Posted on 07/23/2009 7:47:14 AM PDT by Pyro7480
I took a friend to the doctor recently
she is from a different country, and so unfamiliar with medicine here.
No doctor would see her in regular office, so she went to one of those ‘immediate care’ facilities advertising all over the radio.
She had a scratch on her arm that was slightly infected so needed antibiotics.
The doctor came on, took one look, wrote a prescription, and left- literally 20 seconds.
Cost:
$200 for ‘emergency room’ visit
$200 doctors fee
$400 for antibiotics.
When I called to help her (she only made $160 per week as live-in student aupair) and complained about the $200 charge for 20 secnds I was told it was not the time spent but the ‘quaity’ of the visit.
When she picked up her prescription they charged $400. But when they found out she had no insurance they refilled it with $20 generic.
If she had insurance ALL OF THIS would be covered and for the most part invisible to her.
Only in this screwed up system would a 20 second office visit for a scratch cost $800
It is because the cost is INVISIBLE to most insured peple.
And it would be worse in a government run system
Obama had it partially right, which is an improvement. The question is what happens when drug increases the survival rates by 50 %(like some cancer drugs banned in the UK) but cost twice as much? Then what? Adios buddy, you ain’t going to get it. Did you hear BO finally admit the excess on wall street were caused by using mortgages in over exposed ways. Did he cite the source of those mortgages, the fodder for the wall street game playing and excessive risk taking? Why no he didn’t. Half right again, only critizedthe wall street manipulators, not the sources of the raw material. Figures.
I got halfway through your post and had to check the screenname to see if I might have already posted on this thread!
You nailed it, my FRiend.
He is such a fine example of a leader,,,,
The government will take the same approach they did with the public school system when it was ruled that forced integration must occur. Instead of maintianing a level of excellence for all students to strive toward, government mandates lowered the entire system to a second rate diploma mill and now we see the affirmative action harvest of same.
The question that remains is whether the sheriffs of the counties and the military will recognize or follow his orders. My guess is that they will not.
The question that remains is whether the sheriffs of the counties and the military will recognize or follow his orders. My guess is that they will not.
The only medication that effectively controls my hypertension was not available in generic form and my private insurance company insisted I try a cheaper generic drug before they would pay for my legend drug. After 18 months of dosage changes and the addition of diuretic drugs my blood pressure remained dangerously high and only when my former medication became available in generic form was I able to get back on the right medication and get my blood pressure controlled. Under Obamacre I would have been stuck with the cheaper drug because it is effective for most people and would have continued with uncontrolled hypertension until I had a stroke or kidney failure and then because of my age be denied treatment.
If there's a blue pill and a red pill, and the blue pill is half the price of the red pill and works just as well, why not pay half price for the thing that's going to make you well?
Very informative post.. thanks. If insurance companies were to get out of heath care, your friend’s scratch would have cost about five bucks.
Laurence Fishbourne, like most other Hollywood types, is a big lib, but he was great in that movie.
Also, with the new wave of biomeds (antibodies), note that no one has successfully made a “generic” of an antibody medicine yet.
Bald head, black leather and shades. Cool dude.
Indeed, I've seen the same thing. I think he's a joker, a smoker, a midnite toker.
Clearly not cut out for the job. I think we should let him go.
Don't insult pond scum like that!! /sarc
>>She had a scratch on her arm that was slightly infected so needed antibiotics.<<
I understand your point but why didn’t you just direct her to some Neosporin?
And where in the world does anyone pay 400.00 for antibiotics?
Walmart has them for 5.00. Were they gold plated?
“My doctor just switched my Aunts blood pressure med, because he thought it was better for her as an individual. How many other times have doctors decided one med or antibiotic wasnt doing the job the way he expected, and then switched you?”
Great point.
I recall we were going on a trip with our 18month old who unfortunately got a fever and ear infection right before we left. We got an emergecny room doctor to take a look who prescribed antibiotic.
It didnt help.
We had to see another doctor. I recall he reacted strongly when he found out what was prescribed. “That tastes like tin!”
He got a better antibiotic that worked.
The hidden story here is that ObamaCare will cover 10 million illegal aliens that are not insured today. That’s not cheap. To pay for it, everyone who is covered today is getting the squeeze.
#handsoff our healthcare Mr Obama.
“And it would be worse in a government run system”
Thank you your last line was brilliant. Under the government plan it will cost everyone many thousands more to cover the incident you described.
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