(OT) Doctors Who Rip You Off

Jack Campin wrote:

My girlfriend just had an interesting experience. She had to go to
Germany for a few days, but got an infected burn just before she
left (the burn was tiny, she's susceptible to this). And it hadn't
responded to the first antibiotic they tried. So should she cancel
the trip? She phoned the NHS-24 helpline and they said it should be
okay, just keep it elevated and cool on the flight and check with a
doctor on arrival if necessary.

So, she went to a medical practice in Munich - and during the
consultation she could see they were accessing her medical records
from the UK. She got a different antibiotic prescribed and the
wound dressed (fancy silver-impregnated gauze), went back to the
surgery for two repeat visits before she flew back. It's healing
well now.

This was covered by the European reciprocal health care scheme.
Total cost: 5 euros, for the second week's course of antibiotics.

envy!

--
Joyce

There is no alternative to being yourself.

"Bastette" wrote in message
...
Jack Campin wrote:

My girlfriend just had an interesting experience. She had to go to
Germany for a few days, but got an infected burn just before she
left (the burn was tiny, she's susceptible to this). And it hadn't
responded to the first antibiotic they tried. So should she cancel
the trip? She phoned the NHS-24 helpline and they said it should be
okay, just keep it elevated and cool on the flight and check with a
doctor on arrival if necessary.

So, she went to a medical practice in Munich - and during the
consultation she could see they were accessing her medical records
from the UK. She got a different antibiotic prescribed and the
wound dressed (fancy silver-impregnated gauze), went back to the
surgery for two repeat visits before she flew back. It's healing
well now.

This was covered by the European reciprocal health care scheme.
Total cost: 5 euros, for the second week's course of antibiotics.

envy!


Germans are pretty good at most things, I have found.

(N and I have done the war and got it out of the way)
If there is one thing that will stop a Brit and German bonding it is that.
We discussed it and I was surprised what she said. She was embarrassed
about it and didn't want to be German because of it.
How sad is that?
It's not her fault, she was not alive then.

On 26/02/2012 7:54 AM, Lesley wrote:
On Feb 24, 1:39 pm, wrote:

The NHS doesn't include vision care?? How about dentists?

It includes vision if you have to see an opthalmologist and dental if
you get referred to a dental hospital otherwise you pay unless you
have health insurance but the basic stuff is not masively expensive
(and if you meet certain conditions such as being on benefits then
it's free for example if you are 40 or older and have a close relative
with glaucoma then eye tests are free regardless of income) I got my
last eye test free from a high street optician who were giving them
away (to lure customers in- they may have been slightly disappointed
that I don't need a new prescription so they couldn't sell me anything
and they had to give me the prescription so I could if needed take it
somewhere else). If you're working you also pay something towards a
prescription £7.65 per item regardless of what the drugs would
actually cost

Here in Oz:

A person without a health care card (usually comes with government
income support like disabilty, age pension, social security etc) pays up
to $35 per prescription if the medicine is on the Pharmaceutical
Benefits Scheme (most are). Those with a health care card pay $3.50 per
script. Those with pharmaceutical benefits on the health insurance can
claim back 85% of the costs of those medicines that aren't on the PBS.
Once a family spends over $1100 (or thereabouts, don't know the exact
number) on prescriptions in a calendar year, the "safety net" kicks in
and a card is issued so that scripts (and scripts only) cost $3.50 each.

Everyone with a medicare card is entitled to one free (or fully
refunded) eye test every two years. Those with a health care card can
get single vision lenses with a limited range (really ugly) frames for a
nominal cost. My health insurance will pay up to $300 per financial
year, so I usually pay for the lenses on June 30th and the frames on
July 1 every second year. I only need reading glasses, and the cheap
+1.00 no prscription "readers" that they sell in department stores are
good enough when I'm really struggling without glasses (For casual
reading and casual computer work, I can do without. I also have some
astigmatism and some 'prism' correction but its not so bad I *need* the
correction, just makes it more comfortable when I need to digest a lot
of text in one go)

Dental is not covered by medicare, but there are moves afoot to
introduce it. Those with a health care card can book themselves into a
dental hospital, and since its a dental *hospital*, and not a dentist,
it can be claimed on medicare, but the rest of us either have to have
private health insurance, or just pay for dental.

Things like physiotherapy are not covered by medicare, unless carried
out by a hospital post surgery.

Ambulance is not covered by Medicare (but is, IIRC if you have a health
care card), but most health insurances fully cover the cost. Last time
we had to use an ambulance, it cost $150. Wasn't complaining.

And it really depends on your health insurance about whether they cover
complimentary and alternate therapies, and by how much. Mine will cover
at 85% to a total of $500 a year: Physiotherapy, massage, podiatry,
chiropractor, Chinese medicine / herbalism. And each provider has to be
recognized by the insurance industry as a legitimate and qualified
practitioner before they pay. But won't cover the likes of homeopathy,
reiki, iridology etc (unless it comes with one of the services that they
do cover).

