Medicine
Holy Batshit, I have heard of this before but, this is all a little too much. That is part of what is worng with this nation, medical care. It is obcenely expensive because insurenace companies do not care how much care costs, they cover it and make up for their cost in their premiums. The helthcare providers know this and charge more and more for their services, then as if that was not enough, they scare you into thinking there are so many things out there that you need those services for.
Case in point, I have recently been diagnosed with high blood pressure, wich they tell me leads to heart attacks and to check it everyday and be careful. I also have GERD or Acid Reflux or ulcers or some shit,(over 7 years they still can not give me a straight answer) I start having weird chest pains that I have never felt before and can not associate with any other problem that I may have so I call my doctor. I get the "I have seen people younger than you have heart attacks Pete, life is too short", "in my professional opinion you need to get to the nearest emergency room right away" and here is the kicker, because I do not have health insurance, I go to the VA Clinic 20 miles away I get, "I must advise you that the VA can not cover an emergency room visit unless you go to Syracuse" Syracuse is the big VA hospitol that is about a 2 hour car ride that will cost me at least 20 bucks. Now, I am nervous becasue of all this "as soon as possible" bullshit and I go to the emergency room. do you kow how much an emergency cardiac visit is? Do you know how many x-rays they take and the EKG and everything else costs? do you know how much a 33 year old fulltime college student makes in the summer time when the only gig going is tutoring math at school 2 hours a day, 4 days a week?
Now, I am not completely ignorant, I know that they are obligated to ensure that I get the care that I should get regardless of monetary issues. I know it would not be very advisable for a health care professional to say anything else when someone calls in that may or may not be having a cardiac arrest but, shit! If I it were not for the fact that I am a bit freaked out by having high blood pressure(they actually used the phrase, "I hear your head is about to pop off") and the fact ath my grandfather on my fathers side died of a heart attack, my mothers mother had a heart attack, and not to mention that my wifes mother had her first heart attack at the age of 35, that and I am not the most stress-free person in the world....I would have never thought that I may or may not be having a heart attack and even contemplated going to the emergency room.
Now, I am not really blaming anyone at all, it is really more a problem of the system I guess, I surely can not really complain about the healthcare I recieve, I sure would not want their job but, fuck me, I almost wish they would have found something wrong in that emergency room so I could have a jsutification for the Gi-Normous bill they are going to expect me to pay two days after I get it, like thats going to happen.......
Case in point, I have recently been diagnosed with high blood pressure, wich they tell me leads to heart attacks and to check it everyday and be careful. I also have GERD or Acid Reflux or ulcers or some shit,(over 7 years they still can not give me a straight answer) I start having weird chest pains that I have never felt before and can not associate with any other problem that I may have so I call my doctor. I get the "I have seen people younger than you have heart attacks Pete, life is too short", "in my professional opinion you need to get to the nearest emergency room right away" and here is the kicker, because I do not have health insurance, I go to the VA Clinic 20 miles away I get, "I must advise you that the VA can not cover an emergency room visit unless you go to Syracuse" Syracuse is the big VA hospitol that is about a 2 hour car ride that will cost me at least 20 bucks. Now, I am nervous becasue of all this "as soon as possible" bullshit and I go to the emergency room. do you kow how much an emergency cardiac visit is? Do you know how many x-rays they take and the EKG and everything else costs? do you know how much a 33 year old fulltime college student makes in the summer time when the only gig going is tutoring math at school 2 hours a day, 4 days a week?
Now, I am not completely ignorant, I know that they are obligated to ensure that I get the care that I should get regardless of monetary issues. I know it would not be very advisable for a health care professional to say anything else when someone calls in that may or may not be having a cardiac arrest but, shit! If I it were not for the fact that I am a bit freaked out by having high blood pressure(they actually used the phrase, "I hear your head is about to pop off") and the fact ath my grandfather on my fathers side died of a heart attack, my mothers mother had a heart attack, and not to mention that my wifes mother had her first heart attack at the age of 35, that and I am not the most stress-free person in the world....I would have never thought that I may or may not be having a heart attack and even contemplated going to the emergency room.
Now, I am not really blaming anyone at all, it is really more a problem of the system I guess, I surely can not really complain about the healthcare I recieve, I sure would not want their job but, fuck me, I almost wish they would have found something wrong in that emergency room so I could have a jsutification for the Gi-Normous bill they are going to expect me to pay two days after I get it, like thats going to happen.......
posted by Pete at 9:08 PM
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