Extremely pissed off at local hospital.

say little rock we're stuck on.
when people practice to become doctors, it has nothing to do with the interest in saving other people's lives.

reply to post by Blanca Rose

Why would you go to the emergency room for something that isn't an emergency

Because when you cannot afford insurance but are not poor enough to be awarded medicade you have no choice.

People are NOT refused care here

I have been refused care due to NOT HAVING insurance more than one time.

ITS NOT FREE

You're right it's not free. We make NI contributions ( a tax ) . We also pay taxes for roads, schools, fire departments and welfare programs. It's community, for the good of all, ya know?

I have lived this stuff first hand. I have had wonderful insurance

Congratulations. Sadly however there are millions of Americans who are not in the same boat as you. My brother is one of them. He works full time and pays about 400 dollars a month for a full family plan with some evil HMO. He has to fight for everything to be covered. He has copays for everything. When his wife had a baby recently they still ended up having to pay over 3K out of pocket. He's afraid to dump the coverage in case of an emergancy and he doesn't qualify for any help from the government.


The NHS isn't perfect and the Brits do love to complain about it. But having lived under both systems I know where I'd rather be.

Originally posted by llpoolej
obviously it wasn't that bad. I do know that the british people were not getting half what we were.

british people wouldn't be willing to pay the amount you are paying for the extra "half". the extra half is all about making you feel you are being looked after, it's not about actually looking after you. it's all over indulgence and being treated like a pampered child.

all you really get are a load of bells and whistles, like interviewing surgeons, that you don't really need and can't really use. i mean, what use is it to you to interview a surgeon, you are not qualified to judge the validity of his answers to good questions and his answers to stupid questions are just pointless. when all is said and done, it's probably counter productive since you end up with the best talker rather than the best surgeon.

or what in the world is the point in you deciding on the what treatment you want, you don't know what's best for you and you can't trust doctors in the system you use because they have more incentive to treat you expensively than they do to treat you effectively.

the only difference between the tax in the UK and the insurance premium you pay is the cost vs the benefit. the whole argument seems to be based around the deluded idea that decent healthcare is a privilege and seeing as privilege is the american way, universal healthcare is un-american. the whole discussion is so f**king retarded.

reply to post by llpoolej


llpoole I understand what you are trying to say, and you have every right to believe in your system. However, the point we are trying to make is that some of us here have lived through both systems personally, not just heard from some people who are unhappy with a certain system.

Yes, people are unhappy with every and any system in the world, it goes for any kind of business or institution, however in the U.S. at the minute they are ONLY giving you the negative, and for some reason no matter how many brits on here, or elsewhere give you or many other Americans a different, personal and in some cases relevant statistical proof about the positives, your mental processes seem to block it out. It is all part of your conditioning to refute anything that goes against the U.S. and its policies, whether bad or good. I know all about this, I lived it, my sister is a brainwashed lost cause now.

There are other countries out there that are as opportunistic, beautiful and free as the United States is, yet for some reason it is hard for most Americans to accept this. I love both countries, there are some things i don't like about the U.S., as there are also things I don't like about the U.K. but I accept these things, and try to make the best of both of these wonderful countries and their disparities.

In regards to health care, you cannot say that your system is better because of what a few disgruntled people have said, or what is on the news at the minute. If you have experienced both systems yourself, then you can argue your side against this personal point of view.

Originally posted by pieman
reply to post by Uniceft17

 

ER stands for emergency room, appendicitis is an emergency, lymphoma isn't. when you were determined not to be an emergency case they sent you on your way.

i can't see any reason for you to be pissed off.

i really don't see the point of you posting your story here, it sounds more than a little bit like a talking point rather than a genuine discussion topic, where is the conspiracy?

Just another stupid thread made up or not about how bad American healthcare is. Complete BS propaganda.

Going to the ER for that? Are you from Mexico or something?
I would have sent you packing to a doctor for a scheduled vist.
Do you not know that by pulling that BS someone could be dieing while the doctor wasted time with you? Get a clue.

If this really happened, I am sorry your not well, but your very ignorant.
If this did not happen, give it up.

