Hospitals are useless...

[losing]

The past two weeks I have been sick. Started off as a bad taste in my mouth and the next day I had a sore throat and tongue only on the left side. Went to a doc in a box, got throat swabs and was given amoxicillin. A couple of days later I found out the tests were negative, no follow up or anything. Took the amoxicillin for 4 days before I had to stop. The pain on my tongue and throat went away but I have not been able to eat for 5 days. Everything I try to eat I start to gag before I finish chewing. Went to a hospital today and they tested everything by my mouth. They even did ultrasounds on my kidneys and stomach. I kept asking why they weren't testing my spit or mouth but all they did was another swab for strep.

What a waste of time and in the future money, which I do not have. Our healthcare is a joke. They hospital even said to go to my dr. which I didn't realize I forgot I had one, but he can't see anyone till end of march. Great healthcare USA. So now I wait to see if I starve to death before my dr. appointment.

 

[Ron R]

The past two weeks I have been sick. Started off as a bad taste in my mouth and the next day I had a sore throat and tongue only on the left side. Went to a doc in a box, got throat swabs and was given amoxicillin. A couple of days later I found out the tests were negative, no follow up or anything. Took the amoxicillin for 4 days before I had to stop. The pain on my tongue and throat went away but I have not been able to eat for 5 days. Everything I try to eat I start to gag before I finish chewing. Went to a hospital today and they tested everything by my mouth. They even did ultrasounds on my kidneys and stomach. I kept asking why they weren't testing my spit or mouth but all they did was another swab for strep.

What a waste of time and in the future money, which I do not have. Our healthcare is a joke. They hospital even said to go to my dr. which I didn't realize I forgot I had one, but he can't see anyone till end of march. Great healthcare USA. So now I wait to see if I starve to death before my dr. appointment.

It's not a whole lot different in Canada, I live up northern Alberta and to find a family doctor is almost impossible and this Covid 19 only amplified the problems even more.
WE are living in times where there is too many problems from wars to natural disasters & insurance companies making health care very difficult to reach for the average person it seems IMO.

 

[rbscebu]

.... but he can't see anyone till end of march. ....

Consider yourself lucky.

Our town has two doctors' surgeries. Neither will take on any new patents until one of their current patents dies and there is a waiting list to get accepted. I have been on both surgery's waiting lists for over a year now. This means that you need to travel 60km to the nearest hospital where you can wait for more than 12 hours to see a doctor.

 

[Dalejr]

Another Canadian chiming in, ours "mostly free" isn't any better. In Nova Scotia we had 2 people die recently just waiting in the ER for 7+ hours to see a doctor. My personal doctor doesn't give a *** about my or other patients health or well being unless it makes him $$$$ through prescriptions. It is terrible out there, hope you do get looked after and get to the bottom of what's going on...

 

[ctr]

Government intervention and lawsuits ruined healthcare some time ago.

 

[Whisky]

What ruined healthcare in the US is when it became about making money instead of treating patients. When MBAs started running hospitals instead of doctors it started to decline. The fact that our many of our Health Ins companies are operated as a for profit business, but are able to maintain a not-for-profit status, should say something too.

 

[StuMcB]

Funnily enough I was at the GP yesterday morning. I'd been awake all night with a high temp (38.5c) and aching bones. Though just a cold but in the back of my head I knew it was a UTI again. So off we go (swmbo and me) the gp completely ignored my water sample and noticed I had a swollen knee. It was hot to touch, bright red and swollen. So she wrote out a letter and referred me to the not so local A&E dept. I was there 8 hours in which time i was fed and watered regularly, X-rayed, blood tests etc. I was seen by a consultant orthopaedic surgeon who said I definitely had a big ole infection but definitely not my knee. I mentioned the water sample and with in moments I was tested for that and bingo! Yep a big ole nasty looks like gravy water infection (der). Anti biotics issued and away I went. So all in a great if not long and dull service. And, and free at point of use...... apparently.

 

[StuMcB]

Forgot to mention that my knee is swollen due to Bursitis and looked worse yesterday due to my high white blood cell count.

 

[Rudy Vey]

Yes, health care is pretty costly, but where we live the doctors and the hospitals are pretty good. The only thing I have to say that is negative in the hospital here is the communication with the spouse/family members is not good or non-existent.

We have Medicare B, plus a very good supplemental plan (highly recommend to get one!!), RX plan and a small dental plan.
My wife was in the hospital last year in December for an infection, and stayed three days, then afterwards she had to go in daily for another 11 days to get an infusion with a special AB's (she is allergic to any drug with sulfur, and all the orals that would have worked have sulfur). The copay for this three days would have been $1560 alone for the hospital (Med B), but this was picked up by the supplemental insurance.
Last year we spent over 50% of our social security on healthcare cost !! This includes the cost for the insurances, copay for meds and hearing aids she needed badly - my savings took a hit I can only say, one has to live, too. Some of our drugs (I am diabetic and she is a heart patient with asthma...) were $700 for the quarter - she has two and I have one of these - do the math!! This year the RX plan pays much more than last year, but the monthly cost also doubled....and some drugs went up in the tiers. The good thing is that after we meet our deductible, the three costly drugs are now about $120-140 for the quarter, not longer $700.

This year she fell and broke her hip: hospital for three days, surgery etc - copy again is $1560 for the hospital alone, but due to the supplemental plan this will be paid!

