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Across the Fence:  Medical insurance--who needs it? A "small" rant..  |
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Candy C.
True Blue Farmgirl
823 Posts
Candy
Mescal
AZ
USA
823 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 18 2010 : 5:41:51 PM
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I know how all of you feel!! I am self-employed and some days I feel like I am working solely to pay for my health insurance which I haven't even used yet but the premium went up!!  
Candy C.
Farmgirl Sister #977
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. |
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magnoliakathy
True Blue Farmgirl
453 Posts
Kathryn
Magnolia
Texas
USA
453 Posts |
Posted - Jun 19 2010 : 08:07:13 AM
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Yep insurance is a rip off, you have to get mean and persistant on the phone to get what you want. Always ask for a supervisor the 2nd time and every time after that when you call. My hubby is allergic to wasp stings, we made a trip to the ER in Oct. 2008, it took until March 2009 to get them to pay for a $650.00 antivenom shot. They kept tell me it was a car accident and they could not pay for an antivenom shot for a car accident. I kept track of every name I talked to, every date I called and even the time. Fianlly, after six months, lots of phone callls, and two copies of the ER aperwork, they paid $575. Most insurance companys will not pay anything until the third call, if you don't keep calling, they keep denying. You paid your premimus, call every week, get loud and don't give in. Always works for me.
When you free your mind your heart can fly. Farmgirl # 714, |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Jun 19 2010 : 11:55:57 AM
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true Kathryn I had to do that years ago about my insulin!
See, insulin only lasts (is good for) 30 days after bring opened. At the time it only came in a certain size vial. I was on two different insulins, one for fast acing (after meals) and one long lasting (to regulate the blood sugar 12 hours at a time). any way, the fast acting one I could use a whole vial in less then 30 days and that was fine. The long lasting one, I didn't need the entire amount that came in the vial with in 30 days. The amount I was on, if I was to use the whole vial would last about 2 months. (60 days). So the insurance only wanted to provide me with one vial every two months. I called them, and told them that I needed one vial a month, and they said no that I was only using the amount of units that I could use one vial every two months. I said, but the papers that come with the insulin say it's only good for 30 days. They said, that didn't mean anything, that the insulin company just puts things like that in their paper work to make you buy more.
I said, well, I didn't care why they put it there, but I thought I had the right to go by what they suggested and get a new vial every 30 days!
I also asked the person on the phone her name, and if she was a pharmacists or a dr, and if she could swear that expired insulin would regulate my blood sugar. And if she was sure she wanted to be liable for me going into DKA, and possibly dieing. And that if I did die from expired insulin being inadequate in regulating my blood sugar was she ready for my family to sue her.
After several phone calls like that, the insurance finally agreed, I could have unexpired insulin each month. YEAH, we live in America for goodness sakes not some third world country. It's sad, I was having to beg like some kind of less then human thing, to just have what should be a right to have-unexpired medication! Makes me angry just remembering it. Because, a lot of women in my church have my same insurance, have diabetes, that is way out of control (even some are going blind from it, my husband's grandmother has lost her leg from it!) and I wonder, are they just doing what the insurance says and using expired medication, and could this be one of the reasons? UHG utterly rediculous!
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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sue5901
True Blue Farmgirl
122 Posts
Sue
Wellingborough
United Kingdom
122 Posts |
Posted - Jun 20 2010 : 11:29:51 PM
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Louisvillemum - I'm sorry for your friend as she seems to have been trhough a really rough time lately but if this actually happened how it reads in your post your friends FIL needs to go back to their GP and start legal procedings against them. If someone needs an essential operation in the UK - and the loss of the use of an arm would be an essential operation - it is not only unheard of for them not to get the surgery but their local health authority would be acting illegally.
Until my daughter became a firefighter 6 months ago she worked booking appointments for the NHS and all essestial operations had to be booked within the timescale dictated by the Dr and non urgent had to be booked with 18 weeks - by law!!!
If she couldn't get the patient into a local hospital in that time she had to search all the hospitals in the UK to find a date including all the private ones and if that failed then they started looking abroad - the NHS would pay for it all.
I am having a minor non-urgent operation done soon year where the NHS are paying for me to go to a private hospital because the NHS ones could only book me in whilst I was away on holiday so they had to find me somewhere that could do it within the timescales without it clashing with my pre-booked social arrangements. The days of us having to wait years for surgery are long gone back in the 70's. If the Dr considers it can wait then we may have to wait longer than we would personally like - and that is why some people choose to use private Drs but we never have to wait longer than we need based on clinical medical assessments.
As i said in my post there are problems with our healthcare system but getting essential medical care when it is needed is not one of them - absolutely not!
Dance like nobody's watching! |
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goneriding
True Blue Farmgirl
1599 Posts
Winona
Central Oregon
USA
1599 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2010 : 07:02:54 AM
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I have insurance thru my job but otherwise, we'd be non-insured. I've gone for years without insurance and did just fine. Even when a horse walloped me or whatever, just went to the ER and then paid up. It was cheaper that way.
I knew of a family who took a 'chance' and put all their 'premiums' away in a sock or savings account. Then one day, the dad had to have heart surgery. The surgeon (or someone) asked him who was gonna pay for the surgery and the man said he was. The surgeon was confused, couldn't take it in that there wasn't insurance. But the family had saved it back and was able to pay the whole thing, just from saving the premiums plus the discount for paying cash, which was about 30%.
I feel for you, it really seems that the docs are trying to squeeze every penny out, which I guess if I were in their shoes, I'd be worried too.
An idea which works for us country bumpkins in my neck of the woods...there is a PA who only charges $50 for lock, stock and barrel. He's not a doctor but seems to be able to do all the regular office type things...pap smears, draw blood and some testing, that sort of thing. Emergencies still need to go to the hospital but he's there for sprains and cuts. Maybe you could find someone like that locally??
For some 'venting'-type of entertainment, please read my blog, http://lostadventuresintrucking.blogspot.com .
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graciegreeneyes
True Blue Farmgirl
3107 Posts
Amy Grace
Rosalia
WA
USA
3107 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2010 : 07:16:31 AM
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It's nice to have your perspective on your insurance Sue - we don't tend to hear that here.
I'm thankful that my insurance is what it is - not as good as it used to be but really very good - I would probably have to choose no insurance if things changed much.
Amy Grace
Farmgirl #224
"use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"
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Betty J.
True Blue Farmgirl
1403 Posts
Betty
Pasco
WA
USA
1403 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2010 : 07:25:02 AM
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Sue, I've been wondering about the UK medical care, as well as all the other European care that is given. I would gladly pay more taxes to have the care you folks have. I don't know why Americans are so allergic to taxes when the benefits are so great.
Betty in Pasco |
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Across the Fence: Medical insurance--who needs it? A "small" rant.. |
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Medical insurance--who needs it? A "small" rant..
