I’ve debated telling my Dr. the truth about things in fear it would go down on my medical record and be used to deny coverage some day in the future - by a claims adjuster whose bonus is tied to how many claims they deny.
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Bet your ass that If you ever had to sue your insurer every comment you ever made that your doc wrote down would become public record
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When you live in a normal country.
Note his insulin cost $1,200 a month.
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I routinely leave stuff out of the medical record if it pertains to substance use or non-suicidal/homicidal/delusional behavior if I’m seeing someone for, say, a sprained ankle - because I have less than no faith in the so-called privacy of medical records. Cause there’s no such thing, if someone REALLY is motivated to get a look at them. - If it’s germane to the presenting issue, then I’ll put it in (say cocaine in a chest pain patient. I have no idea how other docs look at it.
MM MD
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Meaning what exactly?
If I see you for poison ivy, do you want me to document that you snorted coke last night, if you for some reason told me? Cause if you do, you have a much sunnier view of insurance companies and employers than I do.
MM MD
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I’m a Canadian living in the U.S. for two years now. Seeing my own pessimism about the healthcare industry mirrored by an actual doctor surprised me. Perhaps it shouldn’t. I appreciate your candor.
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I’m now just imagining you seeing someone for poison ivy in the ER. Both from the standpoint of people find creative ways to get themselves hurt and from the standpoint of the USA#1 healthcare landscape, I bet it’s not even that rare.
But yeah, I would hope my doctors don’t document every little thing if it’s not relevant.
Yup, absolutely. This system is extremely fucked up. FUBAR. Beyond FUBAR. It makes FUBAR look sort of okay in comparison.
It’s kind of better than it was in one respect. When I was in my residency, HIV was just getting going - and people were routinely fired/shunned if it became known they had that diagnosis - less of a problem now, but you had some VERY tricky conversations with patients back then.
MM MD
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Not sure where else to turn, so wondering if anyone has ideas. Lidia has an eye condition related to rheumatoid arthritis that is literally dissolving her cornea. Her ophthalmologist referred to it as a medical emergency, yet we’ve been waiting for four days and the insurance is not approving it. Everyone who knows me knows I hate our country’s backwoods third world greedy evil excuse for medical care. We’re supposed to have options, as the one benefit to having to pay for things, and it looks like we’re waiting in even longer lines than countries with socialized medicine. Does anyone have any creative out-of-the-box ideas, or any Medical Care Professionals that know how she can be seen quickly in a way that doesn’t bankrupt us? She’s a military veteran and has Insurance related to that. She even is capable of going to any ER without being charged, but unless there’s an ophthalmologist there that specializes in her specific condition, that’s not really going to help.
Peripheral Ulcerative Keratitis
From Facebook
“Just two weeks before his death, Daniel was forced to stop taking an antipsychotic medication he had been using for more than a decade because his insurance had lapsed, and he couldn’t afford the monthly $250 out-of-pocket cost. His insurer, Fidelis Care, had discontinued his coverage over failure to pay an outstanding premium, according to documents shared with the Times Union.”
“The premium in dispute was $20.”
I would bet a lot of money that’s a scam.
Looking it up it seems to be a legit but nothing special health insurance company. No big scam red flags that I can see, tho.
MM MD
Christ hath redeemed me from the curse of endless HMO red tape
https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1161010740821577728
And here’s how this conversation continues every single time in some form:
Kamala: Well you know the public paid for your Medicare.
Woman: Yeah but I PAID for that!
Kamala: And that’s the same way we want to pay for Medicare for All.
Woman: But they’re not going to pay for it, those lazy… (trails off remembering she’s on camera and in mixed company)
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Good God do I fucking hate old people.