I cannot complain at all about the healthcare at all, we have never any problems seeing a doctor or hospital etc this is very good. My main complain is the cost of drug co-pays.

If you have the chance to put money into an HSA plan, do it, and do as much as you can put away - you need it when you retire.
I my company this was not offered early enough, and when they started it, I had been over 65 and then you cannot add to an HSA.

 

[Whisky]

If you have the chance to put money into an HSA plan, do it, and do as much as you can put away - you need it when you retire.
I my company this was not offered early enough, and when they started it, I had been over 65 and then you cannot add to an HSA

This is good advice. Max out your contributions to your HSA and pay for medical expenses out-of-pocket while you’re working. Save the HSA for medical bills once you retire.

Rudy, I don’t know what meds y’all are on but you may want to find out what class they’re in and see if there isn’t another, usually older, med that will work just as well. Doctors have started prescribing the “latest and greatest” meds because a lot of time pts see ads for them on TV and expect to get the meds that the ads tell them they need (don’t get me started on drug reps). In reality there are usually 3-4 (sometimes more) meds in any given class that work just as well but were released years ago. The difference in cost between a Tier 1 and Tier 2 med in your insurance’s formulary can sometimes be 1000s of dollars. Also, doctors generally have no idea how much the meds they’re prescribing cost. If you tell them you want something cheaper they just look at you with a blank stare. It’s up to the pt in most cases to figure out which meds will work and cost less.

 

[ackvil]

I am happy with the state of medical care here in Florida. I was also pleased with the care we had in Arizona. My late wife received the best medical care both from numerous doctors and hospital staff. My oncologists both in Arizona and Florida have been excellent. My GPs have been fantastic, too. We have a number of immediate care medical centers in Florida and they take the place of or supplement emergency rooms. There is rarely much of a wait and the care has been excellent.

In Arizona, we had an HMO Medicare Plan that resulted in higher benefits and no additional cost for drugs. We rarely had much of a co-pay for prescriptions. To get the oncologists we wanted in Florida we had to switch to traditional Medicare with a supplement and drug plan. It costs me over $500 a month but there are no co-pays or out-of-pocket costs for doctors and hospitals. So far, my total co-pay for prescriptions has been $27 for a three-month supply.

A few years ago, my late wife had a bad reaction to chemo treatments she was undergoing. We were visiting her nephew in Seattle when she had to be rushed to the hospital. She was in the hospital for two-weeks and underwent extensive tests and treatments. When we finally got home, I received a bill from the hospital. The cost of her two-week stay was over $250,000. I called the billing department and jokingly told them that I was calling to make arrangements to pay it off every month and that most likely I should be able to pay off the bill in 50+ years. The lady I was talking to said obviosuly it was a mistake and that the out-of-pocket cost was only $1,100!

 

[emwolf]

I have to say my doctor is fantastic. I just had my annual physical and most of the time we spent catching up on what's going on in my life.

 

[Rudy Vey]

This is good advice. Max out your contributions to your HSA and pay for medical expenses out-of-pocket while you’re working. Save the HSA for medical bills once you retire.

Rudy, I don’t know what meds y’all are on but you may want to find out what class they’re in and see if there isn’t another, usually older, med that will work just as well. Doctors have started prescribing the “latest and greatest” meds because a lot of time pts see ads for them on TV and expect to get the meds that the ads tell them they need (don’t get me started on drug reps). In reality there are usually 3-4 (sometimes more) meds in any given class that work just as well but were released years ago. The difference in cost between a Tier 1 and Tier 2 med in your insurance’s formulary can sometimes be 1000s of dollars. Also, doctors generally have no idea how much the meds they’re prescribing cost. If you tell them you want something cheaper they just look at you with a blank stare. It’s up to the pt in most cases to figure out which meds will work and cost less.

I know about the tiers. Unfortunately, for most of the pricey ones are no generics or an alternative that is cheaper, if there is one, the price is the same or a tad higher. Unfortunately, one of the ones I am on was upped into tier four now, and the cost would be even higher - the alternative for this, I was on years ago but it did not work as good for me as the one I am on now. In principle, one has to look every year into the formulary list of the insurance and see in what Tier your drugs will be in the next year.

The good news for our case is that all but one of the expensive ones have now a lesser copay than last year ($112 or $135, depending where you get them, mail or at local pharmacy, over $700ish last year).

 

[ctr]

What ruined healthcare in the US is when it became about making money instead of treating patients. When MBAs started running hospitals instead of doctors it started to decline. The fact that our many of our Health Ins companies are operated as a for profit business, but are able to maintain a not-for-profit status, should say something too.

Blame Meaningful Use, Community Medicine, and Medicare clawbacks. Hospitals responded to foolish regulations.

 

[LuckyR]

Trying to get routine care in an Emergency location is never going to be satisfying. ERs aren't set up to solve routine problems, that's what the clinic is for. ERs are to figure out if you need immediate surgery or to be admitted to the hospital (you know, have an Emergency).

Having a clinic doc who you know and who knows you is where follow up works. Step one doesn't work, they move on to step 2 etc.

 

[Chandu]

Having a clinic doc who you know and who knows you is where follow up works. Step one doesn't work, they move on to step 2 etc.

For me, I agree. I have a doctor I have seen for about 15 years now, at least once a year full labs and so on. I see her if I have somthing else and it might go to some other specialist after that. My point is there is a lot to be said for a primary care physician that you get to know over a period of years. They learn you and your lab numbers and so on.