Well I had to call my primary care physician for a referral. I got one and they were not able to see me today. So instead I decided to call another orthopedic doctor. And I got an appointment.
I have to retake x-rays because the Emergency Room did not give me copies of the X-rays. Gee waste of money. Inefficiency of the system.
Again if we had only one insurance this would not happen. Why? Because I went to the hospital closest to my home, something reasonable. Well the primary care doctor I go to is associated with another hospital. Thus I am unable to go back to the same hospital because she doesn’t do referrals there.
So instead I’ll just waste money by getting another set of X-rays and seeing a doctor I’m unsure of their qualifications. Hopefully she’s good. I miss my old insurance which allowed me to see any doctor, at any time. Ridiculous I didn’t even have co-pays.
So I had to call for an appointment, call back my primary care to get a referral and then hope it goes through. If it isn’t done in a timely fashion I expect to argue with my insurance company about everything. Plus I should see my bill soon enough.
I gotta wonder, people say uninsured people use the ER. Actually I’ve been to the ER multiple times. Once for a broken foot previously, this time, and a kidney infection a 3rd time. Everytime I’ve had insurance. And the kidney infection they misdiagnosed me at the doctor’s office. Told me I had a cold/fever, go home and take tylenol. Turns out it was incorrect and the pain was excruciating.
So why not open walk-in clinics? I’d go instead of the ER. Oh wait, you need a referral for that walk-in clinic as well. And oh wait, it might not be covered by insurance. Love this free market system. I wonder if free market health care just can’t work?
But then again maybe if we allowed a true free market, no insurance at all, you pay for what you can afford then things would be different. I would definitely be able to afford care, but darn it, my poor old grannie would not. And people like her would get kicked to the back of the line. No more humoring old people who go in, if they aren’t rich that is. Limited income, limited time to see the doctor.
Let’s see how these bills start to rack up. I’ll keep you updated.
19 responses so far ↓
1 Anonymous // Sep 29, 2008 at 10:23 am
Can the ER print your x-rays for you? My husband was able to pick his up from the ER once to take to the orthopedic dr.
2 Kristy // Sep 29, 2008 at 10:33 am
I have a feeling if you had national healthcare that you would not even have gotten in to see the orthopaedic doctor today. It may have taken awhile, weeks or maybe even months. Yes, the health care system is expensive, but I don’t like the alternative you suggest.
I have a high deductible HSA and I like it. Even though I will have to pay $2,400 plus copays out of pocket it will be worth it when I have my c-section next year. The thing that drives me crazy is keeping track of the paperwork…what a mess that is!
3 Grace // Sep 29, 2008 at 10:54 am
My family has Kaiser. I love Kaiser’s Urgent Care clinics, and for most “need help NOW” situations, that’s what we use.
4 LivingAlmostLarge // Sep 29, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Actually Kristy, I would have seen one upon walking into the ER. My MIL did in Canada. She broke her foot and went into the ER and had immediate attention that weekend. Me I get a pain killer script and told “go see a specialist” crap.
Talk to foreigners about their socialized system. I sense a great bias about something you haven’t lived with. Ask them for specific examples.
Also DH’s friend got hit in the eye and detached his retina. He too saw a specialist immediately. Trust me the people who have socialized medicine asked me at work, why did I wait all weekend. Answer…our system is broken.
I had to wait all weekend again for the doctor’s office to be open. And I called more than one office looking for an opening.
Nope. The ER isn’t sure where my X-Rays are exactly. Brilliant. The paperwork is somewhere lost in the system.
5 Barb1954 // Sep 29, 2008 at 1:03 pm
I’ve never had a problem with having x-rays sent from one doctor’s office to another or picking up copies at a hospital to take to a doctor.
6 Kristy // Sep 29, 2008 at 1:09 pm
You are correct, I haven’t lived with socialized health care, nor do I want to. I have seen enough documentaries and talked to enough Canadians to know that it is not what I want for this country.
I have never had any problems with doctors offices transferring x-rays either, not even when I had to take them to see our pediatric orthopaedic surgeon 3 hours away. Maybe its your hospital that is ineffecient.
Anyway, I hope your foot feels better soon!
7 LivingAlmostLarge // Sep 29, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Crack me up, just back. I did not see a doctor. NOPE. A physician’s assistant and told I should see a real doctor.
They apparently lost my x-rays, brilliant! Also I will be getting a second opinion now because I feel very, very nervous about opinion.
Kristy talk to people from Socialized countries and ask them what their personal experiences are. Documentaries would probably show the worse case scenarios of the US, which by far outstrips the rest of the world with our gross incompetence.
Truth is the doctors aren’t the real problem, our crappy insurance system is. We are using HMO/PPOs to pretend to be socialists but aren’t sold on the real issue.
We need more efficient system. How many people have no idea what they cost? Also doctors are trying to ILLEGALLY bill patients.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_36/b4098040915634.htm
8 LivingAlmostLarge // Sep 29, 2008 at 4:38 pm
I honestly believe that the business week article shows what would happen if we had socialized system. NONE of this Bullshit that doctors can try to scam people out of more money.
No, one insurance with one set price. When you are suing doctors for fraud it says a lot.
9 fengshui // Sep 29, 2008 at 5:42 pm
“So why not open walk-in clinics? I’d go instead of the ER. Oh wait, you need a referral for that walk-in clinic as well. And oh wait, it might not be covered by insurance. Love this free market system. I wonder if free market health care just can’t work?”