Yowie

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...
I'm soooo tired of doctors who rip people off.

How do doctors get away with stuff like this? Something similiar
happened with the gastric surgeon who treated me when I was hospitalized
for diverticulitis in 2008. In my outpatient follow-up visits he kept
pushing and pushing for me to have surgery to remove half of my colon.
Oh, his predictions were dire! "If you don't have this surgery you'll be
wearing a colostomy bag within 3 years." It's funny how quickly he
changed his tune when I said, "You DO realize I don't have insurance,
right?" Oh!
(snipped self)

So, next week I'll have new glasses, only because I bent the frames all
to hell. And I don't have cataracts. And, five years later, I'm not
walking around with a colostomy bag. I'm doing just fine, thank you
very much.


You've had a really bad experience. If my optometrist had not seen
something bad in a routine examination and referred me to the hospital I
would have lost my central vision. I had many operations, groundbreaking
ones, and after 5 years I could see. It took that long for my eyes to
settle down, although the downside is that I cannot see in the dark.
I don't know whether the difference in your USA health system makes a
difference. Or whether the surgeon can make more money from you because
of that.
(snip)

The USA doesn't *have* a healthcare system. That's the problem. It's a
paradox inside of a conundrum. I own a house, therefore I don't qualify
for Medicaid. I'm too young for Medicare and I'm not disabled so I don't
qualify for Social Security Disability. I have no health coverage. I
have to pay for this stuff. General medical checkups, eye care, dental,
surgery. All out of my own pocket. This is why I resent being ripped off
by doctors who probably have yachts or 6-seater sailboats moored not far
from here. That doctor had to know I didn't need new lenses, yet he
charged me for them anyway. And he was trying to talk me into a premature
and unecessary surgery. That makes me angry.

I *do* so wish that somehow the USA would adopt a system like ours.
Everybody in work pays in, no choice, and it's not a small sum per month.
I once thought, probably around the year 2000, that I'd paid all this money
in for so many years and never got much from it. That served me right for
that bad thought because in 2001 I started to lose my vision. I had a
series of operations (I asked what the first one would cost privately and it
was 7,000 GBP)
Shortly after having my last eye operation, only three months, I found I had
ovarian cancer. Then after that the wound site broke down and I had to
have an operation for an incisional hernia. Then after that it broke down
again, so I had to have it done again.
If that was not bad enough I started to break bones. First the ribs (twice)
and then my shoulder. Another op for that, and then my ankle which was
severely broken from such a minor thing that they tested me for
osteoporosis, which I have, unfortunately.
I have had physiotherapy for my shoulder (that will never work again
properly, I think I will never able to raise that arm)
So now I have physiotherapy for my ankle. It all costs me nothing.
I remember Pat saying about my hydrotherapy "I wish I could wallow in a
warm pool"
Well, it was not quite like that and I would say "well, if if you had my
injury that I had to have morphine for, for a while, maybe you could"
I do not know why all you USA folks don't rise up all together and insist on
some sort of National Health System.

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...
I'm soooo tired of doctors who rip people off.

How do doctors get away with stuff like this? Something similiar
happened with the gastric surgeon who treated me when I was
hospitalized for diverticulitis in 2008. In my outpatient follow-up
visits he kept pushing and pushing for me to have surgery to remove
half of my colon. Oh, his predictions were dire! "If you don't have
this surgery you'll be wearing a colostomy bag within 3 years." It's
funny how quickly he changed his tune when I said, "You DO realize I
don't have insurance, right?" Oh!
(snipped self)

So, next week I'll have new glasses, only because I bent the frames all
to hell. And I don't have cataracts. And, five years later, I'm not
walking around with a colostomy bag. I'm doing just fine, thank you
very much.


You've had a really bad experience. If my optometrist had not seen
something bad in a routine examination and referred me to the hospital I
would have lost my central vision. I had many operations,
groundbreaking ones, and after 5 years I could see. It took that long
for my eyes to settle down, although the downside is that I cannot see
in the dark.
I don't know whether the difference in your USA health system makes a
difference. Or whether the surgeon can make more money from you because
of that.
(snip)

The USA doesn't *have* a healthcare system. That's the problem. It's a
paradox inside of a conundrum. I own a house, therefore I don't qualify
for Medicaid. I'm too young for Medicare and I'm not disabled so I don't
qualify for Social Security Disability. I have no health coverage. I
have to pay for this stuff. General medical checkups, eye care, dental,
surgery. All out of my own pocket. This is why I resent being ripped off
by doctors who probably have yachts or 6-seater sailboats moored not far
from here. That doctor had to know I didn't need new lenses, yet he
charged me for them anyway. And he was trying to talk me into a
premature and unecessary surgery. That makes me angry.

