When you really think about it, the headache person is part of a very large group of consumers. When you consider the total number of people with significant headache problems, we are a large force. When you consider the total impact the headaches could have on the economy and the enormous amount of over-the-counter headache remedies and prescription medications available, we are a large force to be reckoned with. The purpose of this page is not to fire up a rebellion but to make people think of themselves as a force and to not settle for less than good control.

Managed care plans present a special set of problems to the headache patient. Some managed healthcare plans have a financial incentive to the "gatekeeper" primary care physician to keep the patient from the specialist, forcing the primary physician to keep trying to treat you. It is a frustration to the ethical primary care physician who is motivated to help the patients and no one wins. Many of these patients end up missing time from work, endangering their personal lives and frequenting the emergency room at their local hospital. It is best for headache patients to avoid such health plans. The more enlightened managed care plans understand that headache patients are more efficiently helped by a team effort between primary physician and specialist, and these are the more desirable plans to subscribe to.

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© Edmund Messina MD 2002