Originally posted by llpoolej
obviously it wasn't that bad. I do know that the british people were not getting half what we were.

Originally posted by Uniceft17

and says 'nothing to worry about'

Originally posted by Uniceft17
So I went to the hospital, within 5 mins I was in my own private room, a nurse comes in takes blood, takes a urine sample, asks me what's going on and I explain to her. They seemed very concerned for my health and are extremely nice and polite. They were talking about doing x-rays and a cat scan to check out what was going on within my body.

Then I make it known that I am no longer covered under my mothers health care, 5 mins later i'm wheeled out of the room into a room with several other people with curtains seprerating us and then treated by a doctor who acts like he couldn't care less about the lymph nodes, all they were worried about was the pain in my lower right abdomen.

Originally posted by j2000
If this really happened, I am sorry your not well, but your very ignorant.

• As previously pointed out, the ER is an Emergency Room, not a General Practitioner's office. This is one of the problems that have been helping to make medical costs spiral out of control. Hospitals are costly to operate and maintain, meaning they have to charge more for their services. So when you see a medical professional under a burden of financial hardship, why would you choose willingly to go to the most expensive one?
  
  
• The hospital did see you, and they did check out your abdominal pain. Appendicitis is an acute ailment that can become life-threatening in a matter of minutes. I am gathering form some of the other posters (although I do wish someone with more information would post it here for you) that the lymphoma, if that is what you have, is less acute.
  
  
• In most cities (around here anyway) there are residency offices. These usually have younger doctors working their way to opening a full practice, and they typically see patients with some problem, whether it be financial or lack of insurance or just unable to find a family doctor who will accept them as a patient. I am not talking about the Health Department, before anyone assumes I am.
  
  Check your phone book.
  
  
• Your story does indicate that there was a correlation between your admittance of no insurance coverage and the room change, but is it possible that was coincidental? Could there have been other reasons why you were shifted from being in a private room under maximum care to a group room under minimal care? Could it, for example, have been that the first doctor who examined you had discovered you do not have appendicitis and therefore did not need a private room for immediate care?
  
  
• When did the hospitals begin taking insurance information after one was already in a room? The few times I have had to take someone to the hospital, someone had to fill out the forms for admittance before any real care could begin, if for no other reason than to make sure they didn't give you something that could kill you! Part of those forms concern insurance. The only time I have ever seen someone skip this was if they were rushed via ambulance and were either comatose or in immediate danger, and even then the hospital makes Herculean efforts to get as much information as they can.
  
  
• If you are unemployed, you should be eligible for some governmental program. I know Medicaid here will actually cover medical bills a few months prior to the date you receive it. All you need do, if that is the case where you are, is fill out the forms for Medicaid and tell a GP that you have done so. I have seen plenty of GP's accept this, because it means they will probably get paid.
  
  
• Why would you want a specialist if you don't even know what specialist you need? If your car breaks down, do you not take it to a general mechanic? Or do you have it towed first to a transmission shop, then to an engine specialist, then to a bodywork shop, then to an auto-electrical shop, then to... you get the idea.
  
  GP's are specifically trained to be able to recognize when something is outside their field of expertise and a specialist is needed. They also are familiar with which specialist is needed. Usually, they even know the specialists professionally and can get you in sooner than if you just walked in off the street, not to mention giving the specialist the necessary information to help them do a better job of fixing you.
  
  
• The second doctor you saw did indeed sound rude, but think about this: how long had he been working? How many other patients without a life-threatening acute illness was he having to help at the same time you were there? How many of those was the hospital having to treat for free? You are seeing firsthand the results of overuse and abuse of hospital facilities that has helped make the system what it is. So why did you abuse it more?
  
  
• Not to be uncaring here, but you say you are unemployed. You are therefore under a lot of stress from the financial pressure, and that's understandable. Now think about this: what if you were still working but not getting paid? Think about that a moment. All the pressure and want and frustration you have now, plus you still go in to work! Wouldn't that be worse?
  
  Well, when you use someone else's labor and abilities without any intention of paying them, that's exactly what you are making them do.
  
  And I'm sorry, but that's just plain WRONG.
  
  
• You never mentioned why you weren't covered under your mother's plan. Was it because of age? Living arrangements? Did you move out and assume responsibility for yourself? Does that word, responsibility, mean everything except health care?
  
  I'm not trying to be mean. I just want you to really think about it.
  
  
• Think about this: what was the problem here really? It sounds like the problem wasn't the insurance arrangements; you got into the hospital and were checked out. The problem wasn't the lack of care; you saw not just one, but two doctors (and I assume quite a few RNs and LPNs).
  
  As I read it, the problem seems to be the lack of availability of healthcare without insurance, the attitude of some medical professionals, and the lack of clear information on what your problem was. This thread seems to put the vast majority of emphasis on insurance. Why?
  
  Why did you not go to an insurance company in the first place if you had a problem? BECAUSE INSURANCE COMPANIES DO NOT PROVIDE HEALTH CARE!. Hospitals and doctors do.
  
  
• If insurance is the problem, why is it that so many people (apparently including yourself), want more insurance?