Something strange happened....

[JustAnotherNut]

to my way of thinking anyway.

Back story.....I've been disabled now for 5 years, on Medicare and have United Healthcare supplement insurance. Not that I really need it because I rarely see the Dr, have NO major health issues

If you say that you've been disabled for 5 years in one sentence, and in the very next sentence you claim to have no major health issues...

Spoiler

...you might be a nutcase.

Sure, my back, bone degeneration, arthritis and bi-polar that are my disabilities........but nothing that has to be monitored by a Dr or take medications for......like heart disease, diabetes, etc. Though yes, at 60 and a breast cancer survivor, I probably should see a Dr on a regular basis, but I refuse to do so, because they aren't about treating the problems, only the symptoms. Our whole healthcare system $uck$ when it's all about money, and not the patient

Not all MD's are created equal, so perhaps it is wise to avoid painting the whole profession with such a broad brush due to an unfortunate personal experience. Granted, some of them are idiots or just greedy psychopaths, but not all of them.

Yes, I do realize that and even like my Dr.......but it's more about the industry itself. Dr's can't treat or diagnose beyond the simplest of complaints and have to refer you to a specialist, that refers you for tests someplace else, then, then, then. By the end of the day, you've been shuffled around to several different appointments, procedures, etc. only to be told they can only do surgery, which you don't want but they won't tell you alternatives OR give you RX's for this, that & everything else.

Dr's can only do what the insurance companies will allow or pay for and would rather pump you full of drugs to alleviate symptoms, but never actually treat the cause.


Even when I had cancer and begrudgingly underwent chemo, the Oncologist kept writing prescriptions for the side effects....which I didn't take. Then when I had a lumpectomy, I insisted they take out the port because I was done with chemo & didn't need it anymore. Both surgeon & Oncologist wanted me to keep it 'just in case'. They took it out. Then they were both really upset when I refused radiation therapy. No, the cancer is dead & gone......no need for radiation. I'd had enough. They've both labeled me as a 'tyrant'.....just because I made choices about my body and the treatments I would accept that didn't align with 'common practice'....phewy

 

[JustAnotherNut]

to my way of thinking anyway.

Back story.....I've been disabled now for 5 years, on Medicare and have United Healthcare supplement insurance. Not that I really need it because I rarely see the Dr, have NO major health issues

If you say that you've been disabled for 5 years in one sentence, and in the very next sentence you claim to have no major health issues...

Spoiler

...you might be a nutcase.

Sure, my back, bone degeneration, arthritis and bi-polar that are my disabilities........but nothing that has to be monitored by a Dr or take medications for......like heart disease, diabetes, etc. Though yes, at 60 and a breast cancer survivor, I probably should see a Dr on a regular basis, but I refuse to do so, because they aren't about treating the problems, only the symptoms. Our whole healthcare system $uck$ when it's all about money, and not the patient

Not all MD's are created equal, so perhaps it is wise to avoid painting the whole profession with such a broad brush due to an unfortunate personal experience. Granted, some of them are idiots or just greedy psychopaths, but not all of them.

Just for a little clarification, I'll give an exaggerated hypothetical............

You have some lower abdominal pain that you go to your regular Dr about. They take your vitals, then send you to a gastroenterologist who then sends you to have a colonoscopy. Polyps are found & removed, but the pain is still there. Then you're sent to have an appendectomy, that doesn't help either. Then you have to go for an upper GI and they find nothing and send you back to your regular DR, who gives you RX's for pain, swelling, and a couple of other drugs to coat the stomach & linings the other drugs may effect.

You walk out with all these drugs, been poked & prodded & tested from both ends.......and still have the pain and no better for your troubles. After taking whatever medications given, a few days later you develop a rash, you go back in and are then given an RX for cream to help with that........but you still have the pain and no answers as to why.

At which point you are frustrated with the whole situation and end up improving your diet by cutting out fats, excess carbs and eating more fruits & veggies, getting regular exercise to lose a few pounds and after about a week, you finally let out a huge fart and the pain is instantly gone and you're back to your normal self and even feeling better because of changing your lifestyle.

So after all that, you realize it was just having a fart crosswise.....but why didn't any of the DR's you've seen even ASK about what you'd had to eat in the few days prior? Why didn't any of them press on your tummy to determine where the pain was the worst? Nobody asked where or which side the pain was before taking your appendix, nobody asked if there was any nausea or vomiting or diahhreah or constipation.......they all just assumed they already knew the answers and acted on them......without any real discussion to pinpoint a more accurate diagnosis.

And you've went thru several DR's, treatments, procedures, drugs at the cost of thousands of dollars.........all for a fart.







And for another example, that did actually happen.....

Several years ago my hubs had to have surgery on both eyes, but were scheduled separately. When he had the first procedure, he had insurance thru his work. The clinic had charged the insurance $4000 (I don't remember exact amount, but for reference). Which the insurance paid $1500 and we were charged $500 co pay......clinic got $2000.
By the time the second procedure was scheduled, the company hubs worked for had dropped medical coverages for employees and we had to pay the full bill ourselves.......Clinic charged us $2000 for self pay. When asked about the discrepancy of amounts, they said they had to charge the insurance a higher amount because of the extra cost of filing the paperwork.

I doubt that's the case cause it would cost them the same to bill the insurance as it would to bill us......and its rather obvious the procedure only costs $2000.



And another one.......

My cancer treatment was done thru Catholic Health Initiatives an umbrella company that included many of the DR's, hospitals, test procedures, etc that made up my 'care team. I received bills from each of them separately, but it all funneled back to CHI.......So I was billed & paid them as they came in, until one day I realized I had already paid one of them previously but was still being billed for it.

After some digging around before I confronted them about it, I found out I had already paid them 3 times for that one particular bill. I was pissed. When I called billing to ask what the problem was and to get my money back for the overpayments......I was told that any monies received over the amount billed for that procedure was applied to other accounts held by me........NOW WAIT A MINUTE. You're telling me that if I have been billed for 3 different procedures, and I pay off one of the bills, and make payments on the other two.....you're still going to bill me for all 3, but apply any monies to those I still owe on??????? That kind of shit does not sit well with my accounting experience. I can't imagine how many other people have been billed in this way, but never noticed or questioned it.


So I guess I have bigger issues with the insurance industry, but any & all that are encompassed within it's reach get sucked into that same vacuum.