Health Care and your experiences

[barbos]

Maybe it WAS a mistake and you paid less than you should?

You don't think it's fishy that someone tells you that you owe them 1/3 more money on a policy, and that they call you five days before the policy expires, and that they will cancel immediately if you don't pay?

So you think they knew that you were not going to extend it and said "what the hell, let's try to scam him?"
I was once harassed by telemarketers who scammed me into giving them my credit card number. They subsribed me for a bunch of stupid magazines I did not want and when I told credit card company to cancel these charges they started to harass me calling and asking for my lawyers contacts. Eventually after few heated "discussions" they left me alone. Funny thing is, they kept sending these magazines long after they knew I did not want them. I understand of course that they actually paid some money for the whole duration and there was no way for them to cancel it, still, I have got a bunch of magazines I have never read. I feel bad for these no doubt unemployed and medically un-insured magazine publishers now

 

[gmbteach]

i have a few stories....let's see, when i was first out of college i worked as a temp, meaning i had no health insurance. i came down with a kidney stone - the mind destroying pain kind. i ran to the ER where i was xrayed and told, 'you have a large stone that you won't be able to pass. we're giving you some narcotics to help with the pain." stop. i said, 'if i can't pass it, what's going to happen, what are you going to do?" the doc replied, "we won't do anything until you're in a life-threatening situation. so until the stone moves enough to block your ureter and you go into hydronephrosis, you have the pills." i'm trying really hard at this point to not channel marx. "well, when that happens, you'll use the sonic thing to break it up?" doc replies, "that procedure is patented and costs an additional $10,000, paid up front, above the cost of the surgery. if you can''t afford that, the other option is making a small incision and using a tiny laser to zap the stone. that only requires $700 up front." i had to mortgage my soul to get the $700, but i did. i had it in my bank account and paid with a debit card, which they really didn't like. i swear, lord buddha as my witness, that as the nurse was getting ready to versed me, billing called and tried to get me to give them a credit card number. my nurse hung up on the bitch.

i became diabetic in grad school. i was used to just going down to the clinic and getting my insulin every month, talking to my doc every other month. when my life crashed and i was flat broke later, i was at a loss as to how to get insulin. when i ran out, i waited a day and went to the ER. i told the docs my situation. the doc got a vial of my type of insulin and gave me a shot (good for a day) and wrote me a prescription for the same and gave it to me. i asked, "can i get a few refills?" he said, "no, you need to be under the care of a regular practitioner". after he left, the nurse came back in and handed me a vial of my brand, saying, "they only use it once, then throw it away, i should have thrown it away, but i got it for you, don't tell anybody". good thing, too, because i was to find out that those vials of insulin i got for free with insurance cost $120 each, for a one month supply.

i did some scrambling and found a program where i could get 3 vials for a mere $12, but i had to have a prescription for three months worth. i made an appointment with a general practitioner. because i didn't have insurance, i was required to pay the full $125 fee upfront, before even seeing the doc. i did so, saw him and told him what i needed. he signed his name, gave me the paper end of service. i very carefully did not key the word 'extortionist' in his sportscar parked out back, no, i didn't.

background: in this country, junkies are the new lepers, the diseased you get to feel righteous about persecuting

my sister is, without a doubt, junkie xl. recently she fucked up and killed her bowels and had to go to the hospital to have them removed, bit by bit. they were giving her minimal pain meds because she has a history of abuse. then they took her off food entirely, vein feeding for the next two weeks. she went bugfuck, total withdrawal, begging the nurses to give her even ice to chew on (the wouldn''t, which is just stupid, but better cruel now than sued later). her doc came around for a talk and i got him aside and asked if she could be given a benzodiazepine to help with her cravings. he said, i swear, "no benzodiazepines can only be given orally and she can't have anything by mouth" i was nonplussed. it never occurred to me that i might look stupid. i replied, "did you get your medical degree off the back of a cereal box? cause if you did, i hope you kept the receipt. son, they owe you a refund" it went downhill after that. when i asked to speak with his manager, he lost the power of speech entirely.

Ummm. WTAF?

