Life without insurance a picture story..., page 1

Originally posted by Jemison
Insurance almost makes things more difficult for a person. I needed to see a specialist, was referred by my Primary Care Doctor, got the approval within one week. I called the Specialist to make the appointment and their FIRST available appointment was 4 months later. That is not acceptable.

Women can see their Gynocologist without having to get authorization from their insurance. So, when I started having problems my Primary Care doc said I needed to go ahead and see my Gynocologist ASAP. I called in June '04 to schedule an appointment and their FIRST available appointment was February 2005!!!! My brother, (an Ortheopedic surgeon) suggested I call as a CASH patient and see if I could get in earlier. Sure enough, I called the next day and said I had no Insurance and all of a sudden they could get me in the following week. I called my Insurance company to see if I could pay cash and then submit the bill and be reimbursed and they told me no.

This makes NO sense to me and as far as I'm concerned it is discrimination against those WITH Insurance. My theory is that since they have to eat the cost between the prenegotiated rate and the copay, they make up for it through their cash patients.

I dont think that government regulated Insurance is the solution but I think some major changes need to be made with the way Insurance is right now!

Jemison

discrimination against the insured??
umm...ya,
I had an operation on my ankle after I broke it.....the bill is for more than I could make in two years!!
then, later on, I hear on the tv that the doctors, the hospitatals, ect. are adding costs to the uninsured bill....sometimes doubling it, to make up for the fact that the government and the insurance companies trying to put some kind of downward pressure on the providers for these services. umm....to me, this is also discrimination. And, well.......I plan on paying only one years worth of my labor for their services.
while in the hospital, the aids would come in everymorning, bringing in towels washclothes and extra gowns......sometimes I got about ten gowns for the day.....with as many towels and washclothes. I finally joked and asked them if it was their way of ensuring their friends had job security. To me it was just one giant waste of money!
then there is the story about the ring in california, where the doctor would get with a middle man and they would find themselves a patient. who cared if that patient was sick and actually needed the surgery, they would agree to have the surgery, and then the doctor would overcharge the insurance company and the three would split the cost. So, when discussing the cost of healthcare, one would also have to consider the cost of the fraud and abuse that runs rampant throughout the system.
one should also consider the pay of the fat cats in the insurance companies, hospitals, ect. If the healthcare industry in such dire straights, what is the justification for the ceos and upper management's outrageous salaries?
The drug companies get alot of help from our govt. to develope the drugs...which they in turn turn around and try to zap the taxpayer/consumer for reimbursement for in the form of high, outrageous prices, although they have no problem giving the drug away to poorer nations or reducing the price and marketing it in canada.
sorry, just don't buy the idea that the costs have to be that high to begin with. but, hey, if the gov't is forcibly taking the money from the taxpayer to pay for it in the form of research grants, medicaid and medicare, ect....well, they are just your average business men, they'll gladly take all that they can get.