I don't like writing too personal diaries about my family. However, having spent this year discussing the desperate need for a change in healthcare, and Joe Lieberman's desire to shit on hard working Americans, I want to tell a story about what I learned over the last month or so.
We are very fortunate to have good insurance, can afford the co-pays and have the time and ability to get where we need to go when medical issues come up.
But I can't stop thinking about others who aren't as fortunate. What about them?
On Nov 12 Gramps hurt his knee at work (non workman's comp). He called his Primary doctor who could see him that day. He came home, we went to the doctor, had an x-ray in the office, was scheduled for an MRI on Nov 18, and was referred to a orthopedic surgeon. He left the office on crutches with a scrip for Vicoden. Cost: $35.00
While waiting in the Primary doctor's office, I read a posted memo from the doctors: They no longer accept Medicaid patients. Period. I won't say here what I think about that - my father would rise up out of his grave and beat my butt if he heard me use such language.
On the 18th, we went for the MRI and were told to come back in 3 days to pick up the CD of the test to bring to the next doctor appt.
On Nov 23, Gramps saw the ortho who wanted to rush schedule the surgery for the 27th because of the severe damage from arthritis in the knee. Gramps actually tore his meniscus, but that was not what was causing all the pain, it was the bone rubbing on bone. Pre-surgery plans began. We left there with another scrip for Vicoden. They sent us across the street to get blood work done. We went to the address and the office was not there. Apparently the ortho office was unaware they moved 6 months ago. On the 25th, we did the blood work then went to the Primary doctor to get an EKG. ($25)
Gramps has a non threatening, non-issue flap thing in his heart, but because that made the EKG appear "abnormal", the Primary required a stress test be done before surgery. Now we had to wait until after Thanksgiving. Gramps had his stress test on Nov 30 and, of course, it came back normal. (charge to be billed)
One more trip to the ortho for a knee brace fitting ($250) for post surgery, required up front payment of $350 for the ortho himself and it was finally scheduled for Dec 11.
Before surgery that morning, we paid another $400 for the OR. Surgery went very well, Gramps came home with a hyperextension machine, which we return this week, and another prescription for Vicoden. He's walking and doing well. No complications.
The anesthesiologist will be sending a bill for $300.
During all of this, I was also scheduled for routine end of year bloodwork, prescription renewal, basic check up. The day before I twisted my back. No problem, happens all the time. I happen to mention it at the end of the appointment, and before I could get all the words out of my mouth, she offered me a scrip for Vicoden. Ahh, huh? I said no thanks it's not that painful.
So here we are... over 30 days since the situation began. We will pay around $1500.00 out of pocket and we have enough Vicoden to kill the small army of wild pigs that live in our area.
I have a few questions about this for profit business.
- Why do they keep pushing all this Vicoden on us?
- Why can't the right hand talk to the left hand? If all our med info was accessible online to all the doctors/hospital involved in a surgery, we could do a one stop shopping on the same day - all tests done in one day with results available to all involved immediately. The MRI CD could have been emailed to the ortho.
- While waiting for Gramps' MRI, I spoke to the hospital intake lady who told me the hospital bills insurance companies every 3 days and, if payment is not received in 30 days, it's charged off. Why not try to collect it? Because they just bill the patient and refer it to a collection agency. No longer their problem, they can write it off taxes as a loss, wreck your credit and still get a percentage if anything is collected from the agency in the future.
- While talking to the ortho scheduler, she told me that each doctor in the office has 2 full time workers who do nothing but deal with insurance companies. They have 6 doctors, so they pay 12 people to do their insurance paperwork. Seems a bit excessive to me.
- We are very fortunate that we are able to afford the co-pays. At every step of the process, I asked the people who we worked with, "what do you say to someone who has no insurance or who has insurance but can't afford the copays?" They all said the same thing - "I don't know, there isn't anything we can do".
- When I asked about changing the system to single payer or Medicare buy ins? I got nothing. They just look at me and shake their heads like they are listening, but won't comment, mumbling something about "I don't know enough about it..." May I say, if I worked in the industry, I would learn as much as I could since my job could depend on it.
One last thing. I awoke this morning in a very bad mood towards Joe The Lieberman, so I lashed out and emailed him this:
"I now see clearly that Joe Lieberman only cares about Joe Lieberman. 3 years ago, you were in favor of buying into Medicare. Now you just want to be the center of attention and control the vote. You have it in for the dems you lost to Ned Lamont and want "payback time" now. You are so self absorbed you put yourself ahead of hard working American citizens who need help now! Joe The Lieberman, you can afford top notch health insurance, your wife makes her living working for the industry, and the industry contributes to your campaigns. Yet you refuse to support any plan that will provide better access and care for those of us not named Joe Lieberman. You are a very selfish, small and egotistical man.
Joe Lieberman - the perfect example of why we need term limits in the Senate.
Please go to hell."
Perhaps that last line was over the top and I should be sorry for it, but I'm not. I'm pissed. Really pissed.
Access to quality healthcare is a human right regardless of what greedy corporate shills say. We may be a capitalist society, but I draw the line when the cost is a human life. Profits Before People should be illegal. And Joe Leiberman needs to go away, lose his lifetime congressional pension and taxpayer funded healthcare coverage. After all, we supported/carried him all these years, it's time for him to pay his own way.