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Re: Amy - Cost of Medical in the US - My Story - VERY LONG!
From: al (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Wed May 19 18:42:26 1999
Yenta, my heart goes out to you for your awful experiences. I truly
feel very deeply for anyone who receives inadequate care because of the
size of their pocketbook. It always stumps me as to where the gov't
puts their priorities (don't worry anyone, I'm not gonna get on the
political bandwagon - LOL!!) - just, how can people justify spending
millions of dollars on space travel and many other 'not day to day real
life things', millions on movies and sports, when sooooo many people are
suffering?!?!?! I pray that someday there will be fair and good medical
care for everyone. You're all in my prayers, who have been negatively
affected by the US health care system.
luv, Amy
yenta wrote:
>
> China Rose,
> In my dreams -- I wish my insurance premium were $160 a month -- that is
> why I need to get my endo under control for at least 2-5 yrs in the
> future -- no new insurance will cover the endo for at least that period
> of time - "pre-existing condition":0(
> Amy,
> Insurance, especially individual insurance , is very expensive and they
> hike it every 6 months!
> Amy, the bottom line is, it sucks! It truly is absolutely horrible that
> people who are ill and in need of medical care are denied that care if
> they don't have the money to pay for it. I think it is a heartless
> system -- after all, medical treatment is or should be considered a
> "necessity", not a luxury -- and yet, it is only those who can afford to
> seek out the medical assistance required, who get the necessary
> treatment.
> As you said, in Canada, although I'm sure your system also must have its
> problems, at least you are permitted to get treatment from a specialist.
> In America, (and I do love my country but I hate this part of it), only
> those who have the insurance or the cash can gain access to the
> specialists necessary for quality medical treatment.
> I can only imagine how miserable it must be for someone with a severe
> medical ailment who is suffering with chronic pain, to be left to the
> mercy of those less qualified.
> I've heard of so many endo sisters who have been misdiagnosed or who
> have been subjected to "poor surgical expertise" who have ended up worse
> as a result.
> You see, even with medical insurance and money, many of our drs are not
> of the caliber they should be and yet they are more than willing to
> "treat" you (I'm trying to be subtle here because I don't want to get
> into trouble with the forum). I've learned this from my own experience
> as well as from the experience of others.
> I had a lap a couple of years ago in which my gyn literally misdiagnosed
> me with PID rather than Endo. My complaints/symptoms were dismissed --
> he had already decided on my diagnosis. Had he diagnosed me correctly,
> my endo could have been caught before its rapid progression to Stage 3.
> Instead, my endo flared out of control and rapidly progressed, engulfing
> my sacral/back region, etc.. I was living a life of PAIN and misery --
> a living Hell. On one of the particularly bad endo "attacks", I went to
> him, groveling in pain, begging for help. He suggested a laparotomy in
> which he would cut and shorten the ligaments to suspend the uterus, cut
> the nerve bundles and the presacral nerve, lyse any adhesions, and guess
> what -- I would have still have had endo! I didn't understand how his
> recommended surgery would keep the pain from recurring and asked him
> about possible causes of the inflammation I was experiencing, about
> "interceed" since he contended it was the adhesions and chronic PID
> responsible for my pain, etc. @Three days after that appt, I received
> from him a "Dear John" letter! Had I not had the good fortune to speak
> with a specialist, Dr. R, on the phone who accurately dx'd me via
> telephone!!! and sent me to a local specialist, Dr. J, to have my last
> lap, G-d only knows where I would be now.
> I still have sacral pain and my specialist has suggested additional
> treatment to check out possible bowel endo:0(.
> Endo is truly a nasty disease, one that requires a specialist.
> I'm more than happy to share names but only through personal email -- I
> don't want the forum to get upset -- although I really feel it is in our
> best interest to know which drs are "good" and which are "bad" -- I hope
> the forum agrees and understands.
