medical care

[Ozwynn]

I don't want to hear anybody bitching that they can't get medical care in the United States. Wednesday I had to check into the Emergency room for what I had assumed was really bad indigestion but turned out to be my intestine was folded over. it was to the point that if I had waited another day before seeking medical attention I would not be here to type this post. I received about $70,000 worth of surgery with out medical insurance (which I have, but i bought and started the policy the week before so we don't have the cards yet so as far as the hospital was concerned we don't have it) because nobody knew what was wrong I had to have tests done before I was admitted. it took approx 6 hours to go through the tests. Tests that I remember when I was in the army would have taken 6 months to get approval for (my internal organs were ultra sounded, I needed an ultra sound of my bladder when i was in the army and it took 6 months for Tri-care to approve it. the problem straightened itself out by then) If I would have had to wait for the government I would have died as it was I almost died during surgery and if I had been in scottland I would have been denied medical care because I am over weight and I smoke. In my country (the one that when I was 17 I took an oath the protect and defend) I was able to get the medical attention I needed to save my life. they didn't just stabilize me and send me home, they fixed the problem and kept me in the hospital from Wednesday to 9 pm sunday night to make sure the problem was fixed and everything was working. So I am home now able to write this post because by God's amazing grace I was born in America. The worst part about my trip to the hospital besides now having an 11" cut on my abdomen was having whats called and NG tube forced through my nostril into my stomach to pump out my stomach contense , at least it was the most painful. oh and now it hurts when I laugh or cough.

 

[Mark_88]

Good to read your post...you were very fortunate that you got to the hospital and that they found the problem before it became life threatening though...it obviously could have went either way since you were nearing the 'toxic shock state' that can result from folded or pinched bowels...

I hope everything works out with the insurance company...

 

[Dangeranger3]

Glad you're alright..... but are you implying we DON'T need nationalized healthcare????? That unpossible!!! Good luck not being stuck with the bill (insurance has a way of doing that)

 

[skinner]

If we had nationalized health care he'd have went to the ER, given a number, and if lucky, an appointment for 8 weeks in the future because every retard with a runny nose,a cough, dt's, or needing a painkiller fix would be busy clogging the system.
We SHOULD have medical assistance for those who need serious attention and get stuck with the bill.

 

[Ozwynn]

Good to read your post...you were very fortunate that you got to the hospital and that they found the problem before it became life threatening though...it obviously could have went either way since you were nearing the 'toxic shock state' that can result from folded or pinched bowels...

I hope everything works out with the insurance company...

even if I do get stuck with the bill the point is I am still alive and I seriously doubt given the fact that I was on the shady side of death went I went in I would be alive now if we had nationalized health care. the problem would have been blamed on me being over weight or the fact that I smoke or they would have started treating me for a heart attack because I was having heart attack like symptoms (even though I am only 32 and maintain I thought it was really bad indigestion or possibally a hernia) you want to see government health care in action then look at Tri-care (millitary medical insurance) the only reason more soldiers don't die waiting for things is because eventually they go to the ER and those docs actually use equipment to troubleshoot.

and whats the worse that can happen if I get stuck with the bill, there are laws that prevent me from losing my house and my livelihood because of medical bills. what are they going to do ....... put it on my Credit report ........... guess what....... I am self employed in the trucking industry which is experiencing a soft market right now ..... my credit suck. not that I plan on sticking it to them because I refuse to be a drain on the tax payers but there are private funded programs for people like me. now if my insurance did kick in when it was supposed to then I am only on hook for $1800 ($1000 deductible and 20% of the first $4000, then they cover 100% after that, same plan I provide for my employees and they seem to like it)

 

[AngryLepercon]

Wow. Sorry to hear that. Glad your OK.

 

[Bent Bolt]

Hate to burst your bubble ,BDAD but up here I don't think I'd have to pay for anything other than our monthly premiums, ( even that is gone come Jan 1 in Alberta. In Saskatchewan and Manitoba , no premiums are paid by individuals) for something like that. Don't get me wrong, glad you're OK. But people shouldn't have to pay for basic heath care or emergency surgery.