I am surprised that no one has had anything to say about the OP's lymphoma.
I know everyone is not a doctor but does anyone have experience with this? Is this something he should be worried about or not?
I was always under the impression that even a single swollen gland that does not go away is something to be concerned about; let alone a bunch of them.

Can we leave the health care debate for just a moment and get to the OP's question?

Originally posted by Uniceft17

and says 'nothing to worry about'

Is it at least possible that your doctor knew what he was talking about, and gave you sound medical advice?

-E-

Doctors do not refuse you because you don't have insurance!! That is BS. I have gone to the doctor many times with no insurance. I have taken my children to the doctor with no insurance. I just had to pay the fee.

Like I said, my dad was dying of emphysema with no insurance. The doctor saw him all the time. An ambulance picked him up and took him to the hospital, he got the same care that my grandmother did when she died of emphysema, actually better. He was in ICU for a week and on life support. My grandmother died in a hospice(which was beautiful)

reply to post by llpoolej

Doctors do not refuse you because you don't have insurance...you just had to pay the fee

The issue is for people who can't pay the fee. Perhaps they can afford let's say 75$ for a consultation. Then the doctor wants to run some tests or do an xray. Your blood test comes back and now the doctor needs to run some more tests...fees can easily spiral out of control.

Yes, you will be treated for in a hospital for treatment, say if you're in ICU with Emphysema, but you will get a bill, and if you dont' pay you will ruin your credit, and if you ruin your credit you'll endanger in some cases your job and your mortgage and your ability to get electricity hooked up in your name..it's a cycle which ruins peoples lives.

reply to post by Uniceft17


Your best bet is find a none profit hospital fill their paper work immediately when you arrive after been seen in the emergency room for none insurance financial help.

None profit hospitals are out there they are as big as private run ones and they will give you treatment no matter if you have insurance or not.

good luck with your problem.



[edit on 20-8-2009 by marg6043]

reply to post by llpoolej


I just live in dense area outside of DC. Everyone has this problem. If a doctor isn't busy it is because they are pretty lousy.

And don't get me started on endocrinologist either. I have seen several and they have been nightmares.

I would kill for an endo who is actually considers treating you. UGH

Sorry for your problem. I hope you get some help with the lymph nodes.

Originally posted by Uniceft17
So I went to the hospital, within 5 mins I was in my own private room, a nurse comes in takes blood, takes a urine sample, asks me what's going on and I explain to her. They seemed very concerned for my health and are extremely nice and polite. They were talking about doing x-rays and a cat scan to check out what was going on within my body.

Then I make it known that I am no longer covered under my mothers health care, 5 mins later i'm wheeled out of the room into a room with several other people with curtains seprerating us and then treated by a doctor who acts like he couldn't care less about the lymph nodes, all they were worried about was the pain in my lower right abdomen.

This really surprises me. I've never seen an emergency room in my life where they didn't take down all your information first thing and way before they do anything like taking blood and urine. That is, unless you're unconscious or have a sucking chest wound or exposed organs. They don't wait for you to make your insurance status known, they practically give you the 3rd degree about it. You better have the info and the card with the group and policy numbers on it.

By the time you see a doctor, he couldn't care less about the insurance status. That's someone else's headache. In the ER, they're going to get you stable and out, either admitted or on the street.

[edit on 8/20/09 by MrDesolate]

Originally posted by j2000
If this really happened, I am sorry your not well, but your very ignorant.

Aside from the fact that you ought to be saying "you're" and not "your"...I know, simple ignorance...would it not be more helpful to enlighten the poster on a better route to take than to simply name call?

I'm really sorry to hear about your ailment with the lymph glands. I wish I could offer you some advice, but my field is more technical than medical.

That said, I would like to point out some obvious things about the OP's story, some of which have been pointed out and some which have not:

• As previously pointed out, the ER is an Emergency Room, not a General Practitioner's office. This is one of the problems that have been helping to make medical costs spiral out of control. Hospitals are costly to operate and maintain, meaning they have to charge more for their services. So when you see a medical professional under a burden of financial hardship, why would you choose willingly to go to the most expensive one?
  
  
• The hospital did see you, and they did check out your abdominal pain. Appendicitis is an acute ailment that can become life-threatening in a matter of minutes. I am gathering form some of the other posters (although I do wish someone with more information would post it here for you) that the lymphoma, if that is what you have, is less acute.
  