This is insane.

 

[TV and credit cards]

About the VA and Tricare for retired military.
I nearly didn't bother with my VA exit exam as I was nearing retirement from the military. I didn't think there was anything much wrong with me. Nothing I would consider "service related". Well, a common sense definition of service related and the actual definition varies some, that being, not caused by one's service but just so happened while serving. So, I went to the exit exam fully expecting a 0% rating and ended up with a 40% rating instead. Ah, "happened while serving".
I could go to the VA for anything, says the phamplet. The healthcare is closer to what I was used to in the navy so I went with it.
On the other side, the Tricare for retirees side, I am automatically enrolled, no paperwork required. There is no premium. It is $150 max per visit and $3000 max out of pocket per year. So, that ain't bad either. Basically, if I want quicker appointments than the VA can manage, I can cough up some cash for the pleasure.
I have used both, as a matter of convenience and for comparison sake. VA care is fine, taking in to consideration most of what they deal with are some of the most broke-dick people in the land. At first, I actually felt kind of guilty going there. It seemed I was the only youngish, kinda healthy guy in the clinic. But this type of care is what I'm used to, something closer to the military: Get what you need when you need it without consideration to cost. Or put another way: Just what the doctor ordered. Of course the "when you need it" part is slowed some in the VA. I guess they have to get you an appointment within four weeks I think it is. But what they do is the doc will tell you someone from xx department will call to schedule the appointment. This is where they tack on the extra wait time. It takes them two weeks just to call, then four weeks to schedule. But the VA is thorough. This is where civilian healthcare falls off, as profit becomes the prime motivator and as we all know (or should know) is the prime failing of the US healthcare system.
I've witnessed this myself in the stripped down lab work and fast visit times on the civilian side and have been told about it by the VA doctor who gave a colonoscopy prebrief to a group of us at the local VA clinic. Once upon a time the VA contracted with two of the local haelthcare providers to perform colonoscopies for the VA. They charged twice the going rate, didn't scope everywhere, and weren't doing biopsies on all the polyps they were cutting out. There's a comforting thought, eh? I can't help but project these shortcuts across the entire civilian healthcare system.
Not having someone to pick me up after my colonoscopy, they gave me a room for the night and thankfully fed me. There's a bit of irony in being fed a sandwich of processed meats after getting seven polyps cut out of you. But damn, I was hungry.
The people who work at the VA are nicer too now. Much better attitudes. As a bonus, I discovered if you do get some substandard service all you have to do is send an email to the VA's main website and by morning someone from the local clinic is calling solving your problem, providing their extension, and begging you never to do that again. Okay, that's how that works.

I don't bother with dental any longer. After trying four different civilian dentists and comparing it to the dental care in the navy, I seen it as a waste of money. I have no dental issues so there's no point in paying for these minimal checkups and cleanings. I think the way they go about checkups and cleanings in the navy is the way they are taught in school, poke at every tooth, brush every tooth, floss every tooth. I couldn't find anything even approaching that on the civilian side.

 

[DrZoidberg]

Swedish healthcare is free/cheap. Easily accessible. Very efficient.

But they have zero incentive to cater to your feelings. So they don't. Doctors are paid by the the state. This can be a bit infuriating. Since they often can't be arsed to send you for tests they are pretty sure you don't need, but which would make you happier. The state also doesn't pay especially well. Which means that the medical profession isn't likely to attract the best and the brightest. They're often overworked, which will lead to even worse service.

But they're on the other hand not likely to give people treatment they don't need. There's a lot of people in the west who are overly medicated, and who are on pills where the side effects are worse than the questionable disease they have. That's something USA is famous for. We don't have it here.

You can go to private hospitals here to. The state will pay out to where ever you chose to go. So your added money for the private care is just on top of it. It's actually a nice setup. But few Swedes use it. There's just no culture for it. So private health care has an air of snobbery about it = unnecessarily expensive. So isn't really happening.

An annoying thing is that you have to go through your GP to get specialised care. Which is nice if your goal is to be a filter between hypocondriacs and specialists. But sometimes GPs are supposed to make judgement calls on stuff they are clueless about. So you get denied service. Not really a problem, since you just go to a private hospital. Which I've done. Still annoying.