 

[Ozwynn]

Hate to burst your bubble ,BDAD but up here I don't think I'd have to pay for anything other than our monthly premiums, ( even that is gone come Jan 1 in Alberta. In Saskatchewan and Manitoba , no premiums are paid by individuals) for something like that. Don't get me wrong, glad you're OK. But people shouldn't have to pay for basic heath care or emergency surgery.

why not. I agree in the fact that I think the cost is way out of hand and government regulation and lawsuits have forced it to be more than the market can bear. Here you are more likely to die because a doctor was incompetent (not likely) than you are because you couldn't get treatment or some bean counter got to decide who gets what treatment for how much.


but if my choices where to pay the $1800 on a $70,000 surgery once or get taxed like a Canadian then I would choose to pay $1800 once. nothing is free, somebody in Canada has to pay the bill and my experience with free health care is you get what you pay for. I see alot of Canadians getting medical treatment here because they can't get some procedures in Canada because the Government will only pay for so many. I was in the Army I am familiar with how that bean counter system works.

 

[superdave1984]

Anybody ever wonder why healthcare costs so much? Did you think it was maybe because of all the people who get medical care and then just don't bother to pay the bill? Hospitals write off billions of dollars daily because patients simply don't want to pay the bill. Medicare/medicaid pay a fraction of the actual bill and the hospital writes off the rest. Do you think young men and women would go to the trouble and expense of medical school, internship, etc if they were going to make about the same money as the person doing their billing? Yes the healthcare system needs to be fixed, but not by the government.

 

[naford]

Oh my another discussion from the flat earth types.

 

[snake]

You got it superdave. The government (medicaid medicare) IS the problem. They screw the doctors and ins. companies so we have to make it up. So do you really want a healthcare system run by the government? Big Bad & Blue would be dead, as well as everyone else deemed not worthy of care, i.e. your grandparents because they are "old" and anyone else not considered worthy by some red-tape beaurocrats. Remember THIS as you go to the polls in November. This is the kind of "change" we can do without.

 

[Ozwynn]

boy I am suffering today........ trying not to take my vicoden because it upsets my stomach.

pain is good .... means you are alive ........

 

[MAKG]

If we had nationalized health care he'd have went to the ER, given a number, and if lucky, an appointment for 8 weeks in the future because every retard with a runny nose,a cough, dt's, or needing a painkiller fix would be busy clogging the system.
We SHOULD have medical assistance for those who need serious attention and get stuck with the bill.

Bullshit.

If he had had insurance, they would have gone over that with him while he was in pain, because of course money is more important.

Yes, I've seen that.

Maybe TriCare is broken; there have been recent scandals about that. Miltary organization is known to be broken in other ways as well (say, procurement...) that go far beyond what other branches of government do. But the Brits and the Canadians aren't all dead and most of Europe seems to live longer and healthier than those of us in the US. Why might that be? They spend a small fraction of what the US does on health care, even if you count the taxation.

And if you've ever been to an ER, they are ALREADY clogged with addicts needing painkiller fixes.

THE problem with this is that resources are allocated to where the money comes from, not where the need is.

And this problem was a $70,000 cost? JHC, doesn't anyone see the problem with that? It has an extra zero. Inflated for people with no insurance. So, BDAB, I hope you enjoy paying for everyone else (even those with insurance), as that's what you advocated here.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I always thought they inflated it for those with insurance rather than without?

I always wondered how I could go to the doctor for my annual allergy shot, pay $100 to see the guy for a maximum of 15 minutes (usually 5-10 minutes), get a $50 shot and insurance pays for the whole thing without a complaint, of course after I spend 45 minutes in the waiting room getting exposed to god knows what...

 

[MAKG]

I always thought they inflated it for those with insurance rather than without?

In effect, it's the other way around.

There is an inflated "cost" for every procedure.

Large insurers and Medicare cap how much can be charged -- and the caps are generally lower (often MUCH lower) than the retail cost.