  
• In most cities (around here anyway) there are residency offices. These usually have younger doctors working their way to opening a full practice, and they typically see patients with some problem, whether it be financial or lack of insurance or just unable to find a family doctor who will accept them as a patient. I am not talking about the Health Department, before anyone assumes I am.
  
  Check your phone book.
  
  
• Your story does indicate that there was a correlation between your admittance of no insurance coverage and the room change, but is it possible that was coincidental? Could there have been other reasons why you were shifted from being in a private room under maximum care to a group room under minimal care? Could it, for example, have been that the first doctor who examined you had discovered you do not have appendicitis and therefore did not need a private room for immediate care?
  
  
• When did the hospitals begin taking insurance information after one was already in a room? The few times I have had to take someone to the hospital, someone had to fill out the forms for admittance before any real care could begin, if for no other reason than to make sure they didn't give you something that could kill you! Part of those forms concern insurance. The only time I have ever seen someone skip this was if they were rushed via ambulance and were either comatose or in immediate danger, and even then the hospital makes Herculean efforts to get as much information as they can.
  
  
• If you are unemployed, you should be eligible for some governmental program. I know Medicaid here will actually cover medical bills a few months prior to the date you receive it. All you need do, if that is the case where you are, is fill out the forms for Medicaid and tell a GP that you have done so. I have seen plenty of GP's accept this, because it means they will probably get paid.
  
  
• Why would you want a specialist if you don't even know what specialist you need? If your car breaks down, do you not take it to a general mechanic? Or do you have it towed first to a transmission shop, then to an engine specialist, then to a bodywork shop, then to an auto-electrical shop, then to... you get the idea.
  
  GP's are specifically trained to be able to recognize when something is outside their field of expertise and a specialist is needed. They also are familiar with which specialist is needed. Usually, they even know the specialists professionally and can get you in sooner than if you just walked in off the street, not to mention giving the specialist the necessary information to help them do a better job of fixing you.
  
  
• The second doctor you saw did indeed sound rude, but think about this: how long had he been working? How many other patients without a life-threatening acute illness was he having to help at the same time you were there? How many of those was the hospital having to treat for free? You are seeing firsthand the results of overuse and abuse of hospital facilities that has helped make the system what it is. So why did you abuse it more?
  
  
• Not to be uncaring here, but you say you are unemployed. You are therefore under a lot of stress from the financial pressure, and that's understandable. Now think about this: what if you were still working but not getting paid? Think about that a moment. All the pressure and want and frustration you have now, plus you still go in to work! Wouldn't that be worse?
  
  Well, when you use someone else's labor and abilities without any intention of paying them, that's exactly what you are making them do.
  
  And I'm sorry, but that's just plain WRONG.
  
  
• You never mentioned why you weren't covered under your mother's plan. Was it because of age? Living arrangements? Did you move out and assume responsibility for yourself? Does that word, responsibility, mean everything except health care?
  
  I'm not trying to be mean. I just want you to really think about it.
  
  
• Think about this: what was the problem here really? It sounds like the problem wasn't the insurance arrangements; you got into the hospital and were checked out. The problem wasn't the lack of care; you saw not just one, but two doctors (and I assume quite a few RNs and LPNs).
  
  As I read it, the problem seems to be the lack of availability of healthcare without insurance, the attitude of some medical professionals, and the lack of clear information on what your problem was. This thread seems to put the vast majority of emphasis on insurance. Why?
  
  Why did you not go to an insurance company in the first place if you had a problem? BECAUSE INSURANCE COMPANIES DO NOT PROVIDE HEALTH CARE!. Hospitals and doctors do.
  
  
• If insurance is the problem, why is it that so many people (apparently including yourself), want more insurance?

TheRedneck

reply to post by spitefulgod

Deducted at source so I don't feel it and never have

Controlled at source, so you don't control it and never will.

May you never need to.