One thing I love about the Swedish system is that you're always covered. You don't have to care about insurance and crap. There's really no worries. They also cooperate all over Scandinavia. So if I'm sick in Denmark I'm covered by Sweden. As well as covering me when abroad.

Another thing I hate about the Swedish system is that Swedes tend to think it's the best system on Earth. No, it's not. It's fine. But it's not perfect. I think the French is the best system in the world. But you don't get the French going on about how amazing their health care system is.

 

[barbos]

i have a few stories....let's see, when i was first out of college i worked as a temp, meaning i had no health insurance. i came down with a kidney stone - the mind destroying pain kind. i ran to the ER where i was xrayed and told, 'you have a large stone that you won't be able to pass. we're giving you some narcotics to help with the pain." stop. i said, 'if i can't pass it, what's going to happen, what are you going to do?" the doc replied, "we won't do anything until you're in a life-threatening situation. so until the stone moves enough to block your ureter and you go into hydronephrosis, you have the pills." i'm trying really hard at this point to not channel marx. "well, when that happens, you'll use the sonic thing to break it up?" doc replies, "that procedure is patented and costs an additional $10,000, paid up front, above the cost of the surgery. if you can''t afford that, the other option is making a small incision and using a tiny laser to zap the stone. that only requires $700 up front." i had to mortgage my soul to get the $700, but i did. i had it in my bank account and paid with a debit card, which they really didn't like. i swear, lord buddha as my witness, that as the nurse was getting ready to versed me, billing called and tried to get me to give them a credit card number. my nurse hung up on the bitch.

i became diabetic in grad school. i was used to just going down to the clinic and getting my insulin every month, talking to my doc every other month. when my life crashed and i was flat broke later, i was at a loss as to how to get insulin. when i ran out, i waited a day and went to the ER. i told the docs my situation. the doc got a vial of my type of insulin and gave me a shot (good for a day) and wrote me a prescription for the same and gave it to me. i asked, "can i get a few refills?" he said, "no, you need to be under the care of a regular practitioner". after he left, the nurse came back in and handed me a vial of my brand, saying, "they only use it once, then throw it away, i should have thrown it away, but i got it for you, don't tell anybody". good thing, too, because i was to find out that those vials of insulin i got for free with insurance cost $120 each, for a one month supply.

i did some scrambling and found a program where i could get 3 vials for a mere $12, but i had to have a prescription for three months worth. i made an appointment with a general practitioner. because i didn't have insurance, i was required to pay the full $125 fee upfront, before even seeing the doc. i did so, saw him and told him what i needed. he signed his name, gave me the paper end of service. i very carefully did not key the word 'extortionist' in his sportscar parked out back, no, i didn't.

background: in this country, junkies are the new lepers, the diseased you get to feel righteous about persecuting

my sister is, without a doubt, junkie xl. recently she fucked up and killed her bowels and had to go to the hospital to have them removed, bit by bit. they were giving her minimal pain meds because she has a history of abuse. then they took her off food entirely, vein feeding for the next two weeks. she went bugfuck, total withdrawal, begging the nurses to give her even ice to chew on (the wouldn''t, which is just stupid, but better cruel now than sued later). her doc came around for a talk and i got him aside and asked if she could be given a benzodiazepine to help with her cravings. he said, i swear, "no benzodiazepines can only be given orally and she can't have anything by mouth" i was nonplussed. it never occurred to me that i might look stupid. i replied, "did you get your medical degree off the back of a cereal box? cause if you did, i hope you kept the receipt. son, they owe you a refund" it went downhill after that. when i asked to speak with his manager, he lost the power of speech entirely.

I don't disbelieve your story, just would not mind other people confirming that such things are real.
I think you could simply rob the drug store and demand insulin. If they (jury) sent you to prison then insulin would be free, so it's a win-win situation.

 

[barbos]

Swedish healthcare is free/cheap. Easily accessible. Very efficient.

