The medical profession strikes again

Last year, while Mr. Cranky's breathing was still good enough to survive surgery to repair the massive hernia left over from his aortic aneurysm surgery, he had no insurance and owed Shands for the first operation, so they kept delaying on assigning him an operation date even though we'd made arrangements with the surgeons. Now that he's on Medicaid and can get the surgery paid for, his health has deteriorated enough that they won't repair the hernia--they're afraid he couldn't survive the operation. So he's waddling around looking like he's about 11 months pregnant. He ruined his lungs by smoking for 46 years, but some of the drugs he's been given for one of his health problems have worsened or possibly created other problems. When he was hospitalized just after his diabetes was diagnosed, one doctor told him that if he weren't taking prednisone, he wouldn't be diabetic (prednisone increases insulin resistance.) But, without the prednisone, he wouldn't be breathing. It seems like every "wonder drug" requires another (or maybe a few more) to treat the side effects of the first one. Is that how the drug companies stay profitable?