TheRedneck

Originally posted by j2000

Originally posted by pieman
reply to post by Uniceft17

 

ER stands for emergency room, appendicitis is an emergency, lymphoma isn't. when you were determined not to be an emergency case they sent you on your way.

i can't see any reason for you to be pissed off.

i really don't see the point of you posting your story here, it sounds more than a little bit like a talking point rather than a genuine discussion topic, where is the conspiracy?

Just another stupid thread made up or not about how bad American healthcare is. Complete BS propaganda.

Going to the ER for that? Are you from Mexico or something?
I would have sent you packing to a doctor for a scheduled vist.
Do you not know that by pulling that BS someone could be dieing while the doctor wasted time with you? Get a clue.

If this really happened, I am sorry your not well, but your very ignorant.
If this did not happen, give it up.

That is a little insensitive really. When something is wrong with your body you are scared and you may not realize it is not an emergency. I once had facial pain so severe that I could not eat or sleep. When they found it was from an infected tooth they refused to cover it under my insurance.
I would have gotten very sick if I did not get antibotics. I have very good dental hygiene but this happened because of my wisedom teeth coming through crowding my mouth.
I do not believe this is BS propaganda at all. The poster seems very sincere. If someone does not have insurance or have medicare/medicaid they just can't go to the DR. A DR will not see you if you do not have the $200 upfront.
The American health care system is seriously screwed up. If you have no insurance you go to a free health clinic where you wait hours to be seen for 5 minutes. No tests,x-rays or blood work, you talk to a nurse practioner who sums up your problem in 2 minutes. If it is less urgent you have to make an appointment which can be one to three months out.
You still have to waith 30 minutes to an hour with an appointment. When you go to a free health clinic they actually say they can only see so any patients that day. If you are past that number than you will not be seen.

[edit on 20-8-2009 by dreamseeker]

[edit on 20-8-2009 by dreamseeker]

This isn't about universal healthcare, and this isn't about politics. But yet some people want to inject that in there. IT'S NOT.

This is about me and my health, I've been to this same emergency room before over lymph nodes and they actually treated me well, this was 6 years ago when I was in 8th grade, I was told if the lymph node didn't go down then come back to the emergency room in 2 months and they will operate and remove it.

That wasn't an emergency but they seen me and wanted to know what the problem was, and this was before I got health care under my mom, what's changed all of a sudden?

And i am not lying, just because you don't like what I have to say doesn't make it a lie, just because this happened to happen during the whole health care debate doesn't make me a liar. So continue calling me a liar, I could care less, that's the easy thing to do isn't it, frickin trolls.

To those who gave me sound advice thanks for the info, I'm not completely informed, I was raised to think that when you had a problem you go to the er, even a non life threatning problem, I created this thread to find out other options and wanted to know if this is right, apparently the ER did there job and I know where to go now.

But to those saying this is propaganda, take your trolling to another thread, because it's not welcome here, this is a true story, I do have swollen lymph nodes all over my body, and they don't hurt, and I'm freaking out like any normal person would, so excuse me for being so DAMN emotional.

reply to post by MysterE


No, it's not possible, Swollen lymph nodes with no pain IS something to worry about, the doctor must have been drunk or busy and just wanted to worry about what he thought was appendicitis.

1 swollen lyph node that is painless is a major problem, especially if it hasn't gone down within 4 weeks, and it hasn't.

I have 13, this really really bad as far as i'm concerned.

But i'm going to go get a second opinion, I guess the ER isn't the place to find out these things, but I didn't know my other options, which is why i posted here to find out. But I guess you can't talk about your healthcare experiences anymore in this climate without being called a liar, being accused of spreading propaganda etc. People get sick all the time.

Your first mistake is expecting to find what is wrong with you at the ER.

They found that you was not in any immediate danger and that is all they have to do. That is why it is called the EMERGENCY room.

Your symptoms were found not to be an emergency.

Make an appointment with a regular doctor and you will get a more thorough check up.

reply to post by jd140


Read the post above you.

The reason why I went is because when I was in the 8th grade I had a large swollen painless lymph node on my kneck and went to the same hospitals er, they gave me anti biotics to reduce the swelling that didn't work and told me to come back to the ER if it didn't work, I went back to the ER a month later with the same lymph node still swollen, they took it out and sent it off to do a biopsy it came back benign.

This is why I went to the ER.