But they have zero incentive to cater to your feelings. So they don't. Doctors are paid by the the state. This can be a bit infuriating. Since they often can't be arsed to send you for tests they are pretty sure you don't need, but which would make you happier. The state also doesn't pay especially well. Which means that the medical profession isn't likely to attract the best and the brightest. They're often overworked, which will lead to even worse service.

Finally something not perfect about Sweden
Does US accept Swedish medical school diplomas? If they do then being underpaid and overworked can easily be remedied by immigrating to US But overall your system seems similar to what Russia has, it's just much worse here. Doctors are not paid well and they don't know shit, especially older ones, also they often don't care and could be highly inefficient in some places.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Keith, just curious, how old were you at diagnosis?

about 49.

 

[DrZoidberg]

Swedish healthcare is free/cheap. Easily accessible. Very efficient.

But they have zero incentive to cater to your feelings. So they don't. Doctors are paid by the the state. This can be a bit infuriating. Since they often can't be arsed to send you for tests they are pretty sure you don't need, but which would make you happier. The state also doesn't pay especially well. Which means that the medical profession isn't likely to attract the best and the brightest. They're often overworked, which will lead to even worse service.

Finally something not perfect about Sweden
Does US accept Swedish medical school diplomas? If they do then being underpaid and overworked can easily be remedied by immigrating to US But overall your system seems similar to what Russia has, it's just much worse here. Doctors are not paid well and they don't know shit, especially older ones, also they often don't care and could be highly inefficient in some places.

Both Russia and Sweden has a legacy of socialist health care. So I would imagine they'd be quite similar in many ways.

But I should add, that I like socialist health care in general. It's a kind of thing where society as a whole is better off if treatment is given to those who it can help the most. No country spends more money on health care than USA. But USA does not have the healthiest population. They're quite far down on the list. Because, obviously, care is given based on how much you paid for your insurance rather than what treatment you need. They get a lot, arguably, unnecessary treatment. While a lot of people who need care don't get it. A friend of mine had to move back to Sweden after his kid got leukaemia. And he was very well off, with a good job and a great health insurance.

Even if socialist health care leads to rude doctors who don't care about the patients feelings. It leads to less waste of money and unnecessary treatments, which is good.I also think it's fun that there's something socialists can do that doesn't lead to a greater waste of money.

 

[iolo]

The British NHS is superb. I have had one major operation and a good deal of treatment, and at least I don't have to worry about money. It must be hell to live in places where the poor are left to die. Our tories are desperate to destroy the system, but if they ever succeed they will be longing to bring it back to treat their own injuries. The NHS is far more popular than the monarchy.

 

[ZiprHead]

You don't think it's fishy that someone tells you that you owe them 1/3 more money on a policy, and that they call you five days before the policy expires, and that they will cancel immediately if you don't pay?

So you think they knew that you were not going to extend it and said "what the hell, let's try to scam him?"
I was once harassed by telemarketers who scammed me into giving them my credit card number. They subsribed me for a bunch of stupid magazines I did not want and when I told credit card company to cancel these charges they started to harass me calling and asking for my lawyers contacts. Eventually after few heated "discussions" they left me alone. Funny thing is, they kept sending these magazines long after they knew I did not want them. I understand of course that they actually paid some money for the whole duration and there was no way for them to cancel it, still, I have got a bunch of magazines I have never read. I feel bad for these no doubt unemployed and medically un-insured magazine publishers now

C'mon, admit it. You liked your subscription to Granny Tranny.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

The British NHS is superb. I have had one major operation and a good deal of treatment, and at least I don't have to worry about money. It must be hell to live in places where the poor are left to die. Our tories are desperate to destroy the system, but if they ever succeed they will be longing to bring it back to treat their own injuries. The NHS is far more popular than the monarchy.

That's pretty insightful, and an observation quite lacking in the U.S.

