FIRE Dead?

[flintlock]

Re: FIRE Dead?

Thats a great plan you have, hang on to it.

[GRG55]

Re: FIRE Dead?

My anecdotal evidence is that although they may be run well administratively, the va's actual medical care (doctors) is of low quality. My va grandfathers over the years have been repeatedly misdiagnosed and have been told "everything is ok" only to be rushed immediately to surgery by private doctors after seeking second opinions from outside the va system. We're talking blatant incompetence or ignorance.

And there are absolutely no examples of an elderly person ever being repeatedly misdiagnosed in the private system?

Just askin'...

[GRG55]

Re: FIRE Dead?

Thats a great plan you have, hang on to it.

Is it actually his choice to be able to hang on to it? What happens if one contracts a chronic and progressive disease...say ALS or MS? How do the private insurers behave in that sort of circumstance?

[jk]

Re: FIRE Dead?

Is it actually his choice to be able to hang on to it? What happens if one contracts a chronic and progressive disease...say ALS or MS? How do the private insurers behave in that sort of circumstance?

i have seen patients in this circumstance - sometimes the ins co goes hunting in old medical records to try to find early symptoms so that they can declare the illness a non-covered pre-existing condition. they have people who do this full-time. sometimes people discover that various kinds of ancillary care, visiting nurses and so on, are not covered by their policies, so they go broke. with some conditions people discover that the policy limit of $1mil doesn't go as far as they thought. various treatments are declared experimental, and therefore not covered. or off-label drug uses are declared not-covered - this happens only with relatively expensive drugs; no one cares if you prescribe a cheap drug off-label. but still my favorite is the first example i cited- people employed full-time to search old records to find excuses not to pay for care.

[Jim Nickerson]

Re: FIRE Dead?

i have seen patients in this circumstance - sometimes the ins co goes hunting in old medical records to try to find early symptoms so that they can declare the illness a non-covered pre-existing condition. they have people who do this full-time. sometimes people discover that various kinds of ancillary care, visiting nurses and so on, are not covered by their policies, so they go broke. with some conditions people discover that the policy limit of $1mil doesn't go as far as they thought. various treatments are declared experimental, and therefore not covered. or off-label drug uses are declared not-covered - this happens only with relatively expensive drugs; no one cares if you prescribe a cheap drug off-label. but still my favorite is the first example i cited- people employed full-time to search old records to find excuses not to pay for care.

And patients with regard to health insurance when under coverage of a new plan may lie to a new doctor about possibly important historical issues in order to keep them out of their records. So doctors perhaps in attempting to assess some problems may be given a puzzle without all the pieces.

In my opinion, one of the things that would assist in providing and receiving better health care would be universally accessible records on patients and a national health care scheme.

[jwonks]

Re: FIRE Dead?

And there are absolutely no examples of an elderly person ever being repeatedly misdiagnosed in the private system?

Just askin'...

I'll pass on the rhetorical question.

[charliebrown]

Re: FIRE Dead?

i dont know what to do with this issue.

i have a son who has some strange issues, regarding metabolism or neurology. he has been mis-diagnosed plenty of times. i'm not in a gvt plan but i assume that if my choice of physicians is limited, and they are not willing to listen, i would get no service. in the private sector i have had plenty of doctors run a simple blood panel, run some other simple tests and say nothing i wrong, and move on. unless you are really willing to seek out a good doctor your not going to get any help unless you have
some open and shut case. Why should anyone go the extra mile? they have a string of patients banging down their door willing to pay a fee for cookie cutter service.

prescription meds are a racket. if you are on some maintenance meds you should be able to see a simple nurse or med tech have them do a blood test, breathing test etc and get your meds if you are not an idiot you should be able to read the precautions and adjust your own meds. not have to see a full m.d., take a day off of work and spend $200 bucks for and office visit for then to give you the same meds you had the last six months.

my son needed two boughts of surgery and needed a pre-op pediactric visit before each. for what?? to have his temperature taken?? there goes another $400 bucks for nothing. obviously a lawyer shield.

