My nephew has pneumonia. Poor little guy. Anyway, I called into work sick yesterday so I can help my sister, she hasn't slept in days. She brought him to the doctor 3 times in two days - well really, two different doctors- the first was the after hours place at midnight. Her insurance sucks, but she does have some - but she has to reach a deductible for it to really help her. We are talking about this and of course on top of the no sleep she was upset about the money. $300 one place $500 another $185 another and then of course the different prescriptions they gave her $90 for one $45 for the other. And I wonder...she went for the SAME thing each time. The doctor got it wrong, medicine didn't work...so she had to try something else.
Why isn't our health care system better? A follow-up appointment should not be as expensive! If the doctor doesn't know what is wrong and you have to keep going back, you shouldn't have to pay so much for that. Maybe then we would have some better doctors or doctors that actually learn about diagnosing and not worry about which code to use to get paid the most. I know our doctors are better here than in other places...and I tend to like my {internist} doctor but is it because he knows his stuff? No, actually I think every time I go there that he doesn't. There is always a referral somewhere else or to keep an eye on it to see what happens and then come back.
Yeah, we live in America, we have freedom, blah blah blah. But when it is at the point where I don't go to the doctor often because I can't dish out the $50 copay each time (thank goodness I don't have a family) and my sister doesn't get help from her insurance until she spends $5,000 a year...something is wrong. The poor people and some of the non-citizens get free or hugely reduced bills and then the people that struggle (like me) - pay our taxes (so the poor can go to the doctor, get food stamps etc), make too much to be poor but no where near enough to live comfortably suffer. I would like to not worry about getting sick, my grocery bill etc. I am so tired of the injustice.
But yet, I still have an open heart for those that truly need the help like the homeless.
Hoping my little nephew's fever breaks today and that he starts to eat otherwise he has to be admitted to the hospital - which will cost a bundle. But seriously aside from the money (any parent is willing to go into debt for their kid) a hospital stay wouldn't be good for a 4 year old. He will probably worry every time he gets sick that he'd have to go to the hospital and he already thought he was dying on Monday.
I agree, I don't think that if there needs to be a follow up it should cost anything actually. If you have to return anything for being deficient to any store they don't make you pay again. It really seems unfair when it wasn't your mistake, it was the doctors.
ReplyDeleteOur health care system is ridiculous. The unfortunate thing is there are so many factors to blame for the shittiness. Insurance companies change SO MUCH MONEY that it makes our premiums high. (don't believe me? Tell a hospital you don't have insurance and you usually get AT LEAST a 20% "cash" discount) People get all sue happy and then cause the doctors to have huge amounts of mal-practice insurance, and then have to charge more... blah blah blah. Either way it all sucks and is way too expensive. I really hope the national health care (finally) takes off so we can get to work on stuff. We need some accountability!!
ReplyDeleteI'm lucky living in the UK that the national health service is free to everyone, although there are rumours that our new government is planning to move towards the American model.
ReplyDeleteI hope this country never goes down that road and I hope your nephew makes a full recovery soon:)