Although this is specifically about preventative care, ALL EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS HURT RETURN BUSINESS, especially pain care (thank for profit medicine for a lack of effective treatments, especially opioids). Why stabilize a patient when return business would be threatened? Yes, this is cynical and not every doctor is this heartless, but many are (consciously or subconsciously).
My PCP is one of those who has a heart. He could make a lot more with useless antidepressants, anti-epileptics, and antipsychotics (I've tried dozens already) and the countless follow up appointments that dose changes and new medications require. He could make even more with injections. As a PCP, he can't do procedures, but he could send me to yet another useless (useless for me) interventional pain management consultation (which his medical group now has in house) and REALLY milk my insurance. Unfortunately, many doctors don't care about their patients' wellbeing as much as mine does. Not only do opioids and other safer treatments (pretty much anything except surgery and procedures; generally, the higher the cost, the greater the risk) less costly, but prescriptions for controlled substances (opioids, Lyrica, benzodiazepines, etcetera) are significantly more work for the doctor and carry additional risk for them because of the overzealous DEA.
If you're lucky enough to have a doctor willing to prescribe opioids when necessary, THANK THEM & appreciate them because they are rare.
Think about your doctor's motives.
Healthcare is NOT a free market, we don't choose to get sick, we don't even choose our treatments, our doctors do. Methadone is the most cost effective pain treatment, but most most doctors refuse to even consider prescribing it (even when you beg).