 

[RavenSky]

i have a few stories....i became diabetic in grad school. i was used to just going down to the clinic and getting my insulin every month, talking to my doc every other month. when my life crashed and i was flat broke later, i was at a loss as to how to get insulin. when i ran out, i waited a day and went to the ER. i told the docs my situation. the doc got a vial of my type of insulin and gave me a shot (good for a day) and wrote me a prescription for the same and gave it to me. i asked, "can i get a few refills?" he said, "no, you need to be under the care of a regular practitioner". after he left, the nurse came back in and handed me a vial of my brand, saying, "they only use it once, then throw it away, i should have thrown it away, but i got it for you, don't tell anybody". good thing, too, because i was to find out that those vials of insulin i got for free with insurance cost $120 each, for a one month supply.

i did some scrambling and found a program where i could get 3 vials for a mere $12, but i had to have a prescription for three months worth. i made an appointment with a general practitioner. because i didn't have insurance, i was required to pay the full $125 fee upfront, before even seeing the doc. i did so, saw him and told him what i needed. he signed his name, gave me the paper end of service. i very carefully did not key the word 'extortionist' in his sportscar parked out back, no, i didn't.

I don't disbelieve your story, just would not mind other people confirming that such things are real.
I think you could simply rob the drug store and demand insulin. If they (jury) sent you to prison then insulin would be free, so it's a win-win situation.

I can certainly confirm the part about the insulin. My daughter is Type 1. When she was diagnosed, we were fortunate and had very good insurance. Then we lost that insurance due to divorce. There was a relatively short gap, but then I was able to get her on Florida Kid's Care (Thank you Hillary Clinton!). She aged out of that program at 19, so she was without insurance again for a few years. At that time, all the money in the world could not obtain health insurance for her because she had a "pre-existing condition". Of course, if we had all the money in the world, we wouldn't need health insurance, but we were your typical not rich single mom with a child in college. Then ACA passed, and I was able to get my daughter onto my health insurance plan through my job for about a year, and now she qualifies for her own health care plan through the Affordable Care Act (Thank you President Obama!) She makes just enough money to qualify for the federal subsidies. If she made any less, she would have gotten nothing because Florida is one of the states that refused the expanded Medicaid program. (Fuck you Rick Scott!)

During all of the time periods where she had insurance, getting the two types of insulin she needs to stay alive was not a problem. Neither were routine doctor appointments. Other stuff got really dicey. There was the time under Florida Kids Care where they approved her braces for medical reasons, then changed insurance companies without warning and the new company revoked the approval. But, we were still glad to have her diabetic care covered.

Contrast this with the periods when she did not have health care coverage... like Tantric, the ER was a very frequent source of medical attention and insulin. The problem is that she had to be in ketoacidosis, which is life-threatening. As Tantric experienced, we often had the nurses sneak us the partially used vials of insulin to help us out. By law, they are supposed to dispose of them and they risked their jobs doing it, but I am grateful to this day for their covert acts of kindness.

My daughter also entered two different insulin studies for the sole purpose of getting her insulin and medical care free through the studies. We were fortunate to live in a big city with a big diabetes research hospital right here. This option would not have been available to someone living in a small town.

Eventually, we discovered that some pharmacies will sell generic brands of one of her insulins without a prescription for a relatively low price. This did not cover the other insulin or the syringes or anything else, but it helped.

We also ordered virtually every freebie blood testing meter in existence. The glucose meter companies will give you a free meter that includes a 1 month supply of test strips. They do this on the assumption that you will then buy future supplies of test strips from them, and we did that too. By having every kind of meter, we were able to shop sales/discounts for the test strips, including the deeply discounted almost expired test strips.

When she was getting close to 19 and we knew she would be without insurance after that, a friendly doctor prescribed a bit more than she actually needed of everything (syringes, test strips, even insulin), and we stock-piled the extra. This helped her get through most of the first year without healthcare insurance.

So yes, I can definitely corroborate Tantric's experiences of being uninsured/uninsurable with diabetes in the USA.

 

[J842P]

I've got it good, in the US. My current job provides medical, dental, and vision, and they are pretty good plans. So my current employer is paying around 450 a month so that I can prop-up a bunch of baby boomers who vote against Universal Health care.

Tony?

Huh? Nah. I'm not an Anthony. I'm a Juan.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Tony?

