Krispy Kreme primitive goes to the physician

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6412638

Oh my.

Skins's island is finally returning to normal, the primitives bibble-babbling about free medical care for all, instead of some Event that's now old and stale.

CrispyQ  (1000+ posts)      Fri Aug-28-09 04:27 PM
Original message
 
The insanity of the US health care system.

I recently had my annual visit to my doctor. It was just a basic physical. I paid my $30 co-pay for the office visit & there were two lab charges, one was covered, one was not.

Our insurance company is United Healthcare & coverage is provided through my husband's employer. We pay approx $250 in monthly premiums for the two of us & his employer picks up the rest. This particular visit, with lab work, resulted in total charges of $788. The total paid was $287 - United paid $156 of that & I paid $131.

No wonder we're ****ed! How can the doctor's office & the labs make money when only 36% of the total $788 bill is paid? By raising rates on all services, & gouging people who don't have 'negotiated rates,' I'm sure.

Note that United, whose CEO, Stephen Hemsley, has stock options totaling 3/4 of a billion dollars, paid $25 more for these services than I did.  Also, I've only been to the doctor once this past year, so while I shelled out $3000 in premiums over the year, United shelled out $156 for the same year. Plus I got stuck with an additional $101 for the lab charge United didn't cover.

The system is insane. The rest of the developed world is laughing at the great & mighty USA.

Oh, I dunno.

Maybe they're laughing, but they're laughing all the way to our doctors and hospitals.

GreenPartyVoter  (1000+ posts)        Fri Aug-28-09 04:32 PM
Response to Original message
 
1. They are laughing indeed, but I think a great many of them also pity us.

lsewpershad  (284 posts)      Fri Aug-28-09 04:34 PM
Response to Original message
 
2. Didn't you hear?

We live in a free market society in which the "poor" capitalist must make a profit...and it does not matter how much.

Suich  (1000+ posts)      Fri Aug-28-09 04:37 PM
Response to Original message
 
3. United Health is one of the worst.

Rachel Maddow did a segment on them (or maybe it was KO) and it was scary! You have my sympathies!

TheCoxwain  (1000+ posts)        Fri Aug-28-09 04:37 PM
Response to Original message

4. I had a back injury ..and had to go for physical theraphy ..
 
I bet 2 and 3 visits a week for 4 months ... and I had to pay $40 in copay each visit. ( I ended up paying close to $900 )...while those bastards paid about a $500.

When franksolich lost his right elbow the morning of January 20, 1993, after it was all said and done, he was "assigned" to go to physical therapy three times a week for nine months, the "goal" being that he would eventually recover "25-33%" use of his right arm.

After the third session, franksolich went to his physician, protesting; all they were doing were massages and warm elbow-baths.  There were no co-pays involved in this; it wasn't about the money.  It was all about the time and trouble, and missing work, all for the sake of "feel good" medicine that didn't take care of the problem.

franksolich got the okay from the physician to skip physical therapy altogether.

I started off walking around carrying an empty briefcase, so as to "encourage" the arm to bend and flex.  After there was no more pain, I put half a brick into the briefcase, and carried that around.  Then I switched to a whole brick.  And then two bricks, and then three, and then four, and then five.

By September of that year, I had a fully functioning, 100%, right arm.

Some years later, I was making a living taking--by my right arm--380# 20' lengths of steel pipe and bending them into posts for basketball backboards.

Physical therapy has some uses--obviously--but it's no good if one isn't pro-active about it.  I imagine most primitives just sit there and have the physical therapists do this massage and warm-bath things, the only work they themselves do is consuming the controlled substances.

Bah, humbug.

eridani  (1000+ posts)        Fri Aug-28-09 04:42 PM
Response to Original message
 
5. The bil would not have been that high if the Dr. didn't have to deal with --

--all the insurance company paperwork.

[terry]

When franksolich lost his right elbow the morning of January 20, 1993, after it was all said and done, he was "assigned" to go to physical therapy three times a week for nine months, the "goal" being that he would eventually recover "25-33%" use of his right arm.

After the third session, franksolich went to his physician, protesting; all they were doing were massages and warm elbow-baths.  There were no co-pays involved in this; it wasn't about the money.  It was all about the time and trouble, and missing work, all for the sake of "feel good" medicine that didn't take care of the problem.

franksolich got the okay from the physician to skip physical therapy altogether.

I started off walking around carrying an empty briefcase, so as to "encourage" the arm to bend and flex.  After there was no more pain, I put half a brick into the briefcase, and carried that around.  Then I switched to a whole brick.  And then two bricks, and then three, and then four, and then five.

By September of that year, I had a fully functioning, 100%, right arm.

Some years later, I was making a living taking--by my right arm--380# 20' lengths of steel pipe and bending them into posts for basketball backboards.

Physical therapy has some uses--obviously--but it's no good if one isn't pro-active about it.  I imagine most primitives just sit there and have the physical therapists do this massage and warm-bath things, the only work they themselves do is consuming the controlled substances.

Bah, humbug.

I had a similar story.  My left shoulder froze for no obvious reason.   It hurt quite a bit and had significantly reduced range of motion.  I went to a physician who said I must have injured it, and that it may heal on it's own, but he thought I should just get surgery to loosen it up.  I said as long as it isn't due to something that will become worse or something that would kill me, I prefer to wait.  He said "You can't live with it like that, you have 3 year old to care for".   He sent me for physical therapy that he said "probably won't work".  I went once.  They showed me some exercises.  I did the exercises at home.  The shoulder got better on it's own.  It did take quite a while, more than a year from start of the problem to the finish.  I did my own research and learned that apparently frozen shoulder is really common in women my age and probably related to changing hormone levels, not injury.

I didn't need surgery, I didn't need 25 weekly sessions of physical therapy, I just needed to be patient.. but I'll admit I was nervous about taking care of the problem on my own.   The doc was saying you must do xxxx, and I disagreed.   However when I asked what will happen if I don't do xxxx, he just said you'll have to live with the pain longer.   If he would have said "your arm will fall off", or some other drastic thing I would have taken his advice.  I'm not sure enough people ask the "what if I don't get this treatment, test, take this pill or whatever"

[GOBUCKS]

Some years later, I was making a living taking--by my right arm--380# 20' lengths of steel pipe and bending them into posts for basketball backboards.

Wow! Strong, like bull!
I'm sure I wouldn't be able to bend that pipe even using both arms!

[franksolich]

Wow! Strong, like bull!
I'm sure I wouldn't be able to bend that pipe even using both arms!

Sorry.  I didn't mean to give that impression.

There was a large machine involved too.

[GOBUCKS]

Sorry.  I didn't mean to give that impression.

There was a large machine involved too.

Joke, coach, joke!

[Chris]

Sorry.  I didn't mean to give that impression.

There was a large machine involved too.

Sounds kinky.

[The Village Idiot]

Sounds kinky.

If you were really twisted it'd sound like an industrial enema