How many times have you been denied health care?

[AllieBaba]

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.

Bingo. Our health crisis is caused directly by the fucking insurance companies.

The insurance companies are the ones who have made it difficult for drs to prescribe pain meds and antibiotics....

And who determine what they will and won't pay for.

The only time I've been denied health care was when I was on government insurance (OHP) and had 3 terrible tooth abcesses that developed while I was pregnant with my 4th child. I made my appointment months ahead of time, because my government dentist wouldn't treat me while pregnant, just so I could rush in there as soon as the baby was born. He piddled around and would have me come in every six weeks or so, pulled one tooth which wasn't hurting me, gave me two tiny fillings (also in teeth that weren't abcessed) and finally referred me to an oral surgeon. In the meantime, I was working and had excruciating pain from my abcesses, which the fucktards refused to prescribe pain meds for. When I went to the ER twice because I was unable to sleep for days on end thanks to the pain, the ER called the dentist, who said I had received too much pain medication in the last month (that's 16 vicadin tablets. For a month.) I called the liason, who was an ancient orthodontist, who said he thought I was med seeking.

?????

I told him yes, I sure as shit AM fucking med seeking, and as SOON AS THE PROBLEM IS TREATED I'LL QUIT SEEKING MEDS.

He lied to me, told me he'd call in the scrip (he didn't) and the next day my mother took me to a real dentist and for $800 + I had two root canals in two days, and a couple of very extreme fillings. The real dentist was appalled.

 

[AllieBaba]

So incidentally, I wish you all well with fucking government insurance. It sucks, as I and any poor soul who has ever been stuck with it will testify.

 

[KittenKoder]

Actually no, it's not. In my area there are many clinics that do not turn you away, even if you owe them thousands of dollars, it's in their mission statements as well. They also don't care if you have insurance and half of them base everything on a sliding scale. So everyone can see a doctor. The hospitals here also don't check for insurance when you are admitted.

Really?

You think you're getting cancer treatment if you have no health insurance?

I know two people who are ...
But then, that's in real life and doesn't fit all the hype does it ..

... oh, and the state and federal pays for it.

 

[alan1]

Actually no, it's not. In my area there are many clinics that do not turn you away, even if you owe them thousands of dollars, it's in their mission statements as well. They also don't care if you have insurance and half of them base everything on a sliding scale. So everyone can see a doctor. The hospitals here also don't check for insurance when you are admitted.

Really?

You think you're getting cancer treatment if you have no health insurance?

I know two people who are ...
But then, that's in real life and doesn't fit all the hype does it ..

... oh, and the state and federal pays for it.

Everybody can find a rare example of somebody that was denied medical care, yet manage to ignore the millions of people that get medical care everyday.
It's a crisis. The government told me so.

 

[AllieBaba]

I know plenty of people who are getting cancer treatment without insurance. Including one who applied for OHP but was denied because the plan wasn't open at the time. He got his treatment anyway, it just cost him. When he saw me he had about $8000 in medical costs. He was still working when he could, and paying what he could. But he was in no danger of having the treatment stopped.

I referred him to SPD for presumptive...there are cases where people who are denied medical through OHP can get temporary disability through social security, and I do believe he got it.

 

[AllieBaba]

Another case that I had to deny medical to was a mother with a heart condition who couldn't work and who had gone through her savings to pay for her medical bills. She was unable to pay on them when she came in, but was still receiving treatment. Also referred for presumptive, also referred to social security to apply for disability, also received it.

But even if she hadn't, her treatment would have continued. I know because I asked.

 

[auditor0007]

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?

Drunks don't get livers because there are not enough of them to go around. That goes for Great Britain, Germany, all of Europe, all of the world, and yes, that includes the good old US of A. Now quit bringing this up because it demeans anything intelligent you may have to say.

 

[Oddball]

Drunks don't get livers because there are not enough of them to go around. That goes for Great Britain, Germany, all of Europe, all of the world, and yes, that includes the good old US of A. Now quit bringing this up because it demeans anything intelligent you may have to say.

There aren't enough organs in general to go around because bureaucratic meddlers have determined that your organs don't belong to you.

 

[auditor0007]

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*

An illness without health insurance will not bankrupt most people. A serious illness probably will, but most people don't have a serious illness.

My wife died from leukemia. I have cirrhosis of the liver due to Hemochromatosis. Not having insurance in either case would have bankrupted me. And now that I moved to a different state, I can no longer afford the insurance as they will only give me insurance at triple the price and less than half the benefits of my old policy. So now I will be self pay for what I can afford. If anything else serious comes about, which could well happen considering my condition, then I will not be able to pay for it. Most likely, the excess iron in my body for all those years also did damage to my heart, so I'm a prime candidate for a heart attack. Luckily, for a heart attack, I would most likely be treated, and then would have to file for bankruptcy.

