I wanna know what the hell happened with to the doctors or system or just WTF is going on here.
See, when I was a kid if you were sick you went to the doctor, appointment or not & you got seen.
None of this no shoes no shirt no insurance; no service BS.
And just a few years ago it wasn't so bad. If you were sick you called Dr.B, made an appointment for THAT day & got seen. Even during massive flue or cold outbreaks you were either seen that day or at worst the next day.
And offices were open Mon-Fri. Some even had half days on Sat. Others were open on the weekends & took time off during the week.
If you were sick you could be treated!
Now?!
I just spent HOURS trying to help get Crow an appointment. I called at least 7 different clinics, not specific doctors, CLINICS. The Absolute earliest anyone could see him was Tuesday & that was only if someone canceled an appointment. Most couldn't see him til Thursday.
He finally wound up going to the ONLY walk in clinic (that 3 of us could find) in the central AR area. Because it was the ONLY place open And guaranteed to see him before Thursday.
It's a 40min drive, FYI.
What I want to know is this
If you're sick, what are you supposed to do? Go the emergency room/hospital for every cough, cold, fever, minor flue, & stomach upset? Take half to a full week off work until you can be seen by your doctor? Wait on the doctor 'til you get so sick you Have to go to the hospital? Go to work sick & spread whatever bacteria you have to everyone else? Not get treated?
And this isn't my only concern.
It's a good thing Crow has insurance. Recently there have been more than one clinic that have issued a "No insurance, No treatment" policy. I've heard from family & friends that people without insurance have been turned away from hospitals, & I have personally seen those without insurance, despite the severity of their illness or injury (including a baby that swallowed lighter fluid & was red from head to toe)have to wait longer in emergency rooms than those with insurance.
Why do they do this? Because they fear people without insurance cannot pay the outrageous bills charged by the medical industry.
What do I mean by outrageous? Try $100 for a shot. Not the medicine its self mind you. On the bill the medicine was only $15 of the change. The other $85 was miscellaneous changers for the 10mins it took to walk inside & have the nurse inject the medicine. Just for a shot!!
Or an emergency room visit that is guaranteed to coast a Minimum of $300, just to walk in?
How about $75-$100 just to see the doctor, not including any treatments or tests.
Or how about the medicines themselves? $20 an Rx or even $10 a pill for random illness isn't terrible, but there are VITAL TO LIFE Daily medicines that are far more costly. I personally know 4 people whose medicines, which they have to have to live would coast well over $200(1 that is $2,000!) a month if not for insurance.
& let's look at the insurance itself. Insurance for a woman at 25 without monthly medicines or reoccurring health problems would be over $300 a month, through state employee insurance.
$300 a month is enough to pay for car.
My spankin' new Kia Rio a gas efficient, high crash test rated, dependable, CD & MP3 plying, automatic, cruise control, air conditioning, Bluetooth enabled, every bell & whistle little wonder car With FULL coverage motor insurance & full purchasing payments is only $330 a month.
To also put something in perspective
1 trip to the emergency room (without insurance) at a Minimum for visit + minor treatment + minimum for a Rx after would be MORE than my electric, water, trash service, & cell phone bills for the entire month, MINIMUM MEDICAL COST!
And Insurance doesn't cover everything. The same insurance that would cost $300 a month only covers PART of the medical bills.
Emergency room visits for instance would still coast $100. Rx run up to $60 (depending on meds)
So for 1 month with an emergency room visit, plus the portion insurance will not pay, plus a minimum for a Rx (around $20) would equal between $420 & $470. WITH INSURANCE, MINIMUM COST!
And these are just minimums. Hospital coasts can easily rocket over $1,000. Ambulance rides alone can coast in excess of $200 on top of the hospital service & Rx bills.
Medical facilities weather legally or not are turning away people who can't pay & those who are only suspected of being unable to pay. Doctors cannot or will not see patients.
So, Ever wonder why Americans Bitch about the medical industry? Every wonder why so many people cannot afford medicine or get treatment? Ever wonder why Americans DIE from things that could be easily treated?
Wonder No More!
Note: I wasn't gonna post this on here, but ~
Crowquil told me I should. This needs to be brought to people's attention. People need to realize the American medical practices are wholly wrong and people are suffering because of it.
When Nurses (as crow is) that work in the medical field can't get treatment, or have to jump through hoops just to be seen by doctors, when children in life threatening situations are told to wait, when the elderly are forced to choose between life saving meds or life sustaining foods, something is seriously wrong.