Ill tell you why people want natl health care...
Yesterday was the first time I went to a doctor since 2007. I went to a walk in urgent care center. Talked to a doctor who spent maybe 3 minutes with me, did some blood and urine tests. Doc says I need to go to the ER.
Go to the ER, and wait 3 hrs before I go back to a room. Before anyone even sees me this administrator lady comes back, and asks for a debit card to pay them 200. I told the lady Ive been here for hours, and have not even been seen yet. You can tell she feels bad so she says she will come back. Doctor talks to me for 2 minutes and before I can even explain all my symptoms he is out of the room and says I need a CT scan. Alright that might explain what has been going on for 3 months. Do more urine and blood tests. Ask nurse after waiting another 2-3 hours what the blood test results are. She says she will go get them and come back. Never shows back up. Go for CT scan and the tech says results will be back in 45 min to an hour. Wait another hour and doc comes in, says everything came back normal, and Im being discharged. Wait another 30 minutes with an IV in my arm...I start standing in the doorway. Finally nurse shows up, gives me my referral to a GI doctor, takes the IV out, and says "you're free to leave the building."
Let me guess the bill for this is going to be 2-3k and the total time someone spent with me was maybe 10 minutes half of that being the CT scan lady. Instead of trying to figure out what the problem is after a couple tests I just get shuffled out the door. Keep in mind this is a hospital where they do surgeries, births, and everything.
So yesterday I spent 150 at the urgent clinic and who knows how much at the ER for NOTHING. But when I called around ahead of time to find a specialist to see they won't see you without a referral, and won't even see self pay if you tell them you will pay at the time of treatment in cash or card. I hate the fact you have to spend hundreds of dollars with one doctor just for them to tell you to go somewhere else. This time it was 150 at one doctor to go see another doctor for likely thousands, and I still got told to go somewhere else. All told I spent 15 minutes with a medical professional yesterday...:rolleyes:
I will never go to his hospital again. In 2007 when my kid had his (first) fall we took him here, and the doctor assured us he was fine. 2 days later he was sitting on my wifes lap, his head rolled back in his head, and he spent 2 days at a childrens hospital for a brain bleed.
I just feel like its a sham, they want people in and out the door to rake up ER fees, and then just passing the persons issue onto someone else. This is not the first time this has happened. Next time I don't care if I have to drive 30 minutes to an hour for an ER.
To top it off since Im "self pay" I already got a call today from some sub contractor company asking about getting enrolled in low income assistance program to pay the bill. I haven't even gotten a bill, and that bitch was in the room asking for money before a nurse or doctor even talked to me. It just strikes me as being about $$$$ and not the patient. My wife is in home health nursing right now through a top 100 company and their company would NEVER treat patients like that. Next time Ill drive the distance to go to her company's hospital not this circus they have going on in this city.