>
> Very long, I know,
> Yen
>
> At Tue, 18 May 1999, ChinaRose wrote:
> >
> >--=====================_78678160==_.ALT
> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> >
> >Hello Amy,
> >
> >Yes, you are very fortunate and I'm glad you are! :o) I hope that
> >you get great care.
> >
> >I will give you my take (My opinion & experience ONLY!)
> >
> >The US is very capitalistic and doctors that are under HMO/PPO
> >or some kinda of health plan, do not make much money unless
> >they schedule enough patients for the day to earn the fee's the
> >Health Plan deems is resonable. So doctors schedule alot of
> >patients, therefore no one really gets the time needed with the
> >doctor for the doctor to consider all the ailments of one patient.
> >Unless of course, a patient is paying out of his/her own pocket.
> >Now if you go out of network, the plan will only pay a percentage
> >of what they deem is a resonable fee, for example; my second
> >surgery the surgeon cost $3,500 (just the surgeon) the Health
> >Plan said $368 was a resonable fee and they only pay 70% of the
> >$368.
> >
> >Well, after being so mistreated by the Health Plan system of
> >America, I had to go out of pocket or I would've ended up on
> >welfare. Needless to say, I'm in debt. 1-surgery under medical
> >plan and 3 surgeries out of network. As long as I make some kind
> >of payment ($20 a month to each hospital, surgeon, lab, etc.) every
> >month, they cannot turn it over to collections and there is no
> >interest charge (well not yet anyways).
> >
> >Insurance can cost anywhere from $60 - $160 a month for single
> >women between the age 21-30. Or some business will pay for 100%
> >of medical benefit. And then one has to consider too, some plans
> >if you're new and have had pre-existing conditions, will not accept you
> >at all. It's all a scam!! Only the heatlh insurance and lawyers make
> >money out here!! While we suffer. Oh, here in Los Angeles, CA,
> >it's the plastic surgeons that make money.... LOL (please excuse the
> >sarcasim), gotta laugh otherwise I'll cry.
> >
> >In some instances, I have written letters to the labs, hospitals, surgeons,
> >doctors..etc. to plead my financial plight and some have actually either
> >taken a percentage off or written the bill off. I have had one doctor also
> >make arrangements with the hospital to accept whatever payment the
> >Plan pays as payment in full. I still owe $ XX,XXX in medical debt.
> >
> >If I could do it all over again, I would have gone to seen Dr. Redwine the
> >first time around, I think I would have saved myself ALLOT of money,
> >frustration and my health may be better, as some of the treatment feels
> >as it's taken some years off my life, not to mention the quality of life is not
> >as full as it use to be... perhaps in time.
> >
> >Anyhow, this has been my experience in the last several years. $$ denotes
> >your quality of care here. I hope this answers some of your questions. Again,
> >this is only my experience and opinion.
> >
> >Hope you are welll.
> >
> >Peace, Love and Light
> >~ ChinaRose
> >
> >Educate yourself. Endometriosis Awareness:
> >http://members.xoom.com/China_Rose/endohome.htm
> >My personal experience with Endometriosis:
> >http://members.xoom.com/China_Rose/endohome2.htm
> >
> >At 08:20 PM 5/18/99 , you wrote:
> >>Hi ladies
> >>I feel very fortunate that I live in Canada where I don't have to pay
> >>for medical procedures, and I don't say that to be insensitive, but I
> >>just wonder, how do you pay for all this stuff??!! If just baffles me,
> >>honestly, and I mean that sincerely. That's a LOT of money!!!! Sorry
> >>for being so dense, but HOW? Do you like have to pay over years, do
> >>they charge interest too? I just think that is sooooo awful that you
> >>have to pay for this stuff!!! How much do you pay for insurance, and
> >>does that cover all the expenses of surgery? Hope you don't mind all my
> >>questions. Can someone enlighten me? please and thks
> >>luv, Amy
> >
> >--=====================_78678160==_.ALT
> >Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii"
> >
> >Hello Amy,
> >
> >Yes, you are very fortunate and I'm glad you are! :o) I hope
> >that
> >you get great care.
