Our health insurance has gotten way out of line and it’s getting ridiculous! I don’t understand why we can’t pay a little more in taxes and a little less in health insurance (so it’s a wash) and have health care for everyone who needs it?
My brother was telling me that in addition to what he pays in health insurance, he has to lay out hundreds of dollars every month in prescription drugs. There are times when he actually thinks “should I get these medications that we need or should I put food on the table.” This is insane!
And then, there’s insurance racism, which I recently encountered. I’m not kidding here. I was referred to a physician in Manhattan, so I called his office to make an appointment.
His office never returned the call. So, I called again. This time, I got a “live person.”
“Can I set up an appointment with Dr. Hanjis?” I asked.
“What type of insurance do you have?” the office person asked.
“I have Oxford,” I said.
She interrupted me. “I’m sorry but our panel is full. We do not take anyone with Oxford insurance.”
“What? What if I pay you out of pocket?”
“I’m sorry, but if you are a oxford member, we can not see you.”
I couldn’t believe how she made me feel. I was outraged. I called Oxford. They explained that having a full panel meant that the doctor couldn’t see anyone else with that insurance, however, Dr. Hanjis didn’t have a full panel and they weren’t sure why he turned me away.
Here we pay a ton of money for health insurance for ourselves and for our staff plus there are out of pocket costs associated so by the time you’re finished, you’re paying a fortune and you can’t even see a doctor you want to see?
Will there be a time when this system is fixed?
I know I’m not alone in my frustration because people tell me all the time how angry they are. Will Obamacare be the answer? So far it doesn’t look that way but I’m hopeful. What do you think? How can we solve this crisis?
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DISCLOSURE: NO CONNECTION, UNPAID, MY OWN OPINIONS I have not received any compensation for writing this content and I have no material connection to the brands, topics and/or products that are mentioned herein. However, individual links could be associated with affiliate marketing sites and through the use of affiliate links contained herein, I may collect fees from purchases made.
Single payer system such as Medicare, or at least a public option, would be a huge improvement. The issue is that healthcare in the USA is a collection of different participants /stakeholder, each with different objectives, without any one entity coordinating the system.
Agree! Thanks for sharing!