lansbury

Went to hospital Friday for 6 week check up after surgery. Rather stupidly I expected to be told everything is OK don't want to see you again.

OH no, sent for x-rays, then told OK we'll see you in September for an MRI and then six months after that we'll do another MRI, and in the meantime you'll need to start physical therapy. With the changes to my co-insurnace etc from 1st July and then the deductible and co-insurnace resetting to back to the beginning Jan 1st that's about another $4k I'm going to have to pay out of my own pocket. Welcome to US medical money making system.

fatbrit

Just say no!

Ask them what the increased risk factor is of setting the date for the costly tests to a time better for your pocket.

chartreuse

Absolutely correct.

IMHO, an apt comparison is with the olde time witch-finders. They were paid by the witch, so what were the chances of them not finding one?

Iatrogenic deaths are the third highest mortality group after cancer and heart disease. Best to have as little to do with doctors as possible, else they'll fiddle and fiddle until they eventually fsck up.

Mummy in the foothills

I said no to a follow in Jan from a November appointment. He said OK watch for .......... call if you need me. No problem.

AmerLisa

I hurt my wrist last December, didn't get better, so GP sent me to a hand specialist. He said, well its probably just a bad sprain but we'll do an MRI anyway.....I should have ran out of the office. The MRI cost (after insurance, which didn't pay anything but I got a discount) almost $900, the initial doctor visit was somewhere over $200 and then there was the follow up appointment. I waited forever, they forgot I was out there, and finally get in the room, waiting again (with 8 year old daughter in tow) and see the doctor quickly scan my MRI for him to come in and say there's nothing wrong with your wrist, a bad sprain...... My eight year old says "this is what we waited for?" loud enough for the doctor to hear, I could have hugged her on the spot! But of course I was billed for the follow up, another $200 odd dollars..... Yep that sprained wrist cost me lots and lots of money.

Thydney

They're a shower of shit cleaned us out completely and still wanted more

lansbury

Thanks, I'll do that. The physio I am OK with can see the need for that, only have to find 20%, and the 1st MRI as insurance will pay 50% of it but the 2nd MRI will come out of my deductible completely.

Ray

wait until Medicare kicks in

lansbury

counting the days. That was part of the equation in moving here we only had to finance health care for a few years.

Ray

My wife got hears through disabilty
she had to go to a specialist normally $500 a visit
Medicare $30 ..

SMSH

Sounds familiar; a similar thing happened to me. Hurt my wrist doing too much gardening and had a big lump on the side. It didn't go away, so I went to the doctor who said it was probably a strain, but just to be sure it wasn't broken, I should get an x-ray to check it out. I got the same result as you -- it was just a sprain. It cost me $450 for the x-ray (the actual cost was $800, but it was adjusted by the insurance). Next time I think I'll wait it out

AmerLisa

Hindsight being what it is....I'd agree!

DDL

I had breast cancer. The out-of-pocket nearly cleaned us out, as well. I had to eventually stop getting my annual mammograms (which, due to mitigating circumstances, always requires an ultrasound followed by an MRI) and quit taking my Tamoxifen (cancer meds) at year 3 instead of year 5, as eating and having a roof over my head was more important.

We're moving back to England on August 8.

Jerseygirl

Stories like this are absolutely unbelievable...they make my blood boil. How on earth can a cancer patient be denied treatment or drugs?