The UC that I used to be a triage RN for, had the UC open 7 days a week, 8 am-10 pm and you called in and spoke with an RN first and then the RN either gave you an appt for UC, sent you to an ER (if it was a trauma situation), or gave you home care advice. We used appts so that way you wouldn’t have to sit in the waiting room for 4 hours. This system works GREAT for acute needs. As far as the MD in the ER not being able to diagnose your fracture, well…. this is how it goes a lot. As an advanced practice nurse (NP/ CNS) I am NOT comfortable diagnosing fractures, unless it is something OBVIOUS. Many fractures are hairline and small, and hard to spot sometimes. Radiologists are very specialized and highly trained to read x-rays. Now days, with electronic medcial record, the x-ray is electronically sent to another location and then the radiologist reads it, and then emails the diagnosis back. It is really cool. However, in the ER and UC, the fracture is not set (usually). You are likely sent home in a sling or on crutches and then must be seen by orthopedics (usually can’t get an appt for a week so you have to walk around with a fracture until then) who actually sets the fracture and then casts it, etc. This is just the way that things are. Everyone has their specialty. An acute care practitioner can’t possibly be a radiologist, surgeon, neurologist, all in one, etc.
As far as the BS of the insurance company, I feel your pain. It is retarded…. It makes it so inconvenient for patients. I can’t even imagine how hard it must be for patients who cannot read or are cognitively impaired.
10 LivingAlmostLarge // Sep 29, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Actually today’s physician’s assistant said she’d get back to me after talking with a radiologist. She was unsure about the diagnosis.
I’ve gotta make an appointment again with another radiologist probably. Waste of time and hassle.
11 fengshui // Sep 29, 2008 at 5:47 pm
“I have a high deductible HSA and I like it. Even though I will have to pay $2,400 plus copays out of pocket it will be worth it when I have my c-section next year. ”
Ouch. This is expenisve. I’m on the fence between wanting a single payer system and what we have now. What I do know is that our current system is failing. My idea of an intervention would be some massive reform by our government and implementing some MAJOR regulations and taking away the profitability of “sick care”.
I’m one of the lucky ones who have an employer based policy with a $38 monthly premium for family coverage, ZERO dedcutibles, ZERO co-pays. It is almost unheard of anymore. It is a benefit that costs my employer $1,300 a month. I’m just waiting for it to get yanked.
12 LivingAlmostLarge // Sep 29, 2008 at 5:49 pm
It won’t be yanked, it will be taxed under the republican system.
My BIL ended up in the ER with 13 facial stiches and 3 facial lacerations. From falling off his bike while biking in the rain. Sigh, what a week for medical bills.
Glad he’s got insurance but he isn’t sure what it will cost.
13 LivingAlmostLarge // Sep 29, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Oh and he tried to see a doctor but they were too busy to fit him in, so he went to the ER instead. Again a huge waste of money. Inefficient use of resources.
14 Kristy // Sep 29, 2008 at 7:02 pm
“Ouch. This is expenisve. ”
Yes it is expensive, but it is still less than what I used to pay for a family. I used to pay over $1,200 a month for insurance. Now I pay $300 a month with a high deductible. It’s expensive but better than paying the whole thing and I know I am covered.
15 fengshui // Sep 29, 2008 at 8:12 pm
“Yes it is expensive, but it is still less than what I used to pay for a family. I used to pay over $1,200 a month for insurance. Now I pay $300 a month with a high deductible. It’s expensive but better than paying the whole thing and I know I am covered.”
But what all is “covered”? I’ve heard people’s nightmares where someone was dx’d with cancer and it only covered $1200 a day max, but the ttreatment costs were 4x that much and they had to make up the difference. You almost have to be an attorney to read health insurance policies. LOTS of FINE PRINT. If you’re healthy and don’t plan to use it much, it can be a good thing, but if someone in your family develops a serious disease such as cancer, then you may be out more than you bargained for….. My husband used to sell individual policies for a company called MEGA. He had horror stories told to him by clients. People were paying $500 a month for what they thought was “insurance” and some of them had to file for bankruptcy for all of the things that their “insurance” didn’t cover.
16 LivingAlmostLarge // Sep 29, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Read the business week article how doctors feel they are entitled to more than what insurance companies pay them.
Also I agree, you never know what is “covered” until you are in the situation. People think they are covered, but then when push comes to shove, they don’t cover it!
Why? Because they give loopholes that allow insurance companies to say it’s not covered or covered at a lesser amount than you think. I find it ridiculous that they can do that.
But it’s in the fine print. If it’s not 100% accepted by all doctors it’s considered experimental treatment and you foot the bill. Stuff like that happens all the time.
17 Kristy // Sep 30, 2008 at 5:37 am
LAL, I read business week every week, so I have read the article. Fine, you’re right, I have no idea what is covered then. If I get cancer, then I’ll know. This is a ridiculous argument as we all agree that our healthcare system needs reformed. I just don’t want socialized care. I don’t believe in socialism and I believe in less government. Period.
18 LivingAlmostLarge // Sep 30, 2008 at 8:45 am
No we just guess that we are covered. We make assumptions over our system.
I wonder if there is can really be a free market healthcare when we can barely manage a free market economy? If there is anything to be socialized it should be healthcare.
NOT the economy. The economy is the last thing that needs socialization. I am not sure what is going to happen now with the bailout.
But it’s certainly not reforming healthcare.
19 LivingAlmostLarge // Oct 1, 2008 at 5:13 pm
http://www.self.com/livingwell/articles/2008/08/0818uninsurables?currentPage=1
Here are stories of women with insurance who were denied. What happens is when you file an insurance claim they review your file. IF they find anything that is related to preexisiting they can deny you coverage and refuse to pay your expenses.
One woman was denied coverage because she took fertility drugs. Another because she had cancer.
Leave a Comment