The interesting thing about that scenario is that means the costs would just be passed on to someone else. If I was able to purchase insurance at a somewhat reasonable price, I would at least be paying something into the system. My regular treatment only comes to around $4000 to $5000 per year. With deductibles on a reasonable plan, I would pay for half of that out of pocket, so the insurance company would actually be ahead until something catastophic happened, if something catastrophic happened. There is no guarantee that anything catostrophic will happen; I am just a slightly higher risk. The fact is that most anyone considered obese is a much higher risk than myself.

 

[auditor0007]

Actually no, it's not. In my area there are many clinics that do not turn you away, even if you owe them thousands of dollars, it's in their mission statements as well. They also don't care if you have insurance and half of them base everything on a sliding scale. So everyone can see a doctor. The hospitals here also don't check for insurance when you are admitted.

Really?

You think you're getting cancer treatment if you have no health insurance?

They'll give you minimal treatment, but you better become indigent very fast in order for Medicaid to pick up the tab. Most likely you'll get minimal treatment, but not enough to save your life. But that's okay; we know that people who can't afford health insurance shouldn't have a right to life anyway.

 

[AllieBaba]

Don't count on it. As I said, I've had the pleasure of denying people of Medicaid because they belong to a bracket where they don't qualify for it. That is, between 19-60 years old, no under age children in the household, not pregnant.

 

[xotoxi]

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?

You are either joking...or you didn't read the thread about this.

 

[strollingbones]

i have not been able to be seen by a primary care doctor since my doctor dies...the reason....i have optical migraines....there is no treatment for them....but you need a primary care doctor...all of them assume you are a drug seeker due to the conditions...some doctors go as far as to claim that optical migraines are non existent..even though we all present with the same symptoms...but hell there are millions of us making this shit up to get drug....bunch of dumbasses....if they would just look into what they are...would realize we dont need drugs...doctors can be such horses asses....so yea i am denied medical security ...does that count?

 

[strollingbones]

do you include dental care in this health care issue?

 

[jillian]

You are either joking...or you didn't read the thread about this.

that's what propagandists do... they repeat the same lie or half truth over and over and over and over again....

they know it's dishonest... they just don't care.

 

[johnrocks]

People being denied healthcare is not what is ruining Americans financially. Being denied coverage for any miriad of trumped up reasons is what is killing us. Big insurance has us jumping through hoops and risking our health.

Obama just pointed out that not only do we pay high premiums but since big insurance gets tax breaks, we also pay for that.

All insurance is,is basically a contract between you and the insurance company, United Healthcare's "doubling of profits" this quarter is a result of losing some big lawsuits last year which quite naturally,profits would be larger after those losses. I don't have a problem with courts enforcing contracts,only problem is,is too often,contracts are signed before being read(sound familiar,lol) and then when something happens that they think is covered,they find out it isn't. Need to read any contract you sign.

My insurance was a contract between my employer and their insurance company.

Well, it should be a contract between you and the insurance company,group insurance is crazy,your setting yourself up for something bad to happen,like losing your job after you become uninsurable.

 

[johnrocks]

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?

Drunks don't get livers because there are not enough of them to go around. That goes for Great Britain, Germany, all of Europe, all of the world, and yes, that includes the good old US of A. Now quit bringing this up because it demeans anything intelligent you may have to say.

I merely asked a question, when did you become the hall monitor,telling me what to say?

 

[auditor0007]

All insurance is,is basically a contract between you and the insurance company, United Healthcare's "doubling of profits" this quarter is a result of losing some big lawsuits last year which quite naturally,profits would be larger after those losses. I don't have a problem with courts enforcing contracts,only problem is,is too often,contracts are signed before being read(sound familiar,lol) and then when something happens that they think is covered,they find out it isn't. Need to read any contract you sign.

My insurance was a contract between my employer and their insurance company.

Well, it should be a contract between you and the insurance company,group insurance is crazy,your setting yourself up for something bad to happen,like losing your job after you become uninsurable.

So you should get a private plan then? One that allows you to deal directly with the insurance company? So that when you move they can triple your rates or deny you coverage due to pre-existing conditions since private plans do not fall under HIPAA regulations? Yea, that's a great idea. In fact that is why I no longer have insurance.

 

[auditor0007]

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

Drunks don't get livers because there are not enough of them to go around. That goes for Great Britain, Germany, all of Europe, all of the world, and yes, that includes the good old US of A. Now quit bringing this up because it demeans anything intelligent you may have to say.

I merely asked a question, when did you become the hall monitor,telling me what to say?

This incident has been discussed in numerous threads. It only seems logical that you would have some knowledge of it since you were bringing it up, or are you saying you have no knowledge of it, but you just happened to mention it out of the blue?

 

[Oddball]

You are either joking...or you didn't read the thread about this.

that's what propagandists do... they repeat the same lie or half truth over and over and over and over again....

they know it's dishonest... they just don't care.

Spoken like the expert.