Rant: Healthcare

[Chris]

I just got off the phone with my wife's doctor's office. She needed a refill on a prescription. She was prescribed a cream to use once a day for two weeks. It is supposed to remove pre-cancerous cells from her skin. Well, the doctor wrote it for about 4 days worth. I called this AM to get a refill- she has maybe one day left. They tell me "Takes 48 hours to call this in".

Huh?

She explains that they'll try to get it in before 3 but they're usually really busy.

No $hit? Busy, huh?

I need to start telling customer things like that. "Hey, we work 9 to 3..." That would be cool. It would open up entirely different horizons in my life.

Ironically, my wife is an RN in a hospital. Works a 12 hour shift. Has't left on time once in her career. She gets there 45 minutes early and, off-the-clock, get's ready to take over on each patient she's getting. She leaves when the work is done and ready to hand off to the next shift. So I know it's not everywhere.

[Expensive Date]

I had a prescription a few years ago which was take for a week then off for a week it was three cycles.The first prescription was only for two cycles it took so long to get the third that they had to start all over again. It was not cheap either.So the insurance company lost about a grand on that one.Hope it works out for you

[Airpacker]

Know the feeling Chris. My l;ast DR.s apointment, the morons booked 3 weeks in advance. I show up on time and they look at me like I'm stunned or something. "Dr. such and such doesn't work on Wednesdays, you can't possibly have an appointment". I show them the mail reminder THEY sent me with the date on it. Written is plain english it says 5:00pm, WEDNESDAY ...... .So, now pissed off, they reschedule me a new appointment.....4 weeks out.

Now, the best part. 2 weeks later I get a bill for a "missed appointment" in the mail for 96 bucks!...I guess I don't need to repeat the phone call that followed huh?

[Ted]

Know the feeling Chris. My l;ast DR.s apointment, the morons booked 3 weeks in advance. I show up on time and they look at me like I'm stunned or something. "Dr. such and such doesn't work on Wednesdays, you can't possibly have an appointment". I show them the mail reminder THEY sent me with the date on it. Written is plain english it says 5:00pm, WEDNESDAY ...... .So, now pissed off, they reschedule me a new appointment.....4 weeks out.

Now, the best part. 2 weeks later I get a bill for a "missed appointment" in the mail for 96 bucks!...I guess I don't need to repeat the phone call that followed huh?

I thought health care is free in Canada??

[cigdaze]

...a cream to use once a day for two weeks...
...the doctor wrote it for about 4 days worth...

WTF?

[Airpacker]

I thought health care is free in Canada??

Major misconception. Yes, things like major operations and the like are "free" but there are very many medical services which are not covered by government health plans unless of course you are a refugee or otherwise on the welfare. Then everything is "free" as long as you are not a tax payer.

Our personal taxes are extremely high compared to yours because of our "free" health care. The system is overloaded, over priced and quasi dysfunctional. Friggin Liberals keep raising the taxes and de listing covered services.

[Ted]

Yeah, I kinda figgered that, really lloking forward to the "One" bringing it here too.....

[Chris]

Canadian taxes are absurd. Makes New York seem like a bargain. We had a cottage on the Niagara peninsula- got so far out of hand it had to go. That was sad because we loved the place- it just didn't make sense.

Canada is living high on the hog right now with all the petroleum they're exporting. Unfortunately I don't think they're planning ahead.

[Wrinkleface]

Know the feeling Chris. My l;ast DR.s apointment, the morons booked 3 weeks in advance. I show up on time and they look at me like I'm stunned or something. "Dr. such and such doesn't work on Wednesdays, you can't possibly have an appointment". I show them the mail reminder THEY sent me with the date on it. Written is plain english it says 5:00pm, WEDNESDAY ...... .So, now pissed off, they reschedule me a new appointment.....4 weeks out.

Now, the best part. 2 weeks later I get a bill for a "missed appointment" in the mail for 96 bucks!...I guess I don't need to repeat the phone call that followed huh?

Time 4 a new physician!!!!!

[ChiefApache]

Major misconception. Yes, things like major operations and the like are "free" but there are very many medical services which are not covered by government health plans unless of course you are a refugee or otherwise on the welfare. Then everything is "free" as long as you are not a tax payer.

Our personal taxes are extremely high compared to yours because of our "free" health care. The system is overloaded, over priced and quasi dysfunctional. Friggin Liberals keep raising the taxes and de listing covered services.

I was in Windsor this past week.......didn't the Conservatives win the election??? That's confusing, or maybe it's makes more sense than what we do in the U.S.??

[Ratickle]

Major misconception. Yes, things like major operations and the like are "free" but there are very many medical services which are not covered by government health plans unless of course you are a refugee or otherwise on the welfare. Then everything is "free" as long as you are not a tax payer.

Our personal taxes are extremely high compared to yours because of our "free" health care. The system is overloaded, over priced and quasi dysfunctional. Friggin Liberals keep raising the taxes and de listing covered services.

Ask Bob the Builder how good the Canadian health care system is.

[2112]

I am in the same field as Wrinkle and I am sure he would tell you the same.

I work for my patients. Not the insurance company, large employer and definitely not the Government.

It is in my interest to take care of the patients. If I give them poor service, they can willingly leave. I put long hours (like Chris's wife) doing extras above and beyond the standard of care to make sure that the patient is happy and even more importantly, if another provider should see my patients, they can say nothing but the best about the care they recieved.

Again, Working for the patient in the truest sense of capitalism in a healthcare setting. It used to be that way in medicine too.

[Downtown42]

I just got off the phone with my wife's doctor's office. She needed a refill on a prescription. .

Chris, wait till NO'Bama gets in and everything will be fine.

[THEJOKER]

I'm constantly bothered by most companies customer service. They simply don't give a damn. Every now and then I'll find someone that actually cares and has our company motto " get r done"!

[Sea-Dated]

Customer Service is a lost art in this country. It is really sad.

[Tony]

Due to the fact that my customers set my work hours on any given day, I had to cancel a doctors appointment today, no big deal. I call the doctors office at 12:30 ish and get this message: Thank you for calling blah blah our office is currently closed for lunch. Please call back betwen the hours of 9 to 4 Mon. thru Wed and 10 to 3 on Friday, we are closed on Thursday and from 12 to 1 P.M. every day for lunch.

Now for the part that burns my azz, I was there a few months back and my doctor and I were discussing our occupations. He gives me a half sob story about how the insurance industry is killing him and he may have to go back to making house calls.


GRRRRRRRRR........

[open72]

just got a letter today from the insurance company ,says that the premium is going up another $49 a month for her because she turned 45 in july.

the letter states - "your policy rates are set according to your age ,the premium is being adjusted to the next age bracket".

bullchit.

she goes in once a year for the female check up and that's it. got a letter 2 months ago stating that the deductable went up another 1k..

it was 5k ...now 6k..

[BraceYourself]

The good primary care doctors have been weeded out. Insurance and paperwork have weighted them down. Used to be that they could give out their cell and see patients in a normal schedule. However they need to see twice the patients to make half the money. More paperwork, increases staff, less reimbursment, higher mal practice, = they make less. One of my good friends gave up his practice after 15 years, he was making less and was no longer what he thought healthcare should be. With his increased mal practice and staff he was making 90K. I know how hard he worked and that compensation is sickening.