Huh? Nah. I'm not an Anthony. I'm a Juan.

Okay... You just sound like the guy in the corner of my office.

 

[barbos]

I don't disbelieve your story, just would not mind other people confirming that such things are real.
I think you could simply rob the drug store and demand insulin. If they (jury) sent you to prison then insulin would be free, so it's a win-win situation.

I can certainly confirm the part about the insulin. My daughter is Type 1. When she was diagnosed, we were fortunate and had very good insurance. Then we lost that insurance due to divorce. There was a relatively short gap, but then I was able to get her on Florida Kid's Care (Thank you Hillary Clinton!). She aged out of that program at 19, so she was without insurance again for a few years. At that time, all the money in the world could not obtain health insurance for her because she had a "pre-existing condition". Of course, if we had all the money in the world, we wouldn't need health insurance, but we were your typical not rich single mom with a child in college. Then ACA passed, and I was able to get my daughter onto my health insurance plan through my job for about a year, and now she qualifies for her own health care plan through the Affordable Care Act (Thank you President Obama!) She makes just enough money to qualify for the federal subsidies. If she made any less, she would have gotten nothing because Florida is one of the states that refused the expanded Medicaid program. (Fuck you Rick Scott!)

During all of the time periods where she had insurance, getting the two types of insulin she needs to stay alive was not a problem. Neither were routine doctor appointments. Other stuff got really dicey. There was the time under Florida Kids Care where they approved her braces for medical reasons, then changed insurance companies without warning and the new company revoked the approval. But, we were still glad to have her diabetic care covered.

Contrast this with the periods when she did not have health care coverage... like Tantric, the ER was a very frequent source of medical attention and insulin. The problem is that she had to be in ketoacidosis, which is life-threatening. As Tantric experienced, we often had the nurses sneak us the partially used vials of insulin to help us out. By law, they are supposed to dispose of them and they risked their jobs doing it, but I am grateful to this day for their covert acts of kindness.

My daughter also entered two different insulin studies for the sole purpose of getting her insulin and medical care free through the studies. We were fortunate to live in a big city with a big diabetes research hospital right here. This option would not have been available to someone living in a small town.

Eventually, we discovered that some pharmacies will sell generic brands of one of her insulins without a prescription for a relatively low price. This did not cover the other insulin or the syringes or anything else, but it helped.

We also ordered virtually every freebie blood testing meter in existence. The glucose meter companies will give you a free meter that includes a 1 month supply of test strips. They do this on the assumption that you will then buy future supplies of test strips from them, and we did that too. By having every kind of meter, we were able to shop sales/discounts for the test strips, including the deeply discounted almost expired test strips.

When she was getting close to 19 and we knew she would be without insurance after that, a friendly doctor prescribed a bit more than she actually needed of everything (syringes, test strips, even insulin), and we stock-piled the extra. This helped her get through most of the first year without healthcare insurance.

So yes, I can definitely corroborate Tantric's experiences of being uninsured/uninsurable with diabetes in the USA.

Well, this is certainly new to me. It's fascinating how people in different countries accept different things as norm and don't complain
In Russia people are not used to complain about awful and corrupted bureaucracy and if America suddenly got russian style bureaucrats there would have been quite a few dead bureaucrats I think. In health care it seems the opposite, americans don't seem to complain about fucked up system where people can't get pretty basic help.

 

[bilby]

I can certainly confirm the part about the insulin. My daughter is Type 1. When she was diagnosed, we were fortunate and had very good insurance. Then we lost that insurance due to divorce. There was a relatively short gap, but then I was able to get her on Florida Kid's Care (Thank you Hillary Clinton!). She aged out of that program at 19, so she was without insurance again for a few years. At that time, all the money in the world could not obtain health insurance for her because she had a "pre-existing condition". Of course, if we had all the money in the world, we wouldn't need health insurance, but we were your typical not rich single mom with a child in college. Then ACA passed, and I was able to get my daughter onto my health insurance plan through my job for about a year, and now she qualifies for her own health care plan through the Affordable Care Act (Thank you President Obama!) She makes just enough money to qualify for the federal subsidies. If she made any less, she would have gotten nothing because Florida is one of the states that refused the expanded Medicaid program. (Fuck you Rick Scott!)

