How many times have you been denied health care?

[alan1]

How many times have you personally been denied health care, or has someone in your immediate family been denied health care?
Certainly, if there is a "Health Care Crisis", there must be millions of people that have been denied health care.
What care was denied to you personally or to your family member?

 

[johnrocks]

I've never once been denied care, I once had to pay an $1800 bill at a local ER because of a panic attack though,lol.

 

[Oddball]

Once, in Asheville, NC.

I went to a medical clinic for a minor medical problem and was turned away because I had no insurance, even though I fanned out and waved a pocket full of $100.00 bills at the intake nurse.

 

[jillian]

How many times have you personally been denied health care, or has someone in your immediate family been denied health care?
Certainly, if there is a "Health Care Crisis", there must be millions of people that have been denied health care.
What care was denied to you personally or to your family member?

what do you consider being denied health care? (aside from cases like Cigna denying someone a liver transplant so she dies)?

Do you consider them trying to force women to go home from the hospital 24 hours after a mastectomy a denial of health care? (you know, given that congress had to legislate on that subject to stop the practice if i recall correctly).

 

[johnrocks]

How many times have you personally been denied health care, or has someone in your immediate family been denied health care?
Certainly, if there is a "Health Care Crisis", there must be millions of people that have been denied health care.
What care was denied to you personally or to your family member?

what do you consider being denied health care? (aside from cases like Cigna denying someone a liver transplant so she dies)?

Do you consider them trying to force women to go home from the hospital 24 hours after a mastectomy a denial of health care? (you know, given that congress had to legislate on that subject to stop the practice if i recall correctly).

Didn't a young man in Great Britain just die because the government denied a liver transplant?

 

[alan1]

How many times have you personally been denied health care, or has someone in your immediate family been denied health care?
Certainly, if there is a "Health Care Crisis", there must be millions of people that have been denied health care.
What care was denied to you personally or to your family member?

what do you consider being denied health care? (aside from cases like Cigna denying someone a liver transplant so she dies)?

Do you consider them trying to force women to go home from the hospital 24 hours after a mastectomy a denial of health care? (you know, given that congress had to legislate on that subject to stop the practice if i recall correctly).

I consider a Doctor refusing to treat you a denial of health care, kind of like what happened to Dude in the above post.

 

[johnrocks]

Once, in Asheville, NC.

I went to a medical clinic for a minor medical problem and was turned away because I had no insurance, even though I fanned out and waved a pocket full of $100.00 bills at the intake nurse.

I forgot,I was denied an appointment once when I said I was paying cash. I only keep catastrophic insurance.

 

[Ravi]

Once.

After I gave birth to my son I developed an infection but the insurance company wouldn't pay for me to stay in the hospital to recuperate (even though chances were it was the hospital's fault I got the infection). My fever went to 106 (could be why I'm retarded now!) which resulted in me having to buy Similac to feed my son, go through weeks of antibiotics and forced my doctor to recommend a c-section for my next pregnancy.

 

[alan1]

Once.

After I gave birth to my son I developed an infection but the insurance company wouldn't pay for me to stay in the hospital to recuperate (even though chances were it was the hospital's fault I got the infection). My fever went to 106 (could be why I'm retarded now!) which resulted in me having to buy Similac to feed my son, go through weeks of antibiotics and forced my doctor to recommend a c-section for my next pregnancy.

That sounds like it was an insurance company refusing to pay, not a Dr refusing treatment.

 

[Ravi]

Once.

After I gave birth to my son I developed an infection but the insurance company wouldn't pay for me to stay in the hospital to recuperate (even though chances were it was the hospital's fault I got the infection). My fever went to 106 (could be why I'm retarded now!) which resulted in me having to buy Similac to feed my son, go through weeks of antibiotics and forced my doctor to recommend a c-section for my next pregnancy.

That sounds like it was an insurance company refusing to pay, not a Dr refusing treatment.

I thought that's what you meant. The doc wanted to treat me in the hospital, in fact he felt so bad about the entire episode he never charged me for the extra treatment.

 

[alan1]

Once.

After I gave birth to my son I developed an infection but the insurance company wouldn't pay for me to stay in the hospital to recuperate (even though chances were it was the hospital's fault I got the infection). My fever went to 106 (could be why I'm retarded now!) which resulted in me having to buy Similac to feed my son, go through weeks of antibiotics and forced my doctor to recommend a c-section for my next pregnancy.

That sounds like it was an insurance company refusing to pay, not a Dr refusing treatment.

I thought that's what you meant. The doc wanted to treat me in the hospital, in fact he felt so bad about the entire episode he never charged me for the extra treatment.

I asked about being denied health care, not being denied coverage by an insurance agency.

P.S.
(The retardedness goes away after the kids move out).

 

[Ravi]

Fair enough, MM...but the only time I was denied was because of the insurance company. I don't think doctors are in the habit of denying health care, in fact I believe they take an oath about it.

Maybe we should demand insurance companies do the same.

 

[jillian]

I asked about being denied health care, not being denied coverage by an insurance agency.

That's kind of a narrow definition given that many times being denied coverage is the same as being denied health care.

 

[Toro]

I have known people who cannot get health insurance for pre-existing conditions.

 

[Ravi]

True, Jillian. My doctor wanted me to stay in the hospital, but if the insurance wouldn't cover it, what choice did he have? You can't expect a doctor to cover hospital costs out of his or her own pocket.

 

[DamnYankee]

How many times have you personally been denied health care, or has someone in your immediate family been denied health care?
Certainly, if there is a "Health Care Crisis", there must be millions of people that have been denied health care.
What care was denied to you personally or to your family member?

Never, as of yet.

 

[alan1]

Fair enough, MM...but the only time I was denied was because of the insurance company. I don't think doctors are in the habit of denying health care, in fact I believe they take an oath about it.

Maybe we should demand insurance companies do the same.

A large part of my point is that health care doesn't really seem to be a crisis, Dr's are willing to treat people, and unless your name is Dude and you are in Asheville NC (a hippy town btw), most people are able to receive medical care.

 

[alan1]

I asked about being denied health care, not being denied coverage by an insurance agency.

That's kind of a narrow definition given that many times being denied coverage is the same as being denied health care.

Actually, those are two entirely different things.

 

[Modbert]

Didn't a young man in Great Britain just die because the government denied a liver transplant?

He was an alcoholic binge drinker. In the US, most people have to wait at least 6 months (of no drinking) to even have a shot at a liver. The rare cases are the rich people who buy their way to the top of the list. So no, it wasn't because of the health care system did he die. It was because he was binge drinking since 13, needed a new liver, but his choices had their consequences.

 

[jillian]

True, Jillian. My doctor wanted me to stay in the hospital, but if the insurance wouldn't cover it, what choice did he have? You can't expect a doctor to cover hospital costs out of his or her own pocket.

Exactly. Unless someone is extraordinarily wealthy, illness without insurance coverage will either bankrupt them or cause them to go without treatment.

Personally, I think that's a pretty awful choice.

When I had my own practice, it cost me approximately $2,100 a month for health insurance because I wanted a plan that covered my choice of doctors. And I'm thankfully lucky enough now to have employer based health coverage and still I only get 80% of reasonable and customary if I go to an out-of-network provider.

Ever see what reasonable and customary looks like next to NY medical costs?? *sigh*