$395 at After Hours medical care to tell me to go to the Emergency Department

[Earth_First]

They took my blood pressure and temperature and told me I needed a specialist.

WTF is going on here...

[Donnachaidh]

1. but but but -- what about that *historic reform*?

Sorry to hear you're getting hosed like that.

[Egnever]

6. Historic reform largely doesnt kick in for another two years

but I am sure you know that.

[dflprincess]

17. Historic "reform" will still allow large out of pocket expenses

odds are the poster would be paying this bill even if all the provisions of the Health Insurance Profit Protection Act had already kicked in.

[Skittles]

2. is this the Doc in a Box scam?

[doc03]

3. That's the way it works. I had cancer 5 years ago and

go to one of the top oncologists in the nation for a yearly checkup. My last appointment the doctor wasn't in and I saw his PA of course I paid to see a real doctor. I showed her a couple lesions or moles on my arm and thought she would know if they were possibly skin cancer and would take a biopsy. What did she do, she made me another appointment for a dermatologist. I'll bet my next SS check when I go for the appointment I will see his PA and she will make me an appointment to see the doctor at a later date. I went through that before, you see a PA but pay to see a real doctor and she makes you an appointment to see the real doctor. Our medical system is nothing but a huge pyramid scam.

[kickysnana]

4. Yep...tell me about it.

Wake up with autoimmune attack call around to get someone to take my grandson while I sought treatment.
then call neurologists office 11am

Me: Hi I need to see my neurologist.
Them: Next appointment 35 days
Me: Can I speak to triage?
Them: We haven't done triage in over a year.
Me: How do I get help?
Them: Symptoms
Me: Symptoms
Them: Go to Urgent Care

Wait 4 hours until Urgent care opens up. Wait 2 hours to see a doctor as that clinics patients have first priority.

Me: (Give symptoms. Ask for help)
Them: We don't do Autoimmune here you need to go to the ER. Did you call your doctor?
Me: Yes (told them above).

Go home to report on progress get something to eat. Go to ER. Wait 2 hours now 12 midnight.

Me: I need some help.
They: What kind of help
Me: Steroids that the neurologist and I talked about to shorten the length and severity of the attack.
They: We cannot do that you have to be admitted to the floor and wait to have an evaluation in the morning.
Me: Why did my neurologist not know that? I have to take care of my grandson tomorrow. He is waiting skull surgery and is very, very sick.
Them: Nothing we can do.
Me: I guess I will go home and live with it, again.

Long story short I was quite debilitated for quite some time and it led to some severe long term physical and relationship consequences. I tried a different neurologist who claimed I was feigning symptoms (since I was 17 and through about 25 doctors and specialists retesting about every 5 years and coming to the same conclusion no less). He did not know what I had or how to treat it but I definitely did not have ZYZ. Which is now the first thing any new doctor will see in my record. Best care anywhere, NOT.

[sendero]

5. Welcome to the "we name our price"..

... health care system. From top to bottom, health care providers basically name their price and you pay or else. the only exception I can see is family doctors (general practitioners) who are the only class of providers squeezed like an anaconda would by the insurance companies - all in an effort to make it "look good". the rest charge whatever the fuck they want and you should just be glad they will treat you at all.

[Skidmore]

12. We are very fortunate here to have a good family practice in the

next village over. You can get in same day if you are ill. I've never sat in the waiting room more than five minutes, and we have a doctor who will hear you out and take your concerns seriously. Basic fee runs $75 now without insurance. Then...there's my oncologist, who I drive 20 mi. to see once a year or I don't get my prescription for a medication that I would die without. I see him for less than 10 minutes after a blood draw. The labs and his time run easily $1800. Either way, if we had no insurance we couldn't afford care at these fees.

[jakestake]

7. What is "After Hours" medical care???

Just the name sounds like a scam.

[Earth_First]

10. It's a medical care facility during hours when your primary doctor is closed. n/t

[Shagbark Hickory]

8. Sounds about right. Welcome to america. Don't get sick.

[SheilaT]

9. I am under the impression that

Urgent Care and whatever After Hours care might be, offer more limited services than a real Emergency Room. Of course, all too often the insurance companies expect you to get prior authorization to go to an ER, including in situations where any sensible person really would go to the ER.

[Earth_First]

11. On edt:

My appologies, I read that incorrectly.


Yes, often times you will need a referral for any medical-related treatment...

...and I should have just went directly to the Emergancy Department first.

[Thav]

13. Everything must be preauthroized

Including the operation where the doctor comes in and says, "we have to do a C-Section now before it's too late," at 4am on a Sunday.

[NorthCarolina]

14. Historic Health Insurance reform that you can believe in! nt

[bvar22]

15. Bad now?

Wait until 2014 when The MANDATE kicks in,
and 50 Million (80Million by then?) struggling Americans are FORCED to BUY Junk Insurance they won't be able to use.
(High Co-Pay, High Deductible).

All HELL is going to break loose.
The Democrats will be blamed,
and rightly so.
They passed a Republican Insurance Scam without forcing the Republicans to take ANY responsibility.
ALL the Republicans have to do is sit back and say,
"Yep. We voted against it."

I fear "Democrats" will be unelectable for a generation after the Health Insurance Tsunami hits in 2014.

[rainbow4321]

16. When I went to one a few years ago

they tried to tack on $5 to check my O2 saturation using their office pulse ox.
For those not in the medical field, a pulse ox is something that is a little piece of plastic (they put it on your fingertip) attached to a wire that is attached to a hand held box. On that box is a screen that digitally shows your oxygen level. We use them alot in clinics/hospitals when we take patients' vital signs.
I didn't have insurance at the time so I was trying to make it a visit where I didn't pay for ANYthing extra and was pretty frank about that up front with the staff.
Didn't think anything of the tech slipping that thing on my finger for a nanosecond because I knew what she was doing and I did/do it day in-day out at my workplace for patients.
Til I went to check out and saw that they CHARGED me $5 for that nanosecond. I threw a fit and they finally agreed to remove it.
Had me wondering how many people they "got away" with charging that extra money.. most likely people not in the medical field who didn't know better.