I *do* so wish that somehow the USA would adopt a system like ours.
Everybody in work pays in, no choice, and it's not a small sum per month.
I once thought, probably around the year 2000, that I'd paid all this
money in for so many years and never got much from it. That served me
right for that bad thought because in 2001 I started to lose my vision. I
had a series of operations (I asked what the first one would cost
privately and it was 7,000 GBP)
Shortly after having my last eye operation, only three months, I found I
had ovarian cancer. Then after that the wound site broke down and I had
to have an operation for an incisional hernia. Then after that it broke
down again, so I had to have it done again.
If that was not bad enough I started to break bones. First the ribs
(twice) and then my shoulder. Another op for that, and then my ankle
which was severely broken from such a minor thing that they tested me for
osteoporosis, which I have, unfortunately.
I have had physiotherapy for my shoulder (that will never work again
properly, I think I will never able to raise that arm)
So now I have physiotherapy for my ankle. It all costs me nothing.
I remember Pat saying about my hydrotherapy "I wish I could wallow in a
warm pool"
Well, it was not quite like that and I would say "well, if if you had my
injury that I had to have morphine for, for a while, maybe you could"
I do not know why all you USA folks don't rise up all together and insist
on some sort of National Health System.

We've been trying, but politics got in the way. Our "representatives" are
so busy trying to defeat anything the other party wants that they've
forgotten who they're supposed to be serving.

Joy

"Joy" wrote in message
...
I do not know why all you USA folks don't rise up all together and
insist
on some sort of National Health System.

We've been trying, but politics got in the way. Our "representatives" are
so busy trying to defeat anything the other party wants that they've
forgotten who they're supposed to be serving.

You all must do it. You seriously need a better health syste
m than you have.
Ours isn't perfect, you do have to wait a while for non-life threatening
things, but when I had my cancer, my doctor ordered an ambulance immediately
and I was in hospital within an hour. Strangely he though it might panic me
if I heard him so he made me wait in a corridor outside while he phoned the
hospital.
I was panicked enough when I was told, go home, pack a bag, an ambulance
will take you to hospital within 30 minutes.
I owe that doctor my life.
However, if isn't so serious we do have to wait.
I'm still waiting to hear the results of my brain scan.
Tweed

On 2/29/2012 6:57 PM, Christina Websell wrote:
wrote in message
...
Christina Websell wrote:

I do not know why all you USA folks don't rise up all together and
insist on some sort of National Health System.

Some of us are... but there's a lot of misinformation, ignorance and fear
about it. All too many people believe that if we have a national health
system, we will be (!beverage warning!) a socialist country. Never mind,
for
example, that the UK, Japan, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Korea, Australia
and
Canada - all heavily Communist countries

What?? Where did you get that idea from?

I think she was trying to be sarcastic.


--
Hugs,

CatNipped
See all our masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped

See the RPCA FAQ site, created by "Yowie", maintained by Mark Edwards, at:
http://www.professional-geek.net/rpcablog/

Email: L(dot)T(dot)Crews(at)comcast(dot)net

Christina Websell wrote:

"Bastette" wrote in message

All too many people believe that if we have a national health
system, we will be (!beverage warning!) a socialist country. Never
mind, for example, that the UK, Japan, Germany, Sweden, Finland,
Korea, Australia and Canada - all heavily Communist countries

What?? Where did you get that idea from?

LOL, sorry! Irony doesn't always come across over the interwebz. My point
was that while some people in the US seem to think that having a national
health plan will make us socialist, there are plenty of *capitalist* countries
out there that are managing to take perfectly good care of their citizens'
healthcare needs.

(BTW, I should have said *South* Korea. I recently saw a segment of a
news program where a journalist went to Korea to interview doctors, patients
and administrators about their healthcare policy. This was an American
news program, so I'd say there's a 0% chance they went to North Korea.)

So that's the long answer, as to why we don't *all* rise up. A lot of
people really don't want it.

Ah, well, that's a pity.

That said, we *are* getting some kind of healthcare overhaul, which is
in the process of being implemented as we speak. It should all be in place
by 2014, unless we elect people who decide to dismantle it (this is a
presidential election year here).

I just think it's going to be a mess, because members of the government
who put this thing together were either too wussy - or too heavily
invested - to challenge the insurance industry. This new plan is very
friendly to insurance companies. In fact, it's going to be a windfall
for them - as of 2014, everyone will be required to buy it. A lot of the
money they make from this will go to advertising and profits - what a
waste of taxpayer money.

--
Joyce

I will not sniff at my male human's feet after he takes his shoes off,
freeze my mouth open in disgust and then sniff my private parts to compare
odors. -- Cat Resolutions

"Cheryl" wrote in message
...
On 24/02/2012 3:54 PM, Joy wrote:


Incidentally, I've found that I have much better luck with glasses from
an
optometrist than from an ophthalmologist.


Most of the local ophthalmologists don't want to bother with routine eye
exams.

What?? Routine eye exams are essential and it's encouraged here that you
have one every year.
It's not just for eyes, they can tell if you have anything else going on.








I'm getting older and my grandmother had glaucoma. I pay for the extra
exam myself.


--
Cheryl

"Bastette" wrote in message
...

So that's the long answer, as to why we don't *all* rise up. A lot of
people really don't want it.

Until they need it and can't afford it, eh?