will Reaganonmics work for health care in that we have to increase supply of medical providers. Why do people have to go through umteen years of school at 30k a year to become a doctor? Can we limit medical mal practrice? A smart kid with perhaps two years of community college can certainly push pills as well as any other MD. yes i dont want him doing brain surgery, but i wouldn't mind visiting him for a checkup, ear infection etc.

with my son, i am very worried that i'm going to have a 5 figure procedure done and somehow the insurance company is going to find a way to weasel out of paying what the heck does that stupid phone recording that says "quotes are no guarantee of coverage" when you call your carrier?? How can that be legal? Midas gives you a quote and has to live by it why not BCBS?

as you can tell, im very angry at the medical industry.

[cjppjc]

Re: FIRE Dead?

i dont know what to do with this issue.

i have a son who has some strange issues, regarding metabolism or neurology. he has been mis-diagnosed plenty of times. i'm not in a gvt plan but i assume that if my choice of physicians is limited, and they are not willing to listen, i would get no service. in the private sector i have had plenty of doctors run a simple blood panel, run some other simple tests and say nothing i wrong, and move on. unless you are really willing to seek out a good doctor your not going to get any help unless you have
some open and shut case. Why should anyone go the extra mile? they have a string of patients banging down their door willing to pay a fee for cookie cutter service.

prescription meds are a racket. if you are on some maintenance meds you should be able to see a simple nurse or med tech have them do a blood test, breathing test etc and get your meds if you are not an idiot you should be able to read the precautions and adjust your own meds. not have to see a full m.d., take a day off of work and spend $200 bucks for and office visit for then to give you the same meds you had the last six months.

my son needed two boughts of surgery and needed a pre-op pediactric visit before each. for what?? to have his temperature taken?? there goes another $400 bucks for nothing. obviously a lawyer shield.

will Reaganonmics work for health care in that we have to increase supply of medical providers. Why do people have to go through umteen years of school at 30k a year to become a doctor? Can we limit medical mal practrice? A smart kid with perhaps two years of community college can certainly push pills as well as any other MD. yes i dont want him doing brain surgery, but i wouldn't mind visiting him for a checkup, ear infection etc.

with my son, i am very worried that i'm going to have a 5 figure procedure done and somehow the insurance company is going to find a way to weasel out of paying what the heck does that stupid phone recording that says "quotes are no guarantee of coverage" when you call your carrier?? How can that be legal? Midas gives you a quote and has to live by it why not BCBS?

as you can tell, im very angry at the medical industry.

Who could blame you for being angry. I hope you are able to get a correct diagnosis soon. Then maybe you can put this problem to rest. There is no worry like a parents worry. Good luck to you and your son.

[tombat1913]

Re: FIRE Dead?

There are only three things that need to be done (and all 3 together must be done):

1) pass laws which allow a simple, "major medical" coverage plan in all states, and make the coverage a bit like term life insurance, to provide incentive for individuals and the insurers that offer it to take a "long term view"

2) allow companies to sell insurance in all markets across the US

3) eliminate the ability of companies/organizations/unions/gov't entities to offer medical coverage as a tax free benefit

The more gov't gets involved in a sector of the economy, the more costs go up. The more gov't spends (gives free money), the more costs for everyone (on average) go up.

Gov't regulations are one thing. People agree to abide by rules, and certainly regulations can result in safer services, or higher standards. Gov't rules are one way to achieve this (there are other ways, of course, such as professional organizations)

But gov't spending? Can anyone name 5 services that the gov't provides on the behalf of others who aren't paying that have seen a decrease in inflation adjusted prices?

The gov't has been spending on medicaid and medicare for decades now. Has that had no impact on prices for the rest of us?

I don't forsee any major changes by the present administration - the trial lawyers and mal practice insurers certainly don't want "change", do they???

Can anyone name 1 service that the gov't provides that doesn't go to sh*t in the long term?

After having gov't provided healthcare in the military I adamently believe that the government should be kept as far away from the medical field as possible.