Political blog ‘08
American Healthcare – Up Close & Personal
There are those life changing moments ..seconds really …that remind us of our mortality and lack of control over our environment. I won’t even pretend that my recent knee injury is comparable to the pain and suffering experienced by millions around the world on a daily basis. However, it did ‘knock me off my game’ and put me front and center in a world many navigate on a daily basis – The American Healthcare System.
First of all, let me say…..I have health insurance and for that I am grateful. With my husband and I being self-employed, and two kids, we pay
A LOT each month for our coverage…however, it is there when we need it, and I needed it last week when I fell and broke my patella.
As soon as you enter the emergency room door you are asked about insurance. Prior to surgery, I was informed my deductible would have to be paid in full. (We paid it, however I was erroneously asked two more times during my hospital stay to pay the deductible!)
Hospital recordkeeping is in the stone ages and doesn’t seem to take advantage of existing technology. I could twitter thousands of people my medical stats at any given time and they would have them instantly….however, in a hospital it can take a whole day to collect the info and get it to a patient’s doctor!
I am certain that my knee injury will generate many, many pages of documentation and cost us thousands of dollars….and again…I HAVE insurance. I am reasonably educated, however I don’t understand medical billing—one event generates bills from various doctors, labs, and medical offices! I have gone through this with family members and know it’s a headache…. I am still getting new medical bills for my late father who died three years ago!!
This is ridiculous!
Before I end this blog….I must comment on all the outstanding people who work in healthcare! The medical personnel I interfaced with (other than the billing department) were absolutely wonderful! Many went above and beyond in making sure I was comfortable and understood what was happening around me. I hope these people are appreciated within their industry and paid well—and I’m not just talking about the doctors and nurses—I mean the aides, the people that clean the rooms, the people that bring the food, etc.
So I’ll stop the ranting….I know that most of you can relate to this.
I’ll end by saying: The American Healthcare System is Sick!
Linnie Frank Bailey
September 21st, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Medical billing is a crisis but who is paying the bill. It is true that Americans are mounting in medical bills but how did the cost surmount. Truth is not that Americans all should be insured but cost of the medical stay or billing should be reduced. If we want to place blame on someone it should be ourselves for allowing the medical community to take advantage of us. We all live near hospitals and pay taxes for those grand facilities. Hospitals are not just receiving money from patients but commissioners get money from the government. The medical society has gone up on cost just like every other business entity suppling products or services. We as Americans need to stand up to standards of governmental practice of medical expenses. It is not a solution but will get the ball rolling on bringing price down. Health insurance became expensive for businesses and individuals by insurance companies. There are a lot of insurance companies out there but they lack in paying full deductibles. We need to regulate insurance to bring the price down. There is another issue with the pharmuectical industry with globalization. We have companies that demand top money from clinics and hospitals for their medicines therefore hospitals must cover their costs. Generic medicine that works should be used more so that patients can afford them. Utimately, we as Americans need to overhaul the medical community and get spending and deductibles down. Universal coverage will cost Americans in the long run due to it coming out of everyone’s pay checks but some already have insurance and are suffering due to the costs. Greed again has shown it’s head in health care globization and pharmauecticals are tells us medication is worth more than injury and saving lives.