During all of the time periods where she had insurance, getting the two types of insulin she needs to stay alive was not a problem. Neither were routine doctor appointments. Other stuff got really dicey. There was the time under Florida Kids Care where they approved her braces for medical reasons, then changed insurance companies without warning and the new company revoked the approval. But, we were still glad to have her diabetic care covered.

Contrast this with the periods when she did not have health care coverage... like Tantric, the ER was a very frequent source of medical attention and insulin. The problem is that she had to be in ketoacidosis, which is life-threatening. As Tantric experienced, we often had the nurses sneak us the partially used vials of insulin to help us out. By law, they are supposed to dispose of them and they risked their jobs doing it, but I am grateful to this day for their covert acts of kindness.

My daughter also entered two different insulin studies for the sole purpose of getting her insulin and medical care free through the studies. We were fortunate to live in a big city with a big diabetes research hospital right here. This option would not have been available to someone living in a small town.

Eventually, we discovered that some pharmacies will sell generic brands of one of her insulins without a prescription for a relatively low price. This did not cover the other insulin or the syringes or anything else, but it helped.

We also ordered virtually every freebie blood testing meter in existence. The glucose meter companies will give you a free meter that includes a 1 month supply of test strips. They do this on the assumption that you will then buy future supplies of test strips from them, and we did that too. By having every kind of meter, we were able to shop sales/discounts for the test strips, including the deeply discounted almost expired test strips.

When she was getting close to 19 and we knew she would be without insurance after that, a friendly doctor prescribed a bit more than she actually needed of everything (syringes, test strips, even insulin), and we stock-piled the extra. This helped her get through most of the first year without healthcare insurance.

So yes, I can definitely corroborate Tantric's experiences of being uninsured/uninsurable with diabetes in the USA.

Well, this is certainly new to me. It's fascinating how people in different countries accept different things as norm and don't complain
In Russia people are not used to complain about awful and corrupted bureaucracy and if America suddenly got russian style bureaucrats there would have been quite a few dead bureaucrats I think. In health care it seems the opposite, americans don't seem to complain about fucked up system where people can't get pretty basic help.

People can get used to almost anything, as long as the changes are gradual. Americans in particular seem to be unaware that there is even the possibility of doing things any other way than the way they grew up with; Many US opponents of universal health care are happy to declare impossible (and to provide detailed theories as to why they are impossible) things that are currently actually being done elsewhere.

If they are forced to admit that other nations are already doing the thing that they are convinced is impossible, they respond by declaring that the disastrous results they predicted are inevitable and imminent, or have been prevented up to now by unsustainable means; In much the same way that those convinced that God will strike down the sinners respond to their continued happiness and success, by declaring that the wrathful punishments they predicted are inevitable and imminent, or have been prevented up to now only by the infinite mercy of God (which they expect to be immediately exhausted upon the sinner's death, if not sooner).

Thus can the irrational defend their unreasonable stance that their theories trump others' observations. Apparently it's better to be irrational, than to admit that one is in error.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

I don't disbelieve your story, just would not mind other people confirming that such things are real.
I think you could simply rob the drug store and demand insulin. If they (jury) sent you to prison then insulin would be free, so it's a win-win situation.

I can certainly confirm the part about the insulin. My daughter is Type 1. When she was diagnosed, we were fortunate and had very good insurance. Then we lost that insurance due to divorce. There was a relatively short gap, but then I was able to get her on Florida Kid's Care (Thank you Hillary Clinton!). She aged out of that program at 19, so she was without insurance again for a few years. At that time, all the money in the world could not obtain health insurance for her because she had a "pre-existing condition". Of course, if we had all the money in the world, we wouldn't need health insurance, but we were your typical not rich single mom with a child in college. Then ACA passed, and I was able to get my daughter onto my health insurance plan through my job for about a year, and now she qualifies for her own health care plan through the Affordable Care Act (Thank you President Obama!) She makes just enough money to qualify for the federal subsidies. If she made any less, she would have gotten nothing because Florida is one of the states that refused the expanded Medicaid program. (Fuck you Rick Scott!)

During all of the time periods where she had insurance, getting the two types of insulin she needs to stay alive was not a problem. Neither were routine doctor appointments. Other stuff got really dicey. There was the time under Florida Kids Care where they approved her braces for medical reasons, then changed insurance companies without warning and the new company revoked the approval. But, we were still glad to have her diabetic care covered.

Contrast this with the periods when she did not have health care coverage... like Tantric, the ER was a very frequent source of medical attention and insulin. The problem is that she had to be in ketoacidosis, which is life-threatening. As Tantric experienced, we often had the nurses sneak us the partially used vials of insulin to help us out. By law, they are supposed to dispose of them and they risked their jobs doing it, but I am grateful to this day for their covert acts of kindness.

My daughter also entered two different insulin studies for the sole purpose of getting her insulin and medical care free through the studies. We were fortunate to live in a big city with a big diabetes research hospital right here. This option would not have been available to someone living in a small town.

Eventually, we discovered that some pharmacies will sell generic brands of one of her insulins without a prescription for a relatively low price. This did not cover the other insulin or the syringes or anything else, but it helped.

We also ordered virtually every freebie blood testing meter in existence. The glucose meter companies will give you a free meter that includes a 1 month supply of test strips. They do this on the assumption that you will then buy future supplies of test strips from them, and we did that too. By having every kind of meter, we were able to shop sales/discounts for the test strips, including the deeply discounted almost expired test strips.

When she was getting close to 19 and we knew she would be without insurance after that, a friendly doctor prescribed a bit more than she actually needed of everything (syringes, test strips, even insulin), and we stock-piled the extra. This helped her get through most of the first year without healthcare insurance.

So yes, I can definitely corroborate Tantric's experiences of being uninsured/uninsurable with diabetes in the USA.

Wow. You are a tough person.

My son, also type 1, was diagnosed at age 22. He is 34 and married and in good control of his condition. I was lucky to be insured through my employer at the time, and he used those dose pens instead of vials and syringes. He's pretty tough too, a good kid.

When he graduated college he had to search for jobs that had insurance that would cover his condition and ended up working for the feds. It's sad that a person has to do this just because they have a pre-existing condition. If I'm ever down your way we'll punch Rick Scott's lights out. Believe me, I'd do it, and am quite capable.

 

[barbos]

My understanding was that Type 1 means you are dead without insulin. So by "we can't just let people die" logic they have to give it to you free if you can't afford it.

 

[Keith&Co.]

My understanding was that Type 1 means you are dead without insulin. So by "we can't just let people die" logic they have to give it to you free if you can't afford it.

Type I means that the body does not produce insulin. It's not directly fatal to have no insulin, but unchecked blood sugar levels play havoc with various systems. I went blind in one eye when scar tissue from bleeding vessels in the back ripped the retina free.

As a chronic condition, it's not enough to just give you insulin, you have to work with a specialist for a while to figure out the dosage you need, which needs to be monitored for changes over time.
No one's going to just hand over insulin. They'll be opening themselves to lawsuits when you misapply the dosage and either crash your blood sugar to nothing or blow out an eye or lose a foot...

 

[spikepipsqueak]

My understanding was that Type 1 means you are dead without insulin. So by "we can't just let people die" logic they have to give it to you free if you can't afford it.

From a previous thread on this topic I was left with the impression that the US gov't is fine with poor people dying if they can't afford care.

I gave up on private health insurance when I found that having my son was the most isolated experience imaginable and that the quality of care was worse than it would have been in the public system. Had anything gone wrong it would have been identical in either system.

Since then, I have self funded anything that I really needed and the gov't wasn't prepared to fund. I have been lucky in having few health problems but I wouldn't have been allowed to die during the times I had no income.

Tomorrow, I get the 2nd eye done. The 2 of them cost me $11,000 out of pocket, and I figure I could pay for a couple of $100,000 heart attacks and still be ahead on the cost of insurance over the last 28 years.