I have to disagree with this article. I work in a medical office and the doctor I work for takes great care in making sure his patients understand their conditions and medications. He never denies patients time if they have additional questions. As a rule we limit the amount of refills patients can have on any long term medication so that we may monitor their visits and be sure they come in when it is time to re-evaluate their chronic conditions and assure they are taking their medications. Routinely patients will continue to request refills and refuse to follow up or we will get requests for medication that is supposed to be taken daily 2 months or more from the last refill date! I can't tell you how many times I have explained the risks of not taking medications as prescribed, especially for chronic conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes, and patients still do whatever they want because they do not want to take the time to take care of themselves. I have had a patient that is supposed to take "blood thinners" because she is prone to blood clots tell me that she does not want to watch her diet and often does not take her medication because "it's just a pain" even though she's only supposed to take 2 pills daily. As for cost, we encourage patients to see what alternatives to any expensive medication they are prescribed are available and we will change the prescription if the doctor feels that it will be safe and effective for them. If your doctor does not offer these options the problem is not doctors in general, it is certain doctors who see money and not people.