> >
> >I will give you my take (My opinion & experience ONLY!)
> >
> >The US is very capitalistic and doctors that are under HMO/PPO
> >or some kinda of health plan, do not make much money unless
> >they schedule enough patients for the day to earn the fee's the
> >Health Plan deems is resonable. So doctors schedule alot of
> >patients, therefore no one really gets the time needed with the
> >doctor for the doctor to consider all the ailments of one patient.
> >Unless of course, a patient is paying out of his/her own pocket.
> >Now if you go out of network, the plan will only pay a percentage
> >of what they deem is a resonable fee, for example; my second
> >surgery the surgeon cost $3,500 (just the surgeon) the Health
> >Plan said $368 was a resonable fee and they only pay 70% of the
> >$368.
> >
> >Well, after being so mistreated by the Health Plan system of
> >America, I had to go out of pocket or I would've ended up on
> >welfare. Needless to say, I'm in debt. 1-surgery under
> >medical
> >plan and 3 surgeries out of network. As long as I make some
> >kind
> >of payment ($20 a month to each hospital, surgeon, lab, etc.) every
> >month, they cannot turn it over to collections and there is no
> >interest charge (well not yet anyways).
> >
> >Insurance can cost anywhere from $60 - $160 a month for single
> >women between the age 21-30. Or some business will pay for
> >100%
> >of medical benefit. And then one has to consider too, some
> >plans
> >if you're new and have had pre-existing conditions, will not accept
> >you
> >at all. It's all a scam!! Only the heatlh insurance and
> >lawyers make
> >money out here!! While we suffer. Oh, here in Los
> >Angeles, CA,
> >it's the plastic surgeons that make money.... LOL (please excuse
> >the
> >sarcasim), gotta laugh otherwise I'll cry.
> >
> >In some instances, I have written letters to the labs, hospitals,
> >surgeons,
> >doctors..etc. to plead my financial plight and some have actually
> >either
> >taken a percentage off or written the bill off. I have had one
> >doctor also
> >make arrangements with the hospital to accept whatever payment the
> >Plan pays as payment in full. I still owe $ XX,XXX in medical
> >debt.
> >
> >If I could do it all over again, I would have gone to seen Dr. Redwine
> >the
> >first time around, I think I would have saved myself ALLOT of money,
> >
> >frustration and my health may be better, as some of the treatment
> >feels
> >as it's taken some years off my life, not to mention the quality of life
> >is not
> >as full as it use to be... perhaps in time.
> >
> >Anyhow, this has been my experience in the last several years. $$
> >denotes
> >your quality of care here. I hope this answers some of your
> >questions. Again,
> >this is only my experience and opinion.
> >
> >Hope you are welll.
> >
> >Peace, Love and Light
> >~ ChinaRose
> >
> >Educate
> >yourself. Endometriosis Awareness:
> >http://members.xoom.com/China_Rose/endohome.htm
> >My
> >personal experience with Endometriosis:
> >http://members.xoom.com/China_Rose/endohome2.htm
> >
> >At 08:20 PM 5/18/99 , you wrote:
> >>Hi ladies
> >>I feel very fortunate that I live in Canada where I don't have to
> >pay
> >>for medical procedures, and I don't say that to be insensitive, but
> >I
> >>just wonder, how do you pay for all this stuff??!! If just
> >baffles me,
> >>honestly, and I mean that sincerely. That's a LOT of
> >money!!!! Sorry
> >>for being so dense, but HOW? Do you like have to pay over
> >years, do
> >>they charge interest too? I just think that is sooooo awful
> >that you
> >>have to pay for this stuff!!! How much do you pay for
> >insurance, and
> >>does that cover all the expenses of surgery? Hope you don't
> >mind all my
> >>questions. Can someone enlighten me? please and thks
> >>luv, Amy
> >
> >--=====================_78678160==_.ALT--
>
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