I'm sorry if this doesn't belong here - as it's a partial rant. Maybe someone can explain things for me to help me not feel so sour about it.
I'm 26 - I currently have no medical insurance. It's not offered through my job and I don't know the first thing about buying 'private insurance'. But what's the point anyway - when I go to the doctor and can't receive care because 'Your insurance will deny that, your insurance will deny that, your insurance won't let us do that kind of care on you' - So why do I bother paying for insurance?
When I was around 15 - I was figure skating. Everytime I would fall a certain way, I'd get a pounding headache and sick to my stomach. Had an appointment with a neurologist who had me walk a straight line like a sobriety test - I couldn't do it. Was falling over.
Show up for the MRI appointment that was set - 'I'm sorry, we don't have the approval for the claim on file - we can't do your MRI today'. I was 15 and suffering with potential brain trauma.....We HAD insurance...(my family has always had insurance - through work, I just recently lost dependency with my age).
I needed my wisdom teeth removed when I was 24 - I waited a total of 8 months in pain. 8 months! These teeth were getting infected and had killed the teeth next to them. I went through 3 different actual appointments where - the first two I was SENT HOME because 'We don't have approval for SEDATION' - I was having 8 (8) teeth pulled at once and was being put under anesthesia for it. Insurance denied that.
EDIT: 8 months in the interim of trying to be seen. I waited too long to have them removed at 24 - then had to wait an additional 8 months for the hospital to get the insurance squared away. FYI - they did the procedure before the approval claim came through. I've been billed for the sedation.
So now, my mother - who's about to be in her 50's - is having trouble with her shoulder. Lidocane patches everyday for the past 2 months and still can't use it totally. Doctors did x - rays and are telling her she has a pinched nerve with bone spurs on her spine. She had an appointment made for today expecting to get an answer with progressive treatment - they instead sent her home with papers showing arm exercises. She waited 2 months in pain for this appointment so they could give her physical therapy idea's. They're going to CALL HER for a phone appointment to talk about how bad the pain still is in a month - and then they'll try to schedule the MRI - but they made sure to mention how 'the insurance will probably deny'.
She's eating advil PM's like they're candy and still can't sleep.
'This is normal for people your age'. My mom understands this - but it's not normal to be in pain 24/7 with no relief happening out of nowhere without injury based cause. But the care they prescribed her was 'lift your arm above your head 10x a day'. She has bone spurs...growing on her spine...like hooks...That's normal? Pain management is eating ibuprophen and still not getting relief? That's normal too? (shes not even 50 yet)
I just have a very hard time understanding why doctors are so reluctant to use the tools at their disposal to provide good care.
and I'm worried that one of these times - doctors will shoo us away with 'the insurance wouldn't approve that so here's this band aid method until things get tooo badd' and the 'too bad' will end up being life threatening - all over 'the insurance wouldn't let us'. That's cool bro, even though my family pays for it anyway.
Thanks for reading if you did.
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