says to me as we start looking at the medications She says well, what about this prevestatin? She says how come you're not taking that and I said because you told me I didn't have to take it anymore Because I don't have high cholesterol because she had put me on this cholesterol medication a couple of years ago And I said well, I didn't think I needed it. So I didn't take it and then when I had my last appointment She had said well, you really don't have it. So you're okay, but that was a year ago So this time I tell her what you said I didn't have to take it because I don't have high cholesterol And she said well the American Diabetes Association has changed the regulations and now We have to recommend that everybody who is Declared diabetic has to start taking cholesterol medication because of potential heart issues. I said so wait You're telling me that Even though I don't have any problem with cholesterol that I'm supposed to automatically just start taking cholesterol medication And she said yes, I said well that doesn't sound prudent and she said well We have to make the recommendation because if we don't make the recommendation then we're in default with insurance and Regulations and we could get in trouble. So we have to tell you that and so I have to give you a prescription I said well, what if I decide I don't want to fill the prescription I don't want to take the medication because I don't have you know cholesterol issues. She said Well, you don't have to take it But if anything happens and it's related to diabetes Even if it's not related to cholesterol your insurance company can deny it by saying that you weren't following The recommendations of your physician fully. I said so basically you're telling me that a Medication I don't need that if I don't take a medication I don't need that the insurance company could deny all claims related to diabetes no matter what they are. She says they could I Said wow now. Here's the thing. I'm in health care. I'm in health care finance There's a lot that I know about Coverage and all these different kinds of things But I had never thought about the one where it says that if you're not totally listening to your doctor That they could stop treatment, especially when you don't have it. I mean come on Yes, I do know that one of the things that diabetics have to worry about is heart issues and That there's this relationship between cholesterol and the heart But my numbers are fine. This to me sounds like a money grab It also sounds like it's a bit over the top, you know, I Understand that they're looking to prevent issues. I really do But come on to make me have to buy a medication that I don't need spin money that I don't need to spin Now after that we spent some time looking at these different medications The first one she wanted to put me on was two hundred and forty dollars a month for 30 pills I said no that ain't happening So the guy that she had in there because she had a physician assistant in there with her He looks up and he finds another one. That's a hundred thirty five dollars a month for 30 pills I said no, uh-uh, we're not going that route either. I said the preva statin was only 40 a month And I didn't want to take that So we're ending up with something called Crestor That might have a generic of it that came in at thirty five dollars for a month's dosage I Says, you know, that's just a shame. I Just don't understand that however, I think I mentioned about the two Injections a day that I already take and it turns out that American Diabetic Association is recommending that physicians try to talk New patients or new, you know, diabetics into getting on insulin a lot earlier than they do now Because over the years and I'll tell you this is how I always saw it the doctors were trying to Basically make it sound like a real bad thing, you know, if you can't control your diabetes We're gonna have to put you on insulin and that was the issue I ran into and I absolutely hated it Well now they're telling doctors to stop telling patients that as though It's a penalty try to get them on insulin as early as possible because it offers the best Protection from you know long-term issues that people have from diabetes and I'm thinking wow That's just another way in my mind of getting people to have to spend money Unnecessarily for preventive purposes, you know, whatever happened to the idea of prevention basically says tell them to go to the Gym and work out. I mean really that's how Along with my medication. That's how I started to get my numbers under control in the first place because before then I really Wasn't exercising and like I said, I'm walking a lot every day to keep my numbers low But to basically tell people to spend all this money when they don't need to For preventive purposes. I got a problem with that So I've got a prescription here somewhere because I came home and I sat down the paper somewhere and I haven't found it yet but I will find it and I will go and I'll price it at a few different places and see where I can get the lowest rate and then We'll see how often I take it It's just a shame But I wonder what you guys think do you think this Ideal about having to take medication for issues You don't have is a good thing for preventive purposes or does it sound just like a money grab and It's just I don't know. It just seems unethical to me. What's your thought and I want to thank you for walking with me a little bit at this point right now, I'm already over 18,000 steps and It's just past four o'clock. So we're gonna see what I end up doing for the rest of the day y'all take care and Have a good week