your first mistake is mentioning the medicaid.

its not needed to be mentioned if its a secondary. your primary insurance is the only ones any medical company should touch and then you yourself should deal with the secondary. i deal with medicare, medicaid and ahcccs which is state mandated insurance every day and seriously... state the primary insurance only.

That was not the question posed. It was whether not a person would be denied ER services and the answer to that question is a flat "no." A person should not be in the ER taking up the time of those doctors and nurses if they already have a primary care physician to begin with.

Yep, I'm just saying that receiving services and quality of care CAN be two very different things. It's amazing what a little money will get ya, even in a time of serious medical need. That's why some folks from Canada come here and pay out of pocket to see a doctor of their preference or to get a surgery that was denied previously within their health care system.

The hippocratic oath will soon be meaningless,even to those who stand behind it, if the docs are not allowed to treat the whole person, but only follow a checklist that the govt. provides (which, interestingly enough, is already what some insurance companies try to do).

yeah i do. and we never EVER turn anyone away.

but we make it clear to patients whether we take their insurance plans or not. it has nothing to do with the level of care they receive for us.

Hell i've even made it a habit for patients with major diseases/emergencies to find them an ophthalmologist who takes insurances we don't just in case they cannot afford/refuse to pay for the appointment.

if someone cannot afford to come to us.. we don't care where they go! as long as they get checked out. ya know?

people make it seem like doctors care only about cash. my dr doesn't drive a porche, doesn't live in a giant house and doesn't wear armani suits. he puts his patients first.

hell we even do payment plans with no financing. we do it on trust.

and do what whatever is necessary to save their vision.

*grumbles*

there is 2 sides to every coin. flip the coin over once in a while and it might show you a different world.

I don't think getting over it is a solution. Folks need to be proactive in the health care. You wouldn't buy a car without first knowing the price, you shouldn't agree to testing without knowing if it is covered by insurance and/or how out of pocket you're going to have to fork over.

Aside from that, our health care system needs a complete overhau. This system now clearly is not working as many Americans cannot health insurance OR visits to the ER or physician and if they do manage a visit, they cannot afford their prescriptions.

I sympathize. I have health insurance now but I know in the past when I have not had it, I was still treated when I broke my arm in three places and they simply set up a payment plan for me (interest free) and were very accommodating. They allowed me take nearly two years to pay it off.

I don't mean to be rude, but you are kidding right? Me deal with Medicaid? Have you as a private citizen ever tried to get in touch with anyone in all that bureaucratic red tape? I have. In order for me to even order ANY type of medical supplies, it has to be approved by the state first, all else second, EVEN if her other insurances are going to pay for it. And then, we get what the state will allow. Otherwise, she would be eliminated from the program that she is enrolled in. You have to follow the rules.

Whether or not it was the questioned posed, I am pointing out that ER doesn't cover every need.

But clearly it’s not designed to.

I def. agree that not all docs are rich. Most of the small town docs around here don't make much money. Again, I place some of that blame on the insurance companies. Everything has to be billed so high just in order to recoup any payment for their service. Something has to change, I just think we as americans shouldn't jump on the universal health care bandwagon just yet.

exactly! i agree with you totally.

i meant get over b*tching about them asking about their insurance. Every day i come across patients who don't even know what the name of their insurance company is. THey have no idea what's covered, what their benes are.. nothing.

I have to take the time to educate so many people on their insurance benes and thats not my job in any way shape or form. i don't work for the insurance company. i work for the doctor's office. i'm not a BCBS/UHC rep. i'm a front desk coordinator. but i do it anyway because i know that at some point these people... these unknowing people... are going to get screwed.

it blows me away how people can just not pay attention to this. I know what my plan covers. i know what my deductible is and even know what is applied to it and what isn't. I make every effort to know what will be out of pocket and what will not so i know what my expenses are.

the system is not only screwed up to the patients, its screwed up to the doctors too. people think doctors are making tons of money but it really depends on the field. not all docs make bank from the insurance companies.

our own office gets screwed out of claims half the time and we end up writing it off because we know that is not the patients bill. its the insurance company.

and i used to work for one of the biggest RX drug distributors in america and yeah.. that whole industry is a non regulated joke. they are screwing us all. and that also has nothing to do with the doctor.

depending on the ailment, that is how they have YOU set up.

and that sucks rocks for you. trust me. i have as a private citizen and an insurance coordinator (because there is no magical secret phone number we use to get through that horrid auto system) deal with governement mandated insurance.

yes its hell. but i can't fix that you can't fix that so make it as efficient as possible. yes it sucks bigtime.

but it is what it is.

i hate calling medicare. i can't get a human being on taht line for anything. but i do it because i have to in order to save a buck for my grandma. and i do. every time.

Which was my point.

What would be your main issue with universal health care? Universal health care is coverage that would extend to all eligible residents and cover medical, dental, and mental health care. It would probably help you out tremendously.

But that is quite obvious isn’t it? I also stated that people should not be seeking medical treatment in an ER UNLESS they require emergency medical care.

Because I don't think it's the federal governments place to review my health records and determine whether or not I can choose to take a life saving treatment, in the event that I have a grave medical illness. I'd like that to be between my own personal doctor and I. That's my short answer, I could go on all night about this. Basically there needs to be reform on this bill before it passes. It should not be snuck in under the guise of a stimulus package.

I see a contact lens doctor. If somebody doesn't have insurance, they have to pay cash. There is no payment system. I have insurance and have to pay what the insurance doesn't cover at the time of the appointment.

Except you just said:



The common denominator for all such programs is some form of government action aimed at extending access to health care as widely as possible. Most countries implement universal health care through legislation, regulation and taxation. Legislation and regulation direct what care must be provided, to whom, and on what basis. Clearly its a trade off.

No, really, I don't think it is obvious to a lot of folks, which